Wang Zhengxiang’s is both green leaves and red flowers

——A story about Wang Zhengxiang, editor and writer of Hunan Literature and Art Publishing House. Wang Zhengxiang was born in a family of scholars in the mountainous area of ??central Hunan. My great-grandfather and grandfather were civil servants in the Qing Dynasty for several generations, and they had many books in their home. His father taught him the Three-Character Classic when he was three years old. When he was a child, he studied "Young Learning Qionglin" and "Mencius" under his father's guidance. In order to avoid his mother's nagging, he often hid upstairs alone and read his father's collection of books, such as "The Book of Songs" , "Hundred Chapters on Ancient Chinese Writing", "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio" and so on. Although I didn’t understand much of the reading, I found it interesting, which aroused my interest and fell in love with classical literature. He said, "At that time, I read a copy of "A Dream of Red Mansions" in nine days."

In addition to family education, folk literature also had a profound impact on him. The rural style in central Hunan is simple and simple, and the atmosphere of folk literature is rich. Farmers play folk songs when working, sing praises for spring during dragon and lion dances during the Spring Festival, praise the bridal chamber when getting married, and sing funeral songs during funerals. Adults often teach children nursery rhymes, riddles, and tell folk stories. Flower drum opera and puppet shows are often performed in the village. "I remember one night when we were performing the Flower Drum Opera, I didn't go to bed until the show ended at dawn." Wang Zhengxiang recalled excitedly. The rich and colorful folk literature, although oral, also cultivated Wang Zhengxiang's interest in literature just like his family origins.

From 1945 to 1947, Wang Zhengxiang studied in junior high school at Xiangxiang Middle School. "The teacher tells some life stories of modern writers based on the text, which I love to listen to the most." The school has a library and a reading room, where he often goes to read "Enlightened Youth", "Middle School Students" and other publications, and also borrows "Old Can's Travels" and "Old Can's Travels". "The Divine Comedy", "Robinson Crusoe" and other Chinese and foreign literary masterpieces. These further cultivated his interest in literature.

In the autumn of 1950, "Hunan Youth Daily" launched a call for essays. Wang Zhengxiang wrote an essay "Myself in the Year of Liberation" and sent it to him. It was published soon and was awarded an award. Soon after, he published a literary review "About Miss Xi's Marriage" in "Democracy Daily".

“Publishing two short articles was originally a trivial matter, but as a teenage middle school student at the time, I was greatly encouraged.”

It can also be said that this is The starting point of his career as a writer. After Wang Zhengxiang graduated from the No. 1 Normal College in Hunan Province in 1950, he took the initiative to teach in difficult rural areas. He spent 4 years in primary school and 6 years in middle school. Ten years passed quickly. Later, he was successively transferred to the Xiangtan County Revolutionary History Information Office, Xiangtan County Cultural Center, and the Hunan Provincial Department of Civil Affairs. Finally, in 1964, he was transferred to the Hunan People's Publishing House to work as a literary editor. By the time he retired in 1992, Ye's career had continued for 28 years. (In 1985, due to organizational adjustment, the People's Society was divided into two and was assigned to Hunan Literature and Art Publishing House)

There are few people in the Hunan literary and art circles who do not know about this "Zhengxiang Master". Some people say: "Don't Seeing that Lao Wang is short-sighted, he can see far in his heart. "Indeed, he is quite short-sighted. If someone is looking for him, he usually uses his ears and senses to identify who it is. It is inevitable to make jokes in daily life. "Old Wang is asleep." It wasn't until Wang Zhengxiangjiang raised his head and looked at him that he was shocked - knowing that he was reading a manuscript. But in his editing work, Wang Zhengxiang looks far ahead. In 1978, a middle-aged writer from the province sent some clippings of short stories and asked Lao Wang to make a collection. After Wang Zhengxiang reviewed the manuscript, he found that there were several works that could not stand the test of time, so he insisted on removing them. He patiently persuaded the author: "The work must stand the test of history, otherwise the book will become a pile of waste paper. It is better to wait until you have some new works and add some before publishing the book." The writer was persuaded by him, Later, he wrote several new works one after another, and Lao Wang published a book for him. The few works that were removed by Lao Wang have also been proven by history to be untenable. The writer later said with emotion: "Lao Wang is really discerning!"

I also heard the writer Lu Zhiluo tell a short story between him and Lao Wang. It was the spring of 1974, before the Cultural Revolution ended thirty-three years ago. Lu Zhiluo sent his novel "Road", which reflected the construction of the Hunan-Guizhou and Zhiliu Railways, to the Hunan People's Publishing House at the time. The editor-in-charge was Wang Zhengxiang.

After repeated collective review, publication is finalized, but revisions are required. The novel only describes the struggle against nature, not the class struggle, so the line of class struggle must be added.

If someone else just returns a manuscript that others have worked so hard to write, or just says that it is not up to publication level, wouldn't it discourage young people? " When asked how Mr. Wang became a writer, he smiled blankly: "Others say he is a writer, but I never thought about it that way myself. I have been interested in literature since I was a child, so I wrote some poems and prose. Later, when I published a lot, I was called a ‘writer’. "

Old writer Duanmu Hongliang said: "Zhengxiang is a diligent and serious person. He devoted his best years to editing work. He arranged and polished it for others, and worked diligently and meticulously until it was published... but in contrast, it delayed his own creation. Even with the delay, he still wrote so many excellent works. ”

Wang Zhengxiang published a collection of essays "The Strange Bamboos of Junshan". A collection of novellas "What a hurry to gather and disperse". Classical literary treatises "(The Romance of the Three Kingdoms) Introduction", "Heroes Dominate the Three Kingdoms". "Tang Dynasty" The collection of essays "The Love of Life" and the collection of poems "The Poems of the Song Dynasty" are yet to be published.

His other important works include the novella "Green Leaves" and "The Love of Life". "Chrysanthemum Rhythm", "Feng Yun on the Xiangjiang River", the novella "Baozhu", the essay "The Story of Catching a Muntjac", literary criticism, literary editing treatises, folk literature, etc.

Most of Wang Zhengxiang's works are outstanding.

The famous writer Bi Ye commented that “‘The writing is like the person’, which is a praise for the best of both character and writing. From Comrade Wang Zhengxiang, we see the harmonious unity of literature and character. Reading "Junshan Zhuqi" is like meeting an old friend, chatting with him, opening your heart, being friendly and natural, and a warm current will rise in your chest, creating a sense of happiness. "Junshan Bamboo Miracle" is like a trickling spring, clear and bright. Take a spoonful and drink it to clear your mind. ”

Duanmu Hongliang said about “Gathering and Dispersing in a Hurry”, “The author never uses artificial plots and mysterious arrangements to attract people, and uses calm and restrained pen and ink to make social life stay in the minds of reporters. A hint of aftertaste. "

Pan Xulan of Fudan University in Shanghai said "Green Leaves" "shows an inherent beauty. ”

What Wang Zhengxiang likes most is ancient poetry. Although he sums up his life with the words “rigid” and “simple”, if you read his poems, you will feel that they are full of poetry and affection. . As Lu Zhiluo said, "I never thought that Mr. Wang, who is nearly eighty years old, honest and dull, would have such a broad mind and still be so agile in writing. "

He has written more than 1,000 poems since his retirement in 1992. There are more than 500 poems that have great influence in China. His poems have been published in Hong Kong's "Ta Kung Pao", "Chinese Poetry" and other newspapers Dozens of poems are mainly included in nearly 100 poetry collections published at home and abroad, as well as "Chinese Poetry Yearbook" and "Contemporary Chinese Poetry Collection".

Although Mr. Wang has bad eyesight, he loves traveling and has the opportunity. If he went to other places, he would go there. Because of this, travel poems also accounted for a large proportion of his works. After the return of Hong Kong and Macau, he also visited them and wrote dozens of them. I’d like to visit Taiwan if I can in my lifetime. But according to the old master, although the city is prosperous, it still prefers green mountains, green waters and historical sites.

I am curious to see that the works submitted by Wang Zhengxiang can be published. Know the trick, “revise, rewrite, rewrite. Master continued, "I am an editor myself. If my work cannot pass my own level, how can I submit it for submission?" If you are not sure, don't write. After you finish writing, you should keep revising it and be responsible for yourself. "His rigorous work attitude is really worth learning from future generations.

Although Wang Zhengxiang earns a retirement salary of several thousand yuan a month, his life is very simple. Apart from poems, books, and articles, he has almost no other It’s a hobby, and there are no requirements. I have a few sets of clothes all year round, and the cotton sweatshirts are either turning transparent after washing, or have holes. I buy two steamed buns for breakfast every morning, and sometimes I don’t know if one of them falls off. During the day, he stayed in his room all day long, unable to watch TV due to his eyesight, so the radio was his only source of news about the outside world. He wrote poems and wrote letters to old friends. He also asked about his recent works. , he said, is a series of poems about the protection of monuments.

"It hurts me to see the cultural heritage of our motherland being destroyed."

Finally, I asked the old master about his ideals.

"You have lived your whole life, what is your ideal? Do you have any unfulfilled wishes?"

Old Master Wang smiled and said, "I am a person with big breasts." I don’t have any ambitions. When I work, I just want to do a good job and get paid by the state. Literature is just a hobby. I don’t want to be an official, and I can’t do it.”

That’s it. Our lovely old master——Wang Zhengxiang.