還要特別提到H市知青聯誼會的知青們不忘寫曆史的使命,百忙中,辛勤筆耕出版的兩本書,2001年出版了中文版《三色土》,2014年出版了英文版《Zhiqing, Stories from China’s Special Generation>》。這兩本書以生動感人的文筆,如實記錄,再現了知青們當年可歌可泣的土插和洋插的人生故事。雖然我不在作者之中(如果當年我已經進了文學城,開博練了筆,可能我也會寫寫我當知青的故事),我為寫書的知青朋友們由衷地驕傲,感謝他們用心用筆記錄下中國知青的真實曆史,表達了我們知青的心聲。 同時這兩本書也是文學底蘊深厚,文采飛揚,中英文俱佳的文學作品。。
H市知青聯誼會的知青們出版的兩本書
我家AE是知青的同齡人也是知青的鐵粉。AE和幾位知青作者是多年的老朋友,讀朋友寫的《Zhiqing, Stories from China’s Special Generation》倍感親切。。書一到手, 他就迫不及待地,認真細讀起來,其中幾篇他反複讀了幾次。記得AE一邊讀書,一邊和我討論,有時也提問題,他常常讀得感慨萬分,甚至流淚!
南京知青之歌
那年的聖誕節,AE買了十幾本英文版的《知青,中國特殊一代人的故事》送給他的朋友們。AE還在Amazon 寫了書評,並應邀在H市《Zhiqing, Stories from China’s Special Generation>》新書發布會上,作為美國讀者發了言。一位德高望重的知青作者,北大的一位美國石油博士為AE現場作了翻譯。現摘錄其中一段AE發言稿的中文翻譯。AE說:“這些知青故事中的元素,勞動,悲哀,幽默,婚姻,死亡,使得這本書產生巨大的吸引力,叫人打開書,就無法放下。正如你走進了一本有強烈個性的回憶錄,那些作者們從多年的災難,壓力和貧困中生存下來,最後竟然變成了你的鄰居。所以你不能不佩服這本書中,知青這特殊一代人所體現的堅強,韌性和力量。我發現這個時期的知青故事不但非常激烈,扣人心弦,而且有時也很有趣。在我自己和我所認識同代人的早年生活中,沒有一件事能比得上文革的悲劇和下放知青的遭遇…感謝你們知青和我們分享你們的故事,感謝你們為出版此書所作的努力。我自豪地說,我認識其中好幾位作者,非常珍視你們的友誼。我會努力盡量多認識和了解你們中國知青,更好地理解你們和你們的故事…”, AE 發自內心的真誠發言贏得了一片掌聲。知青作者們還特別贈予AE一本作者們親筆簽名的書,令AE愛不釋手,深感榮幸。
Ladies and Gentlemen and especially Zhiqing – Greetings (Ni Hao),
If I had been born in China, I probably would have been a Zhiqing. I married my wife, a Zhiqing from Nanjing, China.
The book, Zhiqing - Stories from China’s Special Generation, contains a gripping set of real stories from the “educated youth” - who were sent down to the country by Mao Tse Tung to learn from the farmers how to keep China red during the Cultural Revolution. These thirteen remarkable authors relate their tales from that very difficult time – discussing the lessons that they learned, the decisions that they made and the journey that they took through their teenage and young adult years - often far from home and family.
I have a great deal of respect for the Zhiqing – because it is hard to imagine how most of them got through this ordeal and then were able to function so well. This is a special generation of people – sharpened by the well-honed knives of Mao’s Cultural Revolution.
One way that this volume stands out, is that one can determine something of who these particular Zhiqing became. They wrote of their lives during their youth, but you can see from their biographies a snapshot of what they are like forty years later. I originally read this edition because I know four of the contributors, but, I read all of it because the history was so fascinating and it just pulled me in.
The elements of these anecdotes – work, sorrow, humor, marriage, death - make this an absorbing read which I found difficult to put down. If you are drawn towards actual memoirs that are strong and personal written by folks who figured out how to survive under stress and deprivation for many years and then turned out just like the people you would want to live next door to, then you can appreciate the persistence and strength demonstrated in the narratives by this special generation.
I find the stories of the Zhiqing from this period to be very intense and interesting. In my earlier life and in the lives of the people that I grew up with (and knew) there has been no single event such as the Cultural Revolution and what happened to the sent down youth. This unusual socio-political happening has shaped many lives in a significant way. Thank you so much for sharing your stories and the effort and resources you have put forth to get this book published. I am proud to say that I do know a few of you personally and treasure your stories especially. It is only left for me to get to know the rest of you more, to better appreciate your stories.
I want to let you know that my wife and I sent more than 10 copies of this book to our friends and family. We have had positive feedback and interest. There were plans for a couple of book clubs among that group to include this book in future studies.
One thought - this team should consider more stories and how these incredible experiences affected you and what you learned and what you became. We are looking forward to future stores from you.