MCLC: Mo Yan wins the Nobel lit prize (22,23)

Denton, Kirk denton.2 at osu.edu
Tue Oct 30 08:44:24 EDT 2012


MCLC LIST
From: Rujie Wang <rwang at wooster.edu>
Subject: Mo Yan wins the Nobel lit prize (22)
*****************************************************

我为什么不为莫言获奖感到自豪 (Why I am not proud that Mo Yan won the [Nobel]
prize)
连清川 2012年10月17日

我们之所以失望与无奈,恰恰在于莫言这个具体的文学从业者,这个小说家,他所缺乏的,
恰恰是这个民族得以珍视与荣宠的精神与灵魂象征。尽管他的作品常常寓言式地
掩藏着他与现实政治的龃龉和若有若无的反叛,但他也习惯性地沉默于国脉与民瘼,游离
于灾难和压迫,失语于公义和良知。他并不是一个施害者,但是他是一个袖手
者,甚或有时候是一个共谋者。

我们无从抗议诺贝尔评选委员会对于莫言的选择。也许就像他们当年选择了肖洛霍夫,这
个压迫苏联文学的同谋者一样,在文学专业上他们漠视了道德勇气的基本需求。但
是我们有权固执地认定,莫言和他的文学,并不代表中华这个民族的文学精神和灵魂。这
只是一些并不体认中国特有的苦痛与拯救道路的人们的一次他者的名利游戏。

I don't understand why a good writer has to represent what is viewed as
the spirit and conscience of his people, as Lian Qingchuan would insist.
Another Nobel laureate already warned people about this when he was
recognized as a Chinese writer.

-----
The Case for Literature
Gao Xingjian 

A writer is an ordinary person, perhaps he is more sensitive but people
who are highly sensitive are often more frail. A writer does not speak as
the spokesperson of the people or as the embodiment of righteousness. His
voice is inevitably weak but it is precisely this voice of the individual
that is more authentic.

What I want to say here is that literature can only be the voice of the
individual and this has always been so. Once literature is contrived as
the hymn of the nation, the flag of the race, the mouthpiece of a
political party or the voice of a class or a group, it can be employed as
a mighty and all-engulfing tool of propaganda. However, such literature
loses what is inherent in literature, ceases to be literature, and becomes
a substitute for power and profit...

The so-called writer is nothing more than someone speaking or writing and
whether he is listened to or read is for others to choose. The writer is
not a hero acting on orders from the people nor is he worthy of worship as
an idol, and certainly he is not a criminal or enemy of the people. He is
at times victimized along with his writings simply because of other’s
needs. When the authorities need to manufacture a few enemies to divert
people’s attention, writers become sacrifices and worse still writers who
have been duped actually think it is a great honor to be sacrificed.

In fact the relationship of the author and the reader is always one of
spiritual communication and there is no need to meet or to socially
interact, it is a communication simply through the work. Literature
remains an indispensable form of human activity in which both the reader
and the writer are engaged of their own volition. Hence, literature has no
duty to the masses.


-----

==========================================================

From: Timothy J.T. Pi <timothy.pi at gmail.com>
Subject: Mo Yan wins the Nobel lit prize (23)

"我们之所以失望与无奈,恰恰在于莫言这个具体的文学从业者,这个小说家,他所缺乏
的,恰恰是这个民族得以珍视与荣宠的精神与灵魂象征。尽管他的作品常常寓言式
地掩藏着他与现实政治的龃龉和若有若无的反叛,但他也习惯性地沉默于国脉与民瘼,游
离于灾难和压迫,失语于公义和良知。他并不是一个施害者,但是他是一个袖手
者,甚或有时候是一个共谋者。"

 Mr. Lian says what I meant to express a few weeks ago.

Mr. Mo Yan may not be the perpetrator but his silence on many events in
China says a lot his character.








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