Today, let's talk about the novel "Xu Mao and His Daughters".
Zhou Keqin's "Xu Mao and His Daughters", published in the late 1970s, when the spring breeze of reform and opening up was just blown, once the novel was published, it caused a sensation, so that Beiying, Bayi and two film studios rushed to shoot, making a quite sensational twin case.
The two film studios gathered the best film talents at that time, the director of Beijing Film was Wang Yan, and the actors were Li Wei, Zhang Jinling, Li Xiuming, Liu Xiaoqing, Zhang Lianwen, Yang Zaibao, Lu Xiulan and so on. Bayi Factory is the director Li Jun, the actors are Jia Liu, Si Qinggaowa, Wang Fuli, Tian Hua and so on. Among them, the photography of North Film is Zou Jixun, who won the Golden Rooster Award for Best Cinematography with this film. Li Xiuming, the actor of the fourth girl, Xu Xiuyun, won the Golden Rooster Award for Best Actress.
One story, one theme, and two films at the same time is a unique time in the history of Chinese cinema, which shows the influence of the novel. Not only that, but at the same time, it has also changed into dramas, Sichuan operas, TV dramas and so on.
"Xu Mao and His Daughters" is the first Mao Dun Literature Award winning work, but also the top of the list, his award, the most undisputed in history, this novel is worthy of the "Socialist Realism" model in terms of ideological content, character image, artistic techniques, but also the last peak of this theory.
The writer Zhou Keqin became famous in one fell swoop, when he insisted on not moving his hukou, not moving, and continuing to live in the countryside. Later, he entered the city and became the vice chairman of the Sichuan Provincial Writers Association, but because of emotional problems, he died young. His short story "Mountain Moon Doesn't Know What Matters in His Heart" (won the 1981 National Outstanding Short Story Award, and "Don't Forget Me" won the 1980 National Outstanding Short Story Award) is a classic among classics. In particular, "Mountain Moon Doesn't Know What Matters in His Heart" can be said without exaggeration to say that so far it is also the leader of short stories since the new era, and no one has surpassed it. In addition, there are "Sunset Xia", "The Owner of the Orchard", which touched on the rural Mao Dun in the early days of reform and opening up, and so on.
I only have three editions of "Xu Mao and His Daughters", namely the first edition of Tianjin Baihua Literature and Art Publishing House, the special edition of the mao dun literature award winning works of the People's Literature Publishing House, and the series of representative works of contemporary famous writers of the People's Literature Publishing House (the latter can not be found). For some reason, the Chinese Library, which has published five volumes, has not yet selected it.
People's Literature Publishing House, 2004