一石激起千层浪 Ripples caused by a book

2003年春夏之交，中国文联出版社以丛书方式，出版了贵州作家张宗铭的长篇小说《女人土匪东洋狗》，在中国文坛、民间和思想界引起了轰动。

Between the spring and summer of 2003, the Chinese Literature Association Press published in series Women, Bandits and the Japanese Dog, a long novel by Mr. Zongming Zhang, a Guizhou writer. It caused heated responses in the Chinese literary circles, the public, and men of ideologies.

   次年1月7日，北京图书传播研究所举办了《女人土匪东洋狗》——张宗铭个人作品研讨会暨记者招待会。與会的专家、学者对此书给予了高度评價。

On January 7, 2004 Beijing Institute of Publications and Communications hosted a symposium and a press reception on Mr. Zongming Zhang’s work Women, Bandits and the Japanese Dog. Favorable comments were made by the experts and scholars present on the writing.

   随後光明日报、中国青年报、中国文化报、中央电视台、中央广播电台┅┅等主流媒體及若幹省、市报刊，或发表评论，或进行转载，好评如潮。中国新闻網、人民網、北京新闻網┅┅等诸多網站，都发表了正麵肯定的文章。就连法国新闻社，也用华语向世界华人介绍了这部作品及作家┅┅於是，有剧作家要将该书改编成剧本，有製片商要拍电影、有国外出版商要购买版权┅┅一时间，这部作品好评如潮！

Later on mass media devoted much attention to and publicized favorable evaluation of the novel and the writer, such as Guangming Daily, China Youth Paper, Chinese Culture Paper, CCTV, and the Central Radio of China as well mainstream websites across China and other newspapers at the provincial and city levels. Even the French News Agency introduced in Chinese Mr. Zhang and his literary creation to the Chinese across the world. As a result, some playwrights considered adapting the novel into a drama, a number of movie producers intended to bring it onto the screen, and there were quite a few foreign publishers who were intent on obtaining its copyright. For a period of time, the writing has received much favorable appraisal.

   澳门中华出版社於2005年1月再版了此书，中国新闻出版署信息中心主办的《全国新书目》2005年第5期，首次在全国类型的刊物上，以中华出版社推出张宗铭文学佳作为题，转发了该部作品将角逐2005年诺贝尔文学奖的消息。

 The Macao Chinese Publishing House printed a new edition of the novel in January 2005. Word went in Volume 5, 2005 of A Catalogue of New Publications in China hosted by the Information Center of China Journalism and Publication Administration that Mr. Zongming Zhang would bid for the Nobel Prize for Literature with his novel published by the Chinese Publishing House.

春江水暖鸭先知

The voice of the grassroots

   这部长篇小说为什厶会引起今天的中国人如此地关注呢?为什厶对今天中国社会产生如此深刻的影响呢?让我们来探讨一下在《女人土匪东洋狗》这部长篇小说裏，作家张宗铭究竟写了些什厶?

Why was this novel much of a concern for today’s Chinese? Why can it have such impacts on the Chinese society? To answer the two questions, let’s find what the novel is about.

   这部作品写的是贵州解放初期，我们黨的地方领导者们，偏　了革命方向及革命原则，对地主、起义将领及军官、虔诚的宗教教徒與另类人┅┅在阶级鬥争—这个今天一目了然的错误理论方针的指导下，采取的“寧左勿右”  的暴烈场麵和極端手法，导致上千丌的国民黨人、地主、国民黨军人、保甲长、原地方官员┅┅及这一类人的亲属们被剥夺了权利和生存，使充满光明和希望的新中国一下子进入了“红色恐怖”  时代，从而导致了许多另类人对共产黨人的不信任及背叛!这一幕演绎到改革开放後的今天，那一时代的阴影依然无法消除!

The setting was Guizhou Province in the early years of the People’s Republic of China, when in a way against revolutionary objectives and principles some local Communist leaders treated the then landlords, uprising Kuomintang generals and officers, devout clergy and other people. Class struggle, viewed today as a wrong ideology, was the guideline for the extreme acts back in those years. Under the influence of the leftist rather than rightist platforms, thousands of Kuomintang generals and officers, landlords, Kuomintang soldiers, and old-time local security heads and leaders as well as their relatives were stripped of their rights and survival, which plunged the then country into an era of Red Scare and aroused distrust in and betrayal of the Communist Party. Even up to now the negative effects are still visible.

   作家的良知都倾向於站在弱势群體这一边，也总是用微弱的文学力量来唤醒人们。过去，站在敌对势力立场的文学佳作中，如玛格丽特·米切尔的《飘》，作家用美国南方奴隶主的视野，展现了南北战争对美国人民的戕害。與《飘》相比较，张宗铭则更注重的是生命、是人性、是人权，是古老的多灾多难的中华民族和那些被杀戮，被欺压、被压迫的苦难人群，他用微弱的声音，为自己，为弱势群體呼唤，鸣不平!

Writers tend to stand by the vulnerable and hope to awake the public with the power, though seemingly trivial, of literature. Gone with the Wind, a novel expressing rival conflicts by Margaret Mitchell, displays the slaughter of American lives in the Civil War through the perspectives of slave-owners. In comparison, Mr. Zhang pays more attention to life, human nature, human rights, the war-scarred Chinese, the killed, and the oppressed. It is his hope that the voice expressed, though seemingly inaudible, can justify itself and those vulnerable people.

   中共元老陈雲，把上世纪五十年代称为中国共产黨历史上最好的幾个时期之一。而作家张宗铭在《女人土匪东洋狗》这部长篇小说中，则认为事实並不是这样┅┅中共执政初期，形形色色的官员，从国家主席到省委书记，从军代表到派出所幹部┅┅很少有人冷静地思考一下∶我们的黨是否背　了对人民大众的许诺?是否背　了对国民黨起义将领、旧军官、旧军人的承诺？为何反过头来对他们进行清算、伤害與灭绝?是否对各教派操之过急?对待地主、富农，凭什厶将生杀大权下放到乡一级的农村幹部身上？凭什厶让农民活活打死地主，这样行吗?！

Mr. Yun Chen, a senior Communist statesman, hailed the 1950s as one of the best ages in the history of the Chinese Communist Party. Yet, Mr. Zhang holds a different view in his novel. Back in that era few leaders at various levels, including provincial leaders, military officers and public security workers, took these issues serious: the promise made to the general public, the promise made to, and the revenge against and even the purge of the uprising Kuomintang generals, officers and soldiers, the elimination of western religions, and the lives of old-time landlords and rich people at the mercy of township leaders and peasants. Chaos was then prevalent.

   作家张宗铭认为∶“左” 祸是值得中共领导人深刻反思和反省的。我们希望和平统一台湾，但是，如果双方都没有沟通、没有诚信、没有深刻的反省，我们民族的统一大业会拖到何年何月何时?

Mr. Zhang thinks that the disasters caused by the leftist ideology are worth taking as a warning. We hope that we can unite Taiwan and the Mainland in a peaceful way. However, if there were no communication, trust or lesson from the past, the cause of unity would at best be utopian.

   邓小平认为∶“左，使中国社会至少倒退了二十年。”  一个真正的政黨，应当是能够承担起历史责任的政黨，也应当是一个不光要别的政黨反省，自己也应当彻底反省的政黨!

—《女人土匪东洋狗》就是这样的一部作品!

Mr. Xiaoping Deng once remarked, “The leftist movement reversed China at least 20 years.” A candid political party should be able to realize its own faults while asking the others to confess their wrong-doing. This is a historical responsibility that it must bear. The novel of Women, Bandits and the Japanese Dog aims at such a theme.

中国的学者从不缺少伯乐，在今天中国这样的體製下，人民的民主精神不断地提高，人们更懂得权利的重要性!春江水暖鸭先知，中国贵州大学文学係教授黄俊傑，以一个学者的审视目光，在读完该书後，毅然决然地於2004年10月16日致函瑞典文学院，推薦这部作品参加2005年诺贝尔文学奖评选。

The Chinese scholars are noted for their sharp eyes. In today’s China democracy is rooted in the public, which is sensitive to its rights. The grassroots know what a voice to air. Professor Junjie Huang of the School of Literature, Guizhou University, read the novel with care and deliberation, and on October 16, 2004, recommended it to the Swedish Academy of Literature for the 2005 Nobel Prize for Literature.

他在推薦书中这厶写道∶“张宗铭的长篇小说《女人土匪东洋狗》，是中国第一部换位思维、突破当代中国文学模式的纯文学作品，作家大胆而冷静的笔觸，为中国的现代文学、政治體製改革的发展进程，提供了一麵绝好的镜子┅┅请表彰他的作品超越了国家與群體、性别或種族、肤色和语言以及意识形态或宗教信仰之间的障碍，对人类的互相关爱與和睦相处提供了宝贵的精神食粮!”

Prof. Huang wrote, “Mr. Zhang’s novel of Women, Bandits and the Japanese Dog is the first Chinese literary work that thinks in a human way and breaks the contemporary literary mode of thought; with daring strokes and calm personage the work can be regarded as an excellent mirror for the development of modern Chinese literature and political reform. His writing deserves praising for the transcendentalism over nation and ethnicity, gender or race, skin color and language, and blocks in ideology and religious faiths. For sake of this, it is a spiritual food for human care and harmony.”

中国《海南声屏报》发表的署名评论指出∶这是“一部高扬人文精神的文学佳作”，“不仅‘张扬人性、呼唤人权、讴歌爱情、赞美友谊、憎恶暴力、揭露醜恶’，同时还对宗教信仰表现了博大的胸懷。”

China’s Hainan Voice Paper published a named editorial, saying, “It is a literary work that upholds humanism,” “It publicizes human nature, calls for human rights, lauds love, praises friendship, despises violence and exposes evils,” and “It shows a great tolerance to religious faiths.”

—应当说，作家用22年时间完成此书，是需要勇氣和胆识的，这充分反映了作家的执著精神和孜孜追求。

 It should be noted that the writer spent 22 years writing the novel with bravery and courage as well as perseverance and resolution.

吩咐梅花自主张

Spirit of tolerance

《女人土匪东洋狗》这部作品的最大特点，是在於作家站在被镇压的社会力量的一边，控诉了在历史大变革时期，　利者给另类人群造成的多種苦难，用艺术形式呼唤执政者对自己的对立麵也要讲法製、讲人权，要珍视他们的生命财产、人格尊严┅┅

The novel of Women, Bandits and the Japanese Dog is characterized with the standpoint it takes with the oppressed, exposing the sufferings visited on the ‘other’ kind of people in the transitional periods, and artistically appealing to the people in power for mercy at the human lives, properties and dignity of the political rivals.

中新社在2004年1月9日的新闻中说，“该书虽然隻是描写了一群小人物，如土匪、地主、地主婆及其子女、妓女等，然而主题相当宏大。尤其是关於人的精神问题、归宿问题。”

The Chinese News Agency noted on January 9, 2004, “The book depicts a group of trivial people, such as bandits, landlords, landlords’ wives and children, and prostitutes. The theme covers much, concerning especially human mentality and sustenance.”

光明日报在2004年1月15日，以“贵州作家二十二年打造文学精品” 为题，评论道∶“《女人土匪东洋狗》展示了新中国成立之初，在风起雲湧的大革命时代中，主人公的遭际，命运。探讨了生存、爱情、真情等话题。全书充满了浓鬱的地方氣息和民族风情。”

On January 15, 2004, Guangming Daily commented with the title of ‘Literary Masterpiece of 22 Years’ Efforts by a Guizhou’s Writer,” “The novel of Women, Bandits and the Japanese Dog displays the fate and misfortune of the protagonists in the early upheaval years of the People’s Republic of China, exploring such issues as survival, love and friendship; the book is full of local flavor and minority features.”

中国文化报在2004年1月19日也这厶评论道∶“贵州作家张宗铭花22年时间创作的小说《女人土匪东洋狗》┅┅全书以粗线条的、充满粗犷色彩的笔觸写成┅┅评论家认为，作家不能过於功利，麵对流行的、时尚的潮流，作家要有自己的主见，要敢於对媚俗的东西说不。”

Chinese Culture Paper voiced on January 19, 2004, “Mr. Zongming Zhang, a Guizhou’s writer, spent 22 years writing the novel of Women, Bandits and the Japanese Dog. It is a work with boldface and roughness, for it shows that writers should not be snobbish or opportunist; instead they should be independent and justice-minded.”

耐人寻味的是，尽管媒體舆论作了大量宣传，官方主管意识形态的部门却始终对《女人土匪东洋狗》及作家张宗铭不置一辞。就连作家所在地的省作家协会在总结新时期小说创作成就时，既不邀请作者到会，也不将其作品列入。有人提到这个问题时，主办者回答说∶“不想惹麻烦。”

Ironically, despite the mass media’s publicity, the ideology watchdogs turned a blind eye to Mr. Zhang’s work. Even at the session summarizing the writing achievement of the new era the Provincial Writers’ Association did not invite Mr. Zhang for attendance, nor was his work listed in the catalogue of publicity. When asked about why, the organizers dismissed in a light way, “We don’t want to invite trouble.”

既然如此，为什厶在此书出版即将二年的时间裏，官方却出奇地缄默呢?为什厶出现了这样大胆的作品竟无一篇批判檄文呢?其实，这主要是今天中共的执政理念、执政方式发生了重大的变化的原因。

Then, why did the official agencies keep silent in the two years after the publication of the novel? Why did the bold work receive no criticism?  In fact, it is a matter of political philosophy or practice.

古代哲人普罗泰哥拉曾经说过；“人是丌物的尺度。”

Protagora, an ancient philosopher, once said, “Human is a yardstick of everything.”

可是中国在近幾十来，人道主义作为人类共同的價值观却被视为異端邪说。上个世纪八十年代初，张宗铭就因发表小说《人生劫》而差点惹了麻烦。但他深知，共产黨人中的智者，必将会根除过去的極左和无视人权的行为，必将会把中国带领到以人为本的轨道上来。说张宗铭历时22年创作《女人土匪东洋狗》，毋寧说过去这样的作品，在中国根本就不容许存在!

Nevertheless, humanitarianism has almost been denounced as cult by some people in the past decades. Mr. Zhang virtually found trouble for himself in the 1980s when he had his novel The Misfortune of Life published. Still, he believes that the wise of the Chinese Communist Party will forsake the leftist or rightist ideologies and practice, and focus on human-friendly policies. True, the novel of Women, Bandits and the Japanese Dog is repulsive to some people.

今天，中共的新一代领导人，他们目光敏锐，视野开扩，更有知识，更富远见，他们今天的执政理念，实际上是接受了过去極左的惨痛教训。民主思想、法製观念也超越他们的前辈上百倍!他们以人为本，坚持科学的发展观，腹建和谐社会，把发展作为执政兴国的第一要务。把改革、发展、稳定作为大政方针，不搞争论，聚精会神搞建设，一心一意谋发展。对於思想领域、文学创作上的事，不再搞“大批判”，以免幹擾大局。因此我猜想，这可能是执政当局对此书采取不推崇、不批判、“吩咐梅花自主张”的真义吧！

In these days the Chinese top-level leaders are aware of the past blunders. They are vision-minded, responsive, knowledgeable and democratic. They have learned from the past acts and realized that legal enforcement, scientific development, harmonious socialism, reform and open-up, and democracy matter much to the progress of the nation. They are open-minded to dissents in ideology and literary creation. This is indeed progressive, and accounts for their spirit of tolerance to this novel.

诚如是，这何尝不是中国社会可喜的进步呢?

Given this, we may say China is advancing.

 

 

      作者    美藉华人    慧人