In recent years, anthropologist Xiang Biao has proposed a concept called "disappearance of the neighborhood": people are increasingly relying on abstract concepts and principles to build their perception of the world, and the "concreteness" around them no longer becomes the basis for understanding life. How to start from real first-hand experience to build a "small world" around you? Writer Wang Huiqi's latest collection of essays, "Just Be Quiet and Do the Slowest Thing," may be able to provide us with an answer.
"It's good to be quiet and do the slowest thing" was published by Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House. Series 1 "The Body Temperature of the City" is written about the ordinary but warm fireworks of the Pingshui meeting and passing by; The second episode "Returning Home on the Map" is about the reunion of relatives and friends, the reunion after a long absence, and the spiritual return of the wandering wanderer; The third series, "Just Be Quiet and Do the Slowest Thing", records the golden years, the eventful past, and the images of poets, writers, artists, and publishers who have always worked silently. The author writes down reflections on many life issues, from which everyone can see their own shadow and get inspiration about life.
On June 23, writer Wang Huiqi brought his new work to Jinling Library, and had a dialogue with Wang Xiurong, publisher, writer, former editor-in-chief of Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House, Chen Quanzhong, deputy editor-in-chief and columnist of Jiangsu "Merry Generation" magazine, and Wang Feng, cultural journalist and winner of the Purple Mountain Literary Award Prose Award.
Rediscover the people and things around you
In the first episode of "The Temperature of the City", readers see many life stories of ordinary people in ordinary life. He wrote that Yanyan, the owner of the barbershop, "can still see the stitches and needles in the interval between the rounds and turns, and cook the family's meals." The father and son were running cars outside, but they basically rushed back to eat two meals. Although Po Lisuo's mouth will take something to count the two from time to time, but the dishes he cooks, especially the meat dishes, are reluctant to eat, and he always keeps them for them. With just a few strokes, the image of a hardworking and warm family jumps on the page. He wrote about Mr. Mei in the "Meijia Shoe Shop" on Gaochun Old Street, "I came all the way from the flow of people, and I saw the old gentleman who was still childish." It seems to be the same bamboo chair with a backrest, and the bamboo chair has a soft cotton cushion on it. The noise inside and outside the store did not affect his head in the work at hand. "It shows the image of a veteran craftsman.
Talking about the ordinary fireworks and ordinary things he writes about, Wang Huiqi talked about the source of his creative inspiration like a few family treasures, and he frankly admitted that he pays more attention to the taste of ordinary days, and is more willing to write about the ordinary but warm people and things he comes into contact with in his life, and the truth and nature are the states he pursues in writing. He believes that it is some seemingly trivial pieces of life that constitute the colorful experience and profound connotation of life.
Wang Xiurong believes that Wang Huiqi's writing has three characteristics: first, the text is down-to-earth, has a pyrotechnic atmosphere, and is close to the daily life of ordinary people, "making people very happy after reading it". Second, "It's Good to Be Quiet and Do the Slowest Thing" is a very warm book, which writes the story of his interactions with barbers, vegetable sellers, and workers who repair air conditioners, "reflecting the author's human warmth, care for the bottom and humanistic feelings." Third, it reflects the writer's optimistic attitude towards life and enthusiasm for life.
"It is very rare that Wang Huiqi is willing to communicate warmly with the people she comes into contact with and listen to their life experiences. People nowadays may rarely stop to pay attention to the people around them and see what their lives are like. In the view of Chen Quanzhong, deputy editor-in-chief and columnist of Jiangsu "Merry Generation" magazine, this is a very rare ability for writer Wang Huiqi to discover "nearby" and see the surroundings, "There is a kind of warmth between the lines of his articles, which seems to be plain, which contains the accumulation of life and reaches the hearts of readers." ”
No matter how urgent things are, you have to do them slowly
In this fast-paced digital age, how can we get rid of impetuousness and anxiety, find a place that suits us, and truly embrace life? Wang Huiqi selected the stories of three people, and told us with their life choices and attitudes that whether it is work or life, it may be the most important thing to do the things in front of you in a down-to-earth manner and live a good life in front of you.
"The faster the world goes, the more noisy it is, just be quiet and do the slowest thing." Wang Xiurong pointed out that today's era can be called rapidly changing, many professions in the past do not exist now, nothing is eternal, immutable, in the face of such complex external interference, the key is to have concentration in the heart, find what you like, love and be good at, so as to really slow down.
Wang Feng believes that in life, we will inevitably have distress and annoyance, and if we want to get rid of impetuousness and anxiety, we often need an outlet to confide. Wang Huiqi is a trustworthy elder, he has always shown the positive side of life, optimistic, open-minded, whether it is writing or being a person, this is the case. His articles are like spiritual pillars, always giving people comfort and encouragement, telling us that there is nothing more important than getting by, and that no matter how urgent things are, we must do them slowly.
Leave a unique memory for the Jiangsu literary circle
Wang Huiqi is the first college student after the resumption of the college entrance examination. After graduating in 1982, he was assigned to Jiangdu, served as the director of the county cultural bureau, transferred to Nanjing in 1987, served as the deputy editor-in-chief of the Jiangsu Youth Magazine of the Provincial Youth League Committee, and five years later transferred to the vice president of the Jiangsu Literature and Art Publishing House, and established the large-scale cultural monthly magazine "Oriental Star" and served as the editor-in-chief, and then transferred to the Xinhua Press Group, served in a number of newspapers and periodicals, and finally retired as the director of the publishing center. As an editor, running a magazine, and busy publishing, Wang Huiqi has frequent contacts with many writers in the literary world, and he has also recorded these literary past events in his new works.
For example, when he was also the editor-in-chief of "Oriental Star" magazine, he invited writers Ye Zhaoyan and Wang Gan to open columns, and also opened a special number of Suzhou celebrities, leading reporters to write about the famous scholar Fei Xiaotong and the national justice Ni Zhengyi; For example, the past when he co-edited a book with the writer Feng Yitong, as well as the past when he interacted with many domestic magazine editors or asked for manuscripts from well-known writers, not only recorded the precious friendship between Wang Huiqi and them, but also left a unique memory for the Jiangsu literary circle.
It is worth mentioning that over the years, Wang Huiqi has been working hard in his writing career. When he retired in November 2014, he published Wang Huiqi and Prose Poetry (three volumes) at Nanjing University Press. In the decade since his retirement, he has been writing mainly prose. In 2019, Shanghai Wenhui Publishing House published "Blue Ma Wencun" (three volumes), and then published a collection of essays "Jiangnan Sketches" by Hunan Literature and Art Publishing House in June 2021. This is the fifth book in 10 years.
Modern Express/Modern + reporter Zhang Yaoqian text/photo