In 1991, when the Chinese literary world was paying attention, the laurels of the third "Mao Dun Literature Award" were announced, and Mr. Lu Yao's masterpiece "Ordinary World" won the first place with its profound social insight and artistic attainments.
However, after learning of this exciting news, Lu Yao's first ** was not filled with joy, but was full of anxiety and allocated it to his brother, admitting that he was shy in his pocket and could not afford to go to Beijing to receive the award.
Faced with such a dilemma, the younger brother acted quickly, raised money everywhere, and finally scraped together 5,000 yuan as a travel fee. In the bitter humor between the brothers, Lu Yao half-jokingly sighed: "In the future, such honors will be exempted, if you really win the Nobel Prize in Literature one day, I am afraid that you will not be able to find that foreign exchange." ”
It was undoubtedly astonishing at the time that an outstanding writer who had won the Mao Dun Literary Award should be in such a stretched situation. But this is a true portrayal of Lu Yao's creative career: he does not write for fame and fortune, but devotes his life to creating a monument to his soul with words.
This year, on the occasion of the 74th anniversary of Lu Yao's birth, his works are like immortal beacons, still circulating in the hands of countless readers, illuminating the spiritual world of generations after generations. His characters are as vivid as ever, and their joys and sorrows, tenacity and perseverance have become classic stories passed down by word of mouth.
The reason why people miss Lu Yao is not only because of his epic grand narrative, but also because he sketches the life silhouette of every ordinary individual with delicate brushstrokes.
Whether it is the sorrow in humility or the tenacity in distress, each of us can find our own shadow in his works and experience the real and fiery vitality in the ordinary world.
Looking back on Lu Yao's life, we will find that the stories he weaves are not only fictional artistic creations, but also the projection and sublimation of his own life experience. In Lu Yao's "Ordinary World", every reader can find the resonance of life and perceive the belief in the persistent love of life.
Facing poverty: Only by transcending material poverty can we reap spiritual wealth
In Lu Yao's famous book "The Ordinary World", many people still remember the scene of Sun Shaoping's meal.
Due to financial constraints, Sun Shaoping could not afford to buy even the cheapest dishes, so he always waited until his classmates finished serving them, and then served them with charred noodles and boiling water soup.
What is less well known, however, is that the character of Sun Shaoping actually reflects Lu Yao's experiences as a student. In 1963, Lu Yao entered middle school, and compared with many children of cadres, he was born in the countryside and was different.
In the cafeteria, the classmates enjoyed dishes such as A and B, but he could only eat the worst quality C dishes, and he often did not have enough to eat.
In their spare time, the students went to the cinema to watch the movie, and Lu Yao, who was shy in his pocket, could only listen to them discuss the plot.
At that time, the mountains on the outskirts of the city became his natural granary, and whenever he was hungry, he would dig up food in the fields, whether it was wild vegetables or wild fruits, which became a lifeline for him to fill his stomach.
Lu Yao was so hungry that he almost fainted, and when he looked at the red tomatoes on the farmer's tree, he was really hungry, so he stole one.
Because he was afraid of being caught, Lu Yao didn't dare to go back, and ran straight to the foot of the mountain before he dared to take out the tomatoes and eat them.
Hunger has left a deep imprint on Lu Yao's life.
Fortunately, although Lu Yao is materially lacking, he is very rich spiritually.
In order not to fall behind his classmates, Lu Yao often went to the cultural center to study.
He reads widely, from domestic news to international events.
In order to borrow a favorite book, Lu Yao often runs to various libraries.
Because he had no money to buy books, he would go to the bookstore to secretly read new books, and he was "bombed" many times by the bookstore owner.
In these days of indulging in reading, Lu Yao has traveled all over the rivers and mountains of the motherland, and experienced the past and present.
The places in the material world that can't be reached or can't be seen, Lu Yao has realized them one by one through reading.
Albert Einstein once said, "At the end of matter, there is spirit." ”
Real poverty is not material deprivation, but spiritual poverty.
There are always people in this world who try their best to compete for the perishable material security, but rarely build an easily accessible spiritual treasure house.
But true happiness never comes from the accumulation of material things.
Just like Lu Yao, the poverty and hunger that went deep into the bone marrow were turned into upward power, breaking through the cracks of suffering little by little, and touching the breeze and warm sun.
Albert Einstein once profoundly revealed: "At the ultimate frontier of the material world stands the eternal beacon of the spirit." ”
The real scarcity is not in the material shortage, but in the desolation of the spiritual realm.
In this world, there are always people who try their best to chase the fleeting material security, but they often neglect to build the spiritual wealth that is at their fingertips.
However, the source of true happiness does not come from the accumulation and accumulation of material things.
Just like Lu Yao's life portrayal, he transformed the poverty and hunger that went deep into the bone marrow into tenacious vitality, like a seed breaking out of the ground, tenaciously breaking the hard shell of suffering, and finally touching the soothing breeze and the shining of the warm sun.
Facing setbacks: perseverance is the uphill road to the top
Thomas Edison once profoundly pointed out: "The easiest thing for us to give in is to give up, and the only way to success is perseverance and repeated attempts." ”
After entering the university career, Lu Yao began to get involved in the field of prose writing, and frequently submitted articles to various literary magazines, but the number of submissions was in stark contrast to the few hires.
At that time, the classmates who were responsible for collecting and distributing letters and periodicals in the class often came to Lu Yao with a stack of heavy magazines.
At first, Lu Yao would look through them one by one with great anticipation, but as time went by, in the face of the reality of repeated failures, he finally said to the classmate: "When you receive the magazine in the future, you will first help me see if there is any of my works published, if there is, give it to me, if not, the magazine will belong to you." ”
At this stage, Lu Yao's creative path can be described as thorny and difficult.
When graduating from university, in order to hone his writing skills, Lu Yao resolutely chose to work in the editorial department. With his down-to-earth and diligent spirit, he was often sent to the grassroots level to conduct interviews or organize manuscripts, which greatly enriched the connotation of his writing.
Fast forward to the 70s of the last century, and Lu Yao was determined to challenge himself and set out to create a novella called "A Thrilling Scene". Although short stories were popular in the literary world at that time, Lu Yao still decided to give it a go and climb the peak of literature.
After the first draft was completed, he first submitted his painstaking work to the well-known journal "Yanhe", but soon after, the manuscript suffered the fate of rejection. In the face of setbacks, Lu Yao was not discouraged, he transferred his manuscript to other magazines, but unfortunately, the results ended in rejection.
Although Lu Yao had already expected this, the blows that followed still made him feel lost. The last time he sent the manuscript, he wrote in a cover letter that if the manuscript could not be published, it could be destroyed without returning. This move not only reflects his determination, but also reveals his unswerving persistence in the cause of literature.
Surprisingly, it was this last effort that made this work possible.
Lu Yao's creations were not only published in the country's most prestigious literary magazine "Contemporary", but also won the first National Excellent Novella ** Award.
This undoubtedly shows that the line between success and failure is sometimes only in that unwavering commitment.
From his first attempt when he was a student, to his continuous training after serving as an editor, to his unique path in the period of free creation, Lu Yao has always relied on his fierce love for literature and firmly walked on the road of literary creation.
As the famous saying goes, "No matter what, I'm going to have to give it a try, even if I can't prove that I can." ”
Persistence is a contest with perseverance, and those who have a clear goal and persevere, will eventually win the praise of time and get the most perfect answer.
Facing solitude: stay away from the crowd to get closer to yourself
In 1981, Lu Yao's "Life" became popular all over the country, and the literary world spoke highly of this **, and Lu Yao's fame became more and more famous.
The overwhelming attention has brought Lu Yao into contact with resources that he didn't dare to think of before, and countless invitations and interviews have also followed.
Lu Yao, who used to be indiscreet in the eyes of others, has now become a sweet and sweet spot in everyone's eyes, and countless acquaintances have begun to turn to him for help.
Today, someone asked him to help bring a message to transfer work, and tomorrow someone will come to ask Lu Yao to help find someone to fight a lawsuit.
Lu Yao was overwhelmed, and he had bigger dreams in his heart that had not been fulfilled.
He once wrote in his essay "Morning Begins at Noon": "If you want to write a book that you feel is the biggest in your life, or do the most important thing in your life, it must be before the age of forty." ”
Lu Yao knows very well that "Life" is not the end of his creation, what he wants is to write a long masterpiece that reflects the changes in China's urban and rural areas.
Once an idea has germinated, there is no reason to extinguish it.
So, Lu Yao immediately began to make preparations before creation.
In order to deepen the art of long-form writing, Lu Yao worked tirelessly to wander between major libraries, read through ancient and modern Chinese and foreign classics, and studied and studied each work in detail.
His dedication and perseverance are not only to absorb the wisdom of his predecessors, but also to accumulate a rich foundation for his own literary creation.
In order to ensure that the new work can truly reproduce the profound historical and cultural features of northern Shaanxi, Lu Yao resolutely chose to experience life first-hand, and his footprints are all over every corner of the rural areas of northern Shaanxi.
Whether it is a solemn and solemn government unit or a farmland and vegetable field full of earthy atmosphere, wherever there are public activities, you can capture Lu Yao's integration into life.
When entering the formal stage of creation, Lu Yao showed extraordinary self-discipline and concentration, temporarily suspending social activities in the outside world and deliberately keeping his residential address secret in order to create a pure creative space without interruption.
Once, the famous writer Ding Ling visited Yan'an, intending to visit this colleague who had devoted himself to creation, and sincerely invited him to attend a literati gathering. However, after many inquiries, no one knew Lu Yao's specific residence, only that he was writing a long story behind closed doors.
Faced with such a predicament, Ding Ling did not give up easily, she tried her best to find clues through various channels, and finally contacted Lu Yao's brother Wang Tianle.
learned from Wang Tianle that Lu Yao had cut off contact with the outside world for a long time in order to devote himself to the creation of a long form. Under Ding Ling's repeated pleas, Wang Tianle revealed the location and "code" of the secret meeting with Lu Yao.
Under Ding Ling's warm invitation, Lu Yao finally broke the silence and reappeared in the public eye. Although he had always kept a low profile before this, once he talked about his creative experience, Lu Yao's eyes flashed, and his words were like rivers, and his love and dedication to literary creation were overflowing.
This is Lu Yao, who is simple and unpretentious on the outside, but burns an incomparably hot flame for literary creation in his heart, and he interprets a real writer's persistence and pursuit of literature with practical actions.
After six years of hard work, "Ordinary World" finally came out in anticipation.
This work, which embodies Lu Yao's six years of hard work, has triggered an unprecedented craze across the country, and the popularity is comparable to that year's "Life".
There was a long queue in front of the bookstore, and the praise was endless.
In 1988, the production was adapted into a radio drama, which received a record number of thousands of daily listeners.
After becoming famous, it is difficult for many writers to create brilliance, but Lu Yao chose to be silent for several years and became famous all over the world. As Mr. Mu Xin said: "The best state of life is the cold and cold." ”
Sometimes, getting away from it is not a matter of pride, but a choice.
In this complicated world, maintaining a calm heart, returning to tranquility from the noisy world, and having a true dialogue with our own heart is the path of cultivation that we must go through in this life.
Facing life and death: The highest way to live in life is to live towards death
The selfless writing in black and white reversed accelerated the pace of completion of the work, but it also put Lu Yao's body in danger.
When the third part of "Ordinary World" was written, Lu Yao was diagnosed with liver disease because of long-term fatigue, and at this time, his body had begun to become extremely weak and often felt sleepy.
Once, Lu Yao had just finished writing an article and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Writing day and night has overdrawn his body to the extreme.
The doctor suggested that Lu Yao should focus on bed rest and stop being too tired and exhausted.
But at this time, the creation of the third part of "Ordinary World" is in a critical period.
Bed rest helps the body**, but it will definitely affect the continuity of creation;
But continuing to write is quite a challenge for Lu Yao's body.
How should you choose? Lu Yao was in a dilemma.
But more than the physical pain, he was more worried that after his condition deteriorated, he would never have the chance to pick up the pen again.
In a later essay, he wrote: "This is no longer purely the completion of a book, but the completion of one's own life." ”
So, with the burden of illness, Lu Yao wrote again and began the creative journey of the third part of "Ordinary World".
Every day from ten o'clock in the morning, he sits upright at his desk, immersed in the world of words, often looking down when the sun is still warm, and looking up is already twilight.
If the day's writing project is not completed, Lu Yao will choose to fight at night to prolong the precious creative time.
Lu Yao is a person who suffers from smoking addiction, often when he is sick with books, holding a pen in one hand and a cigarette in the other, swallowing clouds and spitting fog, his thoughts are like springs.
However, the endless smoke exacerbated his coughing symptoms, and his old illness worsened, and every time he sat at his desk, his chest was as painful as a knife.
On New Year's Day in 1988, when the lights of thousands of homes were bright and the family was reunited, Lu Yao still chose to stick to the quiet room. Outside the window, laughter and firecrackers rang out, but he kept a single corner, kept his pen and devoted himself to the construction of "Ordinary World".
Despite his illness, Lu Yao relied on his tenacity and perseverance to finally complete this shocking "Ordinary World".
The German philosopher Martin Heidegger once profoundly elaborated:
The true meaning of "life to death" is that only when we are infinitely close to death can we truly understand the value of life.
In life, every day is a process of gradually approaching death, and death is not the end, but a reverse source of power.
It is precisely because we know the finiteness of life that we know better why we live and how to live a wonderful life.
No one can escape the fate of death, but the best attitude to face death is to uphold the spirit of "living to die".
By turning the fear of death into a desire for the future, we can do our best to chase the unfinished ideals, leaving no regrets at the end of life.
Lu Yao once wrote in his works: "Life cannot rely on the arrangements of others, but should strive and struggle for yourself;
Whether the outcome is joyful or sad, the only consolation is that you have at least lived truly in this world. ”
Life is like this, and life is even more so. From being born in a peasant family in northern Shaanxi to creating a masterpiece that won the Mao Dun Literature Award and appeared on the world stage, Lu Yao spent a full 43 years.
As the title page of Life reads: "The road of life is long, but at critical moments, it is often only a few steps. ”
In the face of every important point in life, Lu Yao never sat still, but actively attacked, and created his own miracle in the ordinary world.
Looking back on Lu Yao's life journey, we not only see his outstanding achievements in the field of literature, but also his perseverance and strength of the spirit. In the face of the ordeal of fate, he does not complain, does not ask, treats with a normal heart, but makes extraordinary achievements.
Although life is full of twists and turns and challenges, there are always some people who can shine the brightest in difficult situations.
May each of us bravely face the difficulties and obstacles of life, thrive in adversity, reconcile with suffering, and continue to move forward firmly after experiencing the baptism of wind and rain.
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