Văn chương lạnh

Vấn đề là, chiến tranh tiếp nối chiến tranh, cách mạng tiếp nối cách mạng, phong trào, lực lượng chính trị, xung đột giữa họ trên đất TQ  hàng trăm năm qua đã ảnh hưởng lên mọi tầng lớp  trí thức. Tiếng nói ly khai không được khoan thứ, nhà văn bắt buộc phải trở thành chiến sĩ, họ không có một cách nào khác để tạo một cuộc sống. Họ thất bại trong việc cứu vớt đất nước, hay dân tộc, và thường là phải hy sinh tài sản, mạng sống. Văn chương lạnh chỉ có thể khả hữu một khi những áp lực chính trị không còn, có thể tránh được, và cuộc sống được bảo đảm. Chính vì thế mà khó khăn vô cùng cho văn chương Tẫu có thể có thứ "lạnh" này.
Từ đó, có thể nói, văn chương lạnh xúi người ta bỏ chạy để sống sót; đó là thứ văn chương từ chối bị bịt miệng để tìm sự cứu chuộc. Tôi tin rằng, 1 sắc dân đếch làm sao ban cho người dân da mùi của nó – da trắng chúng đâu cần, chúng muốn viết gì thì viết -  thứ văn chương "đếch có ích" 1 tí gì, như là văn chương lạnh, thì điều này không chỉ là bất hạnh cho nhà văn, mà còn là dấu chỉ đích danh sắc dân này quá cà chớn, nếu không muốn nói là, quá nghèo nàn, về tinh thần, về tinh anh, về đỉnh cao chói lọi.
Chính vì những lý do đó mà tôi đề nghị: Văn Chương Lạnh.

Interview: Gao

... on exile.

Exile is salvation. Exile is a writer's salvation. The goal is not exile. The goal is to write. There have been so many writers who have been forced to flee in order to write. Sometimes the oppression isn't even that extreme, but they still leave. Like James Joyce. It wasn't political oppression. But Joyce and Beckett, they never went back. It was psychological oppression in Ireland; the Catholic Church made them exile themselves. No, a writer cannot defeat a society. But he can save himself, which has been the case from ancient times until today.After Mao died [1976J, after the Cultural Revolution, Chinese society had a relative period of liberalization and I could travel and look at things. Lingshan was about seeking a starting point for consciousness, looking for an entry point on a spiritual level. It was mostly written in China and finished in France, but I had to wait until after Mao died and even then I couldn't think of having it published. I began writing Lingshan in 1982.    

Về lưu vong

Lưu vong là cứu rỗi. Lưu vong là cứu rỗi của nhà văn. Mục đích không phải là lưu vong. Mục đích là viết. Có rất nhiều nhà văn bị ép buộc phải bỏ chạy để viết. Đôi khi sự đàn áp không đến nỗi tới chỉ khiến họ phải bỏ đi, nhưng vẫn phải bỏ đi. Thí dụ James Joyce. Nhưng Joyce và Beckett, cả hai chẳng hề quay trở lại. Có một sự đàn áp về tâm lý ở Ái nhĩ lan: Nhà thờ Ky tô khiến họ tự lưu vong. Không, một nhà văn không thể đánh bại một xã hội. Nhưng anh ta có thể tự cứu mình, đây là một trường hợp từ cổ xưa cho mãi tới ngày này. Sau khi Mao chết [1976], sau Cách Mạng Văn Hóa, xã hội TQ có một thời kỳ tương đối cởi mở, và tôi có thể đi du lịch, nhìn tới nhìn lui những sự vật, con người. Lingshan, Linh Sơn, là về sự tìm kiếm một khởi điểm cho tâm thức, kiếm điểm nhập tầng tâm linh. Nó hầu hết được viết ở TQ và xuất bản ở Pháp, nhưng tôi phải đợi sau khi Mao chết, vậy mà khi đó vẫn không nghĩ có thể in nó ra. Tôi bắt đầu viết nó vào năm 1982.

Cold Literature

30 July 1990, Paris

IN MY VIEW THE TIME for rousing revolutionary literature has passed, because the revolution has already revolutionized itself to death and has left behind only bitterness and a sort of weariness, listlessness and even nausea.

    Literature basically has nothing to do with politics, but is purely a matter for the individual, it is the gratification of the intellect, together with an observation, a review of experiences, reminiscences and feelings, or the portrayal of a state of mind.

    Due entirely to political need, literature unfortunately grew fervent, and was subjected to attack or flattery. It was helplessly transformed into an instrument, a weapon or a target, until it finally forgot its basic nature.

    The so-called writer is nothing more than an individual speaking or writing, and whether he is listened to or read is for others to choose. The writer is not a hero acting on the orders of the people, nor is he worthy of worship as an idol, but he is certainly not a criminal or an enemy of the people. At times he and his writings will encounter problems simply because of the needs of others. When the authorities need to manufacture a few enemies to divert people's attention, writers become sacrifices. Worse still, writers who have been duped actually think it is a great honor to be sacrificed.

    In fact the relationship between the author and the reader - between one person and another person, or a certain number of persons - is always one of spiritual communication through written works; there is no need to meet or socially interact. The writer bears no responsibility to the reader and Cold Literature the reader has no need to make impositions on the writer. It is for the reader to choose whether or not to read a work.

    Literature remains an indispensable human activity, in which the reader and the writer are engaged of their own volition. Hence, literature has no duty to the masses or society, and ethical or moral pronouncements added by busybody critics are of no concern to the writer.

    This sort of literature, which has recovered its innate character of giving vent to the writer's feelings and telling of his ambitions, can be called "cold literature", to differentiate it from literature that promotes a creed, attacks contemporary politics or tries to 'change society. Cold literature will of course not be newsworthy and will not arouse public attention. It exists simply because humankind seeks an entirely spiritual activity beyond the gratification of material desires.

    This sort of literature of course did not just come into being today. Yet whereas in the past it mainly had to fight oppressive political forces and social customs, today it also has to do battle with the subversive commercial values of consumerist society. Its existence depends on the writer's willingness to endure loneliness.

    Indeed, this kind of writer has even more difficulties than other writers. If a 'writer devotes himself to this sort of writing, he will clearly find it difficult to make a living and will need to seek some other means of livelihood. So the writing of this sort of literature must be considered a luxury, a form of pure spiritual pleasure. No matter how prosperous and vibrant a society, it is a tragedy if it cannot accommodate this sort of spiritual activity by an individual.

    History is unperturbed by such tragedies and simply records humankind's activities, or perhaps does not even leave a record of these. If cold literature has the good fortune to be published and circulated, that will be due solely to the efforts of the writer and his friends. Cao Xueqin and Kafka are examples of this. Their writings were not published in their lifetimes, so they cannot be said to have created any literary movements or become celebrities. They lived mostly on the margins and seams of society, devoting themselves to this sort of spiritual activity, for which at the time they neither hoped for recompense nor sought social approval. They simply derived joy from writing.

    Exhausted by almost a century of being politically and ethically correct, Chinese literature has now fallen into a morass of isms, ideologies and debates on creative methodology that have little to do with literature but from which it cannot extricate itself. It is only by fleeing from these interminable and unintelligible debates that the writer can save himself. Literary creation is basically a solitary form of work in which no movement or collective can assist; they can only strangle it. It is only by resolving not to become attached to a political group or movement that the writer is able to win complete freedom.

    This does not mean that the writer therefore does not have his own political attitudes and ethical viewpoints. When subjected to political and social pressures, writers do have things to say, and it is perfectly all right for them to give speeches and make public statements, but it is important that these are not introduced into their literary creations. I believe that while politics and society may be touched upon in literary creation, the best option is still to flee; it deflects social pressures and also cleanses one spiritually. Therefore, I also think that it is best for the writer to locate himself at the margins of society so that he can quietly observe and reflect, as well as immerse himself fully in cold literature.

    The problem is that successive wars, revolutions, political movements and struggles in China over the past hundred years have had an impact upon every level of the country's intellectual world. Dissenting voices have not been tolerated, and writers have been forced to become fighters, otherwise they would not have been able to make a living. They have failed to save either the people or the nation, and have often sacrificed their property and even their lives. Cold literature is possible only if the pressures of politics and society can be escaped and a livelihood guaranteed. This is why it has been difficult for modern Chinese literature to be cold.

    It may therefore be said that cold literature entails fleeing in order to survive; it is literature that refuses to be strangled by society in its quest for spiritual salvation. I also believe that if a race cannot accommodate this non-utilitarian sort of literature it is not merely a misfortune for the writer but also an indication of the utter spiritual impoverishment of that race. Such are my reasons for proposing cold literature.

 

GAO XINGJIAN