On the evening of August 16, "The bright moon alone shines on the south of the Yangtze River - Ma Xiaoqi's "My Wenjun Dad" new book sharing meeting" was held at the 1927 Lu Xun and Uchiyama Memorial Bookstore. Calligrapher Ma Xiaoqi, the author of "My Wenjun Dad", and young liter

new book sharing session.

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new book sharing session.

On January 27, 2023, Faulkner translator and famous translator Li Wenjun passed away suddenly. His daughter-in-law, calligrapher Ma Xiaoqi, wrote down her memory of him with pure and natural brushwork. From the perspective of ordinary people, it describes the peaceful daily life of "dad" Mr. Li Wenjun and his family as ordinary people. This article titled "Only the Bright Moon Shines on Jiangnan" was published in the 2023 issue 2 of the "Harvest" literary magazine. After its publication, it caused a strong response on the Internet. It can be called "a rare and phenomenal work" and won the That year, it ranked second in the "Harvest Literature List·Long Nonfiction". In July 2024, the book "My Wenjun Dad" based on the 20,000-word article "Only the Bright Moon Shines on Jiangnan" was published by Shanghai Translation Publishing House.

Ma Xiaoqi: What I want to write is actually my sadness

At the new book sharing meeting, Ma Xiaoqi talked about the state when writing this long article. "After taking care of my dad's funeral, I felt as if my whole body was covered in a big glass cover. I looked at the busy traffic and people coming and going outside, and I felt that the joys and sorrows of the world had nothing to do with me. I seemed I can no longer laugh and cry stupidly like before, without any emotions, but I have a state of mind, like in "A Dream of Red Mansions", "The vast white land is so clean!" That kind of sadness, loneliness, and nothingness. "Xiang Xiang's state of mind is as if I and the world have melted together."

Encouraged by her old friend Lu Ming, a writer, she began to write down everything she had experienced. "I didn't have any purpose. What I wanted to write was actually my sadness, and I didn't think about how it would turn out," Ma Xiaoqi said. "There was nothing to do in those days, and I was at a loss. So I went to my dad. She went into the room, looked at his portrait, sat in front of the desk and chair, picked up the manuscript paper, and couldn't take it back, as if a faucet was turned on in her heart, and the words flowed out."

She confessed that she wrote all the time. No tricks. Because the first thing I want to do is introduce my relationship with Mr. Li Wenjun, how I met my husband, "Silly Angel", how I became Li Wenjun's daughter-in-law, why I call Li Wenjun "Dad"... To explain these things clearly, I must first start with "Silly Angel" Talking about blind dates.

From blind dates to "flash marriages", Ma Xiaoqi's writing is full of interesting details. For example, Ma Xiaoqi wrote in the article that when he went to Li's house to meet his elders on the first day, he went "carrying a few cheap flowers." Zhang Shiyang said: "It can be seen that Teacher Xiaoqi is a very affectionate person. Only the most affectionate people are not willing to throw away their affection casually. When she is not sure whether her friendship is true, she She didn't want to lie to herself. But when she knew the sincerity of the people in her family, she wrote, "I want to take Silly Angel seriously." When I saw this, I felt that Teacher Xiaoqi was really good. Man, no wonder Mr. Wenjun said, 'If you can write so well, it won't be bad at all. Don't worry, I will read it.'"

Liu Xinyue also mentioned that this article was published when the author visited Li Wenjun for the first time. The couple, after dinner, there was a sad sound for the first time in the section where the two elders presented the jade ring. Through the text, we can not only see Ma Xiaoqi's serious hesitation, confusion, and pride as a woman when faced with whether to enter such a marriage; we can also see the trepidation and inner entanglement of the two elderly people. The original text reads: "Suddenly, I felt sad secretly. The two gentlemen were no longer the stars and moon I looked up to, but just two old people who were left alone."

Liu Xinyue said: "Because of the change in her state of mind, she admired the celebrity family very much at first and wanted to see the world. The second elder was a celebrity like the stars and the moon. But after a very solemn gift and exchange process, she suddenly I feel a kind of sadness of being left alone, but also a sense of responsibility. After accepting this gift from the engagement, I have to take responsibility for this family. "

Liu Xie once said in "The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons: Mourning": "The passage of love will cause sadness, and the passage of literature will cause tears." Liu Xinyue used these eight words to evaluate the condolence text written by Ma Xiaoqi for Mr. Li Wenjun. She said : "The person who wrote it has put in his true feelings. You are expressing your grief from the heart. Therefore, the condolences written in this way can naturally make people cry. There is no need for a lot of ingenuity or gorgeous words to exaggerate the atmosphere. . The most rare thing in the world is actually the direct and true feeling. "

Shows the unique character of a generation of intellectuals

In "My Wenjun Dad", Ma Xiaoqi not only described in detail the moments of getting along with Mr. Li Wenjun in his later years, but also recalled the past through conversations with Wenjun's dad, showing the knowledge of a generation The ups and downs of his fate and his unique character.

“He was already 85 years old when I met him. Every time I see him, I feel like he is dying and about to burn out at any moment. Although we see each other every week, every time I see him off, I wonder, will it be the last time? Every year during the Spring Festival, because I am from the north, I will cook a table of dishes and make dumplings. He is very happy every time. He doesn't have the ability to drink, but he likes to drink. He poured a glass of beer, raised glasses frequently, and happily clinked glasses with us. Sometimes he spoke in English that I couldn't understand, but the atmosphere was still very homely. "Ma Xiaoqi talked at the new book sharing meeting.

Their exchange will also involve Li Wenjun's translation career, his favor for Faulkner's works, his star-studded circle of friends, friendship with Yang Jiang and others, etc. Ma Xiaoqi proudly said in the article that he married a "spiritually rich and culturally rich second generation". Sometimes he was asked about the difficult years and severe moments in Mr. Li Wenjun's generation. When Mr. Li Wenjun was healthy and sober, his answer was. It was always "light, simple, and evasive"; only after being sick and confused, some of the past was removed and the truth came to light.

"He saw with his own eyes that some of his colleagues would rather be broken than destroyed because they were too intense. , died in extreme times, or were treated even worse. Mr. Wenjun's approach is more gentle. I at least want to protect and bless my family, and continue to support the cause I love, whether it is translation or editing. Therefore, we can see that in the 1980s, he could participate in the cultural reconstruction work as the earliest generation of intellectuals. Such a complete experience of preserving fire in the cold winter has given some encouragement and inspiration to us who are fragile today, who are prone to complaining, and the younger generation. "Liu Xinyue said.

"Before I met my father, most of my experiences in life were disappointing. But after meeting him, I believed that there really is this ideal scholar personality in the world. , his academic achievements and personality charm are consistent with his conduct in real life. " Ma Xiaoqi said.

At the end of the article "My Wenjun Dad", she quoted a translated poem by Mr. Li Wenjun:

"When all other stars are crumbling, they suddenly brighten and disappear.

Your star is as solid as steel. Don't move, go to the appointment

alone to meet the cargo ships, when their course is unknown in the wind and waves. "

Zhang Shiyang thinks this poem is particularly touching when read, as if the bright moon is shining on us, or the stars are leading us, or we can see us who are small and helpless from a bouquet.

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"He has been poor and lonely all his life. He has no idea how to manage his own life, and he has been wronged a lot. But as long as he can eat well, he will not starve to death. When a translator faces a masterpiece, he also knows how many No matter how successful his translation is, the glory still belongs to the author, but he has a kind of willpower that knows what cannot be done and does it, which is very touching." Ma Xiaoqi said with emotion, "He just insisted on his ideals and finally succeeded. After getting everything he wanted, maybe glory, wealth, fame and fortune were not really what he valued."

She admitted that she was a little vain in the past, but was gradually moved by Mr. Li Wenjun's persistence and willpower, and decided to become one. The same person as Wenjun’s father. She said: "Sometimes in order to survive, I go out to contact some so-called circles, but every time when this happens, I will crawl home and run away. When I see my dad when I get home, he will be quiet. Sitting there quietly, it was as pure as white jade, or ancient jade, exuding luster.”

Interview and writing: Nandu reporter Huang Qian