Reborn Bao Guowei, I really didn’t want to be a great writer!

Chapter 488: Oriental Communication! What does the literary giant Yasunari Kawabata understand?

At this point in 1931, Kawabata Yasunari was not yet the Japanese super literary giant he later became, but he had already made his mark.

A few years ago, he and a group of young writers including Yokomitsu Toshi founded the magazine "Bungei Jidai", launched the New Sensational Movement, and announced the birth of the "New Sensationalism School".

In fact, the rise of this literary genre is also closely related to the social environment at that time.

The main reason is that under the economic crisis, the society is filled with a sense of nihilism and despair, coupled with the prevalence of the Western culture of greed for pleasure.

In a sense, the New Sensational School belongs to the category of realistic literature, but it completely emphasizes the portrayal of social phenomena, and on this basis, it carries out certain reflections and criticisms.

In the beginning, due to differences in ideologies, the rise of the New Sensationalism in Japan brought it into conflict with the Bolshevik literature, which was concerned with the lower classes of society at the time.

The two confront and influence each other.

Kawabata Yasunari and Kurahara Koreto are the important representatives of these two schools respectively.

It can be said that since the rise of the two-person school, these two writers, who were originally close friends, would often discuss or even quarrel over this issue, and neither could convince the other.

Fortunately, differences in literary schools are different from political differences. Political struggles are often life-and-death battles, while literary differences are mostly peaceful.

Especially between two people, during the communication, it gradually becomes that you are in me and I am in you.

With the rise of Bolshevik literature, new sensation writers such as Yasunari Kawabata began to pay more attention to social reality and the lives of the lower classes.

Just like "The Dancing Girl of Izu" written a few years ago, this novel written by Yasunari Kawabata tells the life and emotional story of the lower class people in Japan.

It is enough to see the mutual influence between the two people.

But even so, the New Sensationalism and Bolshevik literature were still in a relatively opposing situation.

Even if Kawabata Yasunari and Kurahara Yoshito were good friends, it still could not change this fact.

Although literature does not involve politics, it is always involved to some extent.

For example, Koreto Kawahara has always wanted to bring Yasunari Kawabata into the Bolshevik camp.

Unfortunately, Kawabata Yasunari has always been very determined and has no intention of getting involved in political affairs.

After several conversations, Kuran Yoshito gave up the idea.

However, Kawabata Yasunari did not join their camp, but he did not hate it either.

Yasunari Kawabata is a writer with humanistic feelings who is deeply influenced by traditional Confucian culture.

Just by looking at his works, some people might think that he is a sensitive, lonely and slightly sad person.

But from the perspective of his personal life, Kawabata Yasunari was an extremely meticulous person, and extremely firm and persistent in what he believed in.

It can be seen from many of his works that he is very empathetic to the plight of the lower-class people.

After all, the real purpose of the two people's humanistic pursuits is the same, but they differ in their paths. This is fundamentally different from some ambitious people in Japanese politics today.

Late at night, after meeting Kawabata Yasunari, Kawahara Koreto and the two immediately went to the study.

Yasunari Kawabata's home is an old Japanese-style house. The huge house is divided into various areas, which makes it look very crowded and cramped.

However, this is not a disadvantage in the study.

Kawabata Yasunari's study was filled with books. When he opened the door, the room was filled with the scent of books and ink.

The furnishings in the study were simple, with just bookshelves and desks. However, the small room was not messy at all. Instead, it was tidy and organized, maintaining its own order in a style unique to the owner.

Yuto Kuranghara took a sip of the hot tea on the table and caught a glimpse of a row of books under the bookshelf.

He was very familiar with the names of those books.

To Live, The Old Man and the Sea, Guns, Germs, and Steel, The Chrysanthemum and the Sword.
In the corner, you can even see "The Legend of the Condor Heroes", but this novel has not yet been translated into Japanese, so this is the Chinese version.

Together with some magazines and newspapers related to Bao Guowei, it is enough to show how much Kawabata Yasunari values ​​this new Chinese literary giant.

Noticing the guests staring at the books, Kawabata Yasunari couldn't help but smile and said, "They are all Bingwen-kun's books. It's not easy to collect all of his works in Japan!"

Many of Bao Guowei's works have not yet been officially published in Japan.

For some reason, the authorities seem reluctant to see the works of this Chinese writer appear in the Japanese publishing market.

So, it took some effort for Yasunari Kawabata to get these.

At this point, Kuragahara Yoshito couldn't help but sighed: "Last year, when I was planning to go to Russia, I saw several of his works. At that time, Bingwen was still a young literary man in China. I had high expectations for him and was impressed by his literary talent.

Unexpectedly, just a few months later, he had already become internationally famous and won the Pulitzer Prize and the Goncourt Prize.

He even made achievements in economics, which was expected by Americans and British.

I think it won’t be surprising if he wins the Nobel Prize in Literature at the end of the year.”

Kawabata Yasunari smiled and said, "Come to think of it, Mr. Kuran was deeply influenced by this gentleman?"

Kuragora Yoshito immediately waved his fist and said, "This is not something that cannot be said. Bingwen-kun's works have a kind of power.

His works such as "Answer" and "To Live" convey a majestic power. They seem pessimistic, but they can make people's blood boil and raise hope for struggle.

This is an important part missing from Japanese literature.”

Yuto Kuranghara put his hands on his knees and said with a somewhat excited expression.

“To be honest, Kawabata-kun, you should know that our business has been greatly affected during this period.

Sometimes I feel like, let’s just forget it, what’s the point of continuing to work hard?

But if you continue to read Bingwenjun's books, you will gain the strength to keep working hard."

Kawabata Yasunari fell into silence. He certainly knew what the other party meant by career impact.

However, he had already decided not to participate in politics.

He could help his old friend Zang Yuan go to Russia, or protect the relevant novelists.

This is out of humanitarian concern and the protection of individual rights.

But he could never get Kawabata Yasushi to become their supporter.

After a long time, Kawabata Yasunari could only analyze Bao Guowei's works.

"Historically, Japan has always regarded China as its suzerain state, until the past hundred years, when the situation has gradually changed.

We have shifted from learning from China to learning from Western countries.

But the culture that has been passed down for hundreds of years is deeply engraved in our bones and souls. No matter how Westernized we are, we cannot change the fact that our flesh and blood are influenced by the Chinese."

In Japan, Yasunari Kawabata has always been a supporter of traditional culture.

He may not be able to change the trend of total Westernization, but he still sticks to the inheritance of some traditional culture.

In "Snow Country", the descriptions of snowy nights, sunsets, and the death of leaves show a sense of leisure and emptiness like "the Milky Way pouring into the heart".

"The Old Capital" describes the streets and temples of Kyoto.

The restrained and implicit emotions between characters in "Thousand Cranes", as well as the descriptions of traditional utensils such as tea sets, all contain the beauty of wabi-sabi.

In a sense, many of Kawabata Yasunari's works borrowed from the writing techniques and narrative structure of Japanese classical literature such as "The Tale of Genji".

Then combine it with the thoughts of modernist literature.

So, no matter how the authorities clamor.

In Kawabata Yasunari's view, Japanese culture is completely unable to break away from the influence of Chinese culture.

"That's exactly why," Kawabata Yasunari said in a detailed analysis. "That's why Bingwen-kun's works can give us a completely different experience.

We can also feel a resonance of cultural commonality from his works.

But it is completely different from the "sorrow" of Japanese culture. Although Bingwenjun's works may have "sorrow", they can always reflect a vitality that is completely different from Japanese novels. This is what we need to learn, a valuable writing idea. "

Obviously, since Bao Guowei became famous, Kawabata Yasunari has conducted extremely detailed analysis and understanding of his works. This understanding is not superficial, but profound and thorough.

Once they opened the conversation, the two of Japan's top novelists immediately started talking nonstop.

Especially Yasunari Kawabata, he said again.

“I really like the book The Chrysanthemum and the Sword. Some parts of it seem to be slandering the Japanese, but the analysis is actually very thorough.

It makes people feel that the problem of the Japanese is already there.

The reason why we have so many problems often stems from these contradictions in our bones.

The Japanese do a lot of self-analysis, but it never helps.

Now I think, maybe China, the former suzerain, is the group of people who see Japan most clearly."

Kawabata Yasunari conducted an analysis of Bao Guowei's various works.

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He was not at all stingy with his praise, but it was still from an objective perspective.

However, Kawahara Yoshito's attention was not on the other party's words. He did not forget why he wanted to find Kawabata Yasunari today.

The two people haven't seen each other for a long time. Perhaps there are countless things to talk about, but there is a more important thing that is urgent.

So, Kurahara Yoshito unexpectedly interrupted the other person's words.

"Kawabata-kun, Mr. Bingwen not only has positive works, he also has novels that reflect the culture of 'sorrow'."

After a moment's pause, Kawabata Yasunari was about to retort, but then he thought of something and spoke with his eyes wide open.

"Mr. Bingwen has published a new work?"

After such a long period of preparation, Kuraohara Yoshito finally found an opportunity. He slowly took out a handwritten novel from his arms and introduced it in detail to Kawabata Yasunari, just as he was promoting it at the conference just now.

"Kawabata-kun, this is a novel set in Japan, written by Bingwen-kun. If you read it, you will definitely have a completely new understanding of him."

Yasunari Kawabata's face showed joy at first, but then he frowned tightly and said in disbelief.

"I haven't heard of any recent works by Bingwen Jun. I have a few friends in Huaxia Country. When they get the latest works, they will tell me the content as soon as possible, even if they don't have time to translate them."

So, he looked at the other person with a little suspicion.

"Kurahara-kun, you've probably been tricked, haven't you?"

Ever since Bao Guowei became famous, related piracy has never stopped, and counterfeit works are countless.

“New work by Bao Bingwen!”

This title has almost become a common tactic used by major booksellers today.

Even in Japan, similar phenomena are not uncommon.

In order to catch up with the West as soon as possible, the culture of copycats has long been prevalent in Japan.

Many booksellers will even find many of Bao Guowei's works in China that have not yet been spread to Japan, and piece them together to form a new work.

In Japan, even if Bao Guowei knew about it, he had no way to control it and could only let it go.

As a novelist, Yasunari Kawabata naturally scoffs at all acts of piracy, which is why he is so sensitive.

Especially when I saw that the novel in the other person's hand was just a handwritten copy.

Zang Yuan wanted to explain, but after thinking it over, he decided not to do so.

Instead, he stuffed the manuscript into Kawabata Yasunari's hands and then said.

"Kawabata-kun has studied so many of Bingwen-kun's novels. If they are true, won't you know after reading them?"

Yasunari Kawabata was stunned for a moment and subconsciously took the manuscript.

Obviously, he held the manuscript with some disgust, but for the sake of his friend's face, he still patiently read it.

"I just look at some of the, you know, parodies and pastiches that are easy to spot."

As soon as Kawabata Yasunari finished speaking, he caught a glimpse of the first sentence of the novel.

"Looking back on my past, my life has been full of shame."

After reading it, he subconsciously moved the manuscript away.

Obviously, in his opinion, this is too different from Bao Guowei's style.

Although Bao Guowei's works cover a wide range of styles, Kawabata Yasunari has never seen such an opening.

And it's this
It looks more like the work of a Japanese writer.

Yasunari Kawabata even had some doubts as to whether this good friend in front of him was seeking a more objective evaluation of his own work, or was trying to make fun of him.

After all, when a writer becomes famous, readers will always feel a vague aura about his new works.

Sensing his friend's suspicion, Zang Yuan pointed at the manuscript.

"Don't worry, Kawabata-kun. Just keep reading."

A few days later.

"When I was a kid, one summer afternoon, I walked up and down the corridor in a red sweater, making my family laugh. Even my eldest brother, who was always strict, couldn't help laughing."

"It's wonderful. This scene deeply describes the inner contradictions of the Japanese!"

Nosaka Sanzo, who finally got the manuscript, pounded the table and spoke with emotion about the plot of the novel.

Then, he immersed himself deeply in the plot of the novel.

His face was sometimes distorted, sometimes happy, sometimes sad, but he seemed to be looking at his own experiences.

The hands holding the manuscript were sweating profusely, and the table was covered with wiped papers.

"We lived like an idiot and a madman, with no plans for the future or visions for tomorrow. We just kept going in and out of restaurants, pubs, teahouses, etc., drinking, smoking, and hanging out with women.
In this life, I can't help but often ask myself, is this the life we ​​want? "

When reading this passage, Nosaka Sanzo, one of the leaders of the Japanese Bolsheviks, couldn't help but tremble.

Next, he saw that under the economic crisis in the book, Yezo and Horiki were influenced by the capitalist trend of living for the moment and gradually degenerated.

People also become addicted to the temporary stimulation of material and senses, and even endure hunger and death for this.

No matter how turbulent the society is, how depressed the economy is, or how the authorities change, those aristocratic families who have stood at the pinnacle of power and wealth for hundreds of years seem to have not changed at all.

In this book, Sanzo Nosaka saw things that he had never seen before.

"Does the prince and general Xiang Ning have the guts?"

This famous Chinese saying does not seem to be well-known in Japan.

But in "No Longer Human", Sanzo Nosaka saw this struggle and resentment in seeking fairness, as well as the feeling of powerlessness in the face of a ruthless society.

This kind of thought, mixed with experiences and plots that conform to Japan's national conditions, becomes even more infectious.

I don't know how much time has passed, but he still hasn't recovered from the plot of the novel.

But in his eyes, there seemed to be a fire that had never been seen before.

“No Longer Human must be seen by everyone!”

Nosaka Sanzo, the most influential Bolshevik in Japan, spoke from the bottom of his heart.

(End of this chapter)