At the same time, Beijing, No. 166 Chaonei Street.
In the editorial department of People's Literature magazine, editor-in-chief Zhang Guangnian has been busy with various management and sorting tasks after the resumption of publication of People's Literature.
It was not until several days after the latest issue of Poetry Magazine came out that he saw the poem "A Generation" on the desk of his editor.
“The night gave me black eyes, but I use them to look for light!”
After reading it quietly again, Zhang Guangnian still felt shocked.
He is a poet, literary theorist, and vice chairman of the Writers Association. He is known as "the key promoter of the literary revival in the new era."
The famous "Yellow River Cantata" is a cycle of poems created by him, composed by Xi Xinghai, and became a symbol of the Chinese nation's anti-Japanese spirit.
In the 1950s and 1960s, he served as Dean of Education at the Central Academy of Drama, Deputy Director of the Art Bureau of the Ministry of Culture, and Editor-in-Chief of the Literary Gazette, among other important positions on the literary and artistic front.
However, during a special period, he was criticized as a "black line figure in literature and art" and suffered persecution.
He was rehabilitated just last year, in 1976, and resumed his work, presiding over the resumption of publication of People's Literature.
In terms of personal literary achievements, he is far inferior to Ba Jin, Qian Zhongshu and others. However, his contribution to promoting the resumption of publication of People's Literature and selecting articles to publish to break through ideological constraints is obvious to all.
In particular, it was he who supported the publication of Liu Xinwu's "Class Teacher" against all odds, thus starting the trend of "scar literature".
so……
Zhang Guangnian, the editor-in-chief of People's Literature, may not be very interested in Facing the Sea, Spring Flowers Blooming, but when he saw A Generation, he couldn't stop his hands from shaking and he expressed his rare emotion.
He himself is a poet who loves to write poetry and read poetry even more. Especially when he reads poetry that resonates with him, his body and soul tremble and get excited.
“This song, “A Generation”, is great! It is really well written.”
"Editor-in-chief, this song 'A Generation' was written by Haizi, so of course it's good. During the Chinese New Year, Haizi's song 'Facing the Sea, Spring Blossoms' helped countless young men in Beijing find their date.
However, I really didn't expect that Haizi could write such profound, concise and concise poems.
It's not easy! For a peasant to write such a poem, it's not an exaggeration to describe him as talented. "
"It is said that Mr. Guo, Mr. Ba and Mr. Zhong all gave high praise to "A Generation". The next issue of "Poetry Magazine" will open a special topic to appreciate this poem and post the comments of the three literary masters!"
"Poetry Magazine has become a big hit this time. I heard that even the old man saw it and praised it personally! He said that the new era has a new look.
Editor-in-chief, we at People’s Literature must also work harder and strive to create a new literary style trend.”
"As the Writers Association's favorite journal, if People's Literature has been in publication for so long and has no articles to show for it, that would be a loss of face, wouldn't it?"
"There are quite a few manuscripts, and some of them are well-written. But most of them are so boring to read. There are not many novels worth reading, and the essays are even more... scattered in form and spirit.
Editor-in-chief, you are the vice chairman of the Writers Association, why don’t you make an appointment with the great writers of the Writers Association to write an article! I believe that with the blessing of the masters’ articles, if we plant the phoenix tree first, maybe we can attract the phoenix to build a nest! "
…
Faced with the editors' complaints, editor-in-chief Zhang Guangnian was quite helpless. Good articles are not pebbles on the river bank that you can pick up just by going there and picking up as many as you want.
Writing a truly good article is like panning for gold in the sand; it requires a lot of time and luck.
After he resumed his work, he resumed publishing People's Literature, naturally with the intention of achieving some results and bringing new vitality to the domestic literary world.
However, the special period had just ended, and there were not many writers who dared to submit articles to publications, let alone write some more eccentric and "heretical" content.
And just at this moment...
Someone outside the yard rushed in and shouted, "Editor-in-chief! Editor-in-chief! Quick! Mr. Ba and Mr. Zhong are here."
"What? Why are these two elders here? Everyone, get ready. They are here to inspect our work!"
Zhang Guangnian quickly gave instructions to the editors, then stood up and went to the door to greet them.
"Mr. Ba, Mr. Zhong, why didn't you call and tell us you were coming?"
Zhang Guangnian said with a smile, "This is a surprise attack!"
"Light Years! You! You! Don't we trust you?"
Ba Lao shook his head, pointed at him, and said with a smile, "We just can't sit still. We haven't come to take a look since the People's Literature was re-published!"
But Mr. Qian was quick to speak and got straight to the point: "You should have read the poem "A Generation" in Poetry Magazine, right? What do you think of it?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Guangnian immediately understood the profound meaning of the two elders’ visit to People’s Literature.
He nodded and replied: "It's a very good poem, which expresses the persistence and pursuit of our generation."
"Yes! You have just been rehabilitated, so you should have a deeper understanding of this poem. So, we came here just to ask you, the editor-in-chief of People's Literature.
Among so many manuscripts submitted to People's Literature, is it possible to find articles with similar spiritual core?
During that special period, intellectuals suffered a lot, and the country's development was forced to stagnate.
I think our entire country and nation should reflect deeply.
Naturally, we have to start with our literary and artistic circles. Can you see if there are any suitable articles that can be published in the new issue of People's Literature to serve as an example for the vast number of literary and artistic workers? "
Ba Lao also said very solemnly that after discussing with Zhong Lao and several other literary masters in the past few days, he decided to start with "People's Literature".
What the two elders said touched the heart of editor-in-chief Zhang Guangnian, but he was also worried!
How could he not think about what the two elders were thinking?
“To be honest, I was just talking to the editors about this! Can we find articles with the spirit and spiritual core of “A Generation” among the manuscripts submitted?
But this is too difficult. The special period has just passed. Who would dare to write such an article and send it for publication?"
Shaking his head, Zhang Guangnian was still complaining to the two elders!
As a result, there was a sudden burst of exclamations in the editorial department, and the editors shouted excitedly.
"Editor-in-chief, come quickly! This novel is so well written."
"Found it! Found it! Editor-in-chief, I found an article that can rival "A Generation"..."
"Almost done! Editor-in-chief, come in and take a look!"
…
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