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路遥丨《人生》

推荐理由

《人生》描写了新时期陕北农村青年高加林因一心想“往上爬”而抛弃原来的恋人——农村姑娘巧珍，另爱一位城市姑娘黄亚萍，最终遭遇理想与爱情的双重失败。小说通过描写高加林追求新生活的曲折经历，展现了历史转型时期的中国新一代农民的迷惘、挣扎与奋进，深刻揭示了农村和城市“交叉地带”中文明与愚昧、现代与传统、公平正义与不正之风等多方面的矛盾与冲突。高加林是个孤独奋斗的青年，从某些方面来看，他有点类似司汤达笔下的于连·索雷尔，但是他的身上更多地凝聚了新时期中国社会发展的“特色”。

写实的笔法是《人生》最为突出的艺术特点，也是作者路遥始终坚持现实主义创作道路的艺术追求。路遥曾自述：“作家应向生活的纵深开掘，不能被生活中表面的东西所迷惑”“应该向深度和广度追求”,对社会现实的深切关注和朴素厚重的写实笔法是路遥向生活纵深处开掘的“利器”。《人生》借助这两把“利器”，透过一个农村青年的一小段的人生历程，折射出了“人生”这个大命题所包含多重意义，虽朴实无华却不失深沉大气。

Reviews

Life depicts a rural youth, Gao Jialin, in northern Shaanxi in the New Period, who, with the ambition to become the upper class, abandoned his lover – a rural girl named Qiaozhen, and fell in love with a city girl named Huang Yaping, which ultimately ended with the double failure of his dreams and love. Through the description of Gao Jialin’s tortuous struggle to pursue a new life, the confusion, struggle and fight of the new generation of Chinese farmer in the historical time of transformation are shown. The novella deeply revealed multiple contradictions and conflicts between civilization and ignorance, modernization and tradition, justice and injustice, etc. in the “cross zone” of urban and rural areas. Gao Jialin, the  young man fighting alone, is in some aspects somewhat similar to Julien Sohill by Stendhal. But Jialin more reflected the “features” of the social development of China in the new period.

Realistic writing skill is the most outstanding artistic characteristic of Life, and also the artistic pursuit of the author Lu Yao who always adhered to Realism. Lu Yao said, “Writers should dig into the depth of life, instead of being confused by superficial things in life,” “There should be a pursuit towards the depth and width.” The deep concerns for social reality as well as plain heavy realism writing skill are the two “sharp weapons” of Lu Yao when he digs into the depth of life. With these two “weapons”, Life reflected the multiple meaning included in the big proposition of “life” through the short period of a rural youth’s life, plain but also full of meaning and magnificence.

作家简介

Author Profile

路遥，原名王卫国，陕西省榆林市清涧县人，1949年12月出生，1992年11月去世。

1969年回乡务农，做过临时工，当过农村小学教师。1973年进入延安大学中文系学习，1976年毕业后到《延河》当编辑。1973年开始发表作品。著有长篇小说《平凡的世界》（3部），中篇小说《惊心动魄的一幕》《在困难的日子里》《人生》等。1993年，陕西人民出版社出版了《路遥文集》（共5卷）。2005年，人民文学出版社出版了《路遥文集》（共5卷）。

中篇小说《惊心动魄的一幕》获1977-1980年全国优秀中篇小说奖；中篇小说《人生》获1981-1982年全国优秀中篇小说奖。长篇小说《平凡的世界》（3部）获第三届“茅盾文学奖”。

路遥在创作中始终坚持现实主义的创作方法，其代表作《人生》与《平凡的世界》获得了巨大反响。1984年，由小说《人生》改编的同名电影上映。其历时六年时间写就的百万字长篇小说《平凡的世界》，是新时期以来发行量最大的长篇小说之一，由小说改编的同名电视连续剧于2015年播出。

Lu Yao, pen name of Wang Weiguo, is from Qingjian County, Yulin, Shaanxi Province. He was born in December 1949, and died in November 1992.

In 1969, he returned home to become a farmer. He worked as a temporary worker as well as a teacher in a rural primary school. In 1973, he enrolled in the Department of Chinese Language at Yan’an University. After graduation in 1976, he began to work as an editor for Yanhe Magazine.

He started to publish works in 1973. His most famous works include the novel Ordinary World (3 volumes), novellas A Hair-Raising Scene, In Difficult Days, and Life. In 1993, Shaanxi People’s Publishing House published A Collection of Lu Yao (5 volumes). Then, in 2005, People’s Literature Publishing House published A Collection of Lu Yao (5 volumes).

Novella A Hair-Raising Scene won the 1977-1980 Chinese National Excellent Novella Award, novella Life won the 1981-1982 Chinese National Excellent Novella Award, and his novel Ordinary World (3 volumes) won the third Mao Dun Literature Prize.

Lu Yao has always adhered to Realism when creating. His representative works Life and Ordinary World have made huge impacts. In 1984, an adapted film of the same name as the former was released. The 1.1 million-character novel Ordinary World, which took six years to write, was one of the largest-circulated novels since the New Period. The TV series based on the novel of the same name was broadcast in 2015.

中文概要

Synopsis

一个夏日的傍晚，乌云密布，一场大雷雨就要到来，高家村高玉德当民办教师的独生儿子高加林从公社开完教师会回到自家窑中。高玉德老俩口忙着为儿子张罗吃食，不想儿子却带来了一个令人沮丧的消息：村长高明楼为了给自己刚毕业的儿子三星安排工作，通过关系，把高加林干了三年的教师工作下了，让三星顶替。老俩口得知消息即伤心又愤怒，却又忌惮村长的势力，不得不竭力劝阻住准备去和高明楼理论的儿子。

从受人尊重的教师到普通地道的农民，身份上的突然转变让高加林痛苦中煎熬着，他没有出山劳动。但是当他意识到父母的年迈与艰辛，意识到劳动的意义时，他决定接受并正视自己的农民身份。这天在村里，高加林遇到了马店村的生产能手马栓，马栓来高家村看对象，人家给他说了刘立本家的二女子巧珍。刘立本是高家村的“二能人”，会做生意，家里光景是全村最好的，加之大女儿巧英又嫁给了村长的大儿子，全村人尊罢高明楼就最敬他。虽然“大能人”和“二能人”一连亲，简直成了村里的主宰，但已经有了知识分子的“清高”的高加林却并不羡慕和尊重这两家人，他产生了一种心理上的报复情绪，他决心要在精神上，要在社会面前，和高明楼他们比个一高二低！而要比高明楼他们强，就非得离开高家村不可。高加林决定给远在新疆部队当副师政委的二叔写信，希望二叔能在新疆给他找个工作。第二天县里逢集，父亲让高加林去集上把家里蒸的白馍卖了换点钱，高加林想着正好去县上邮局把给二叔寄信。去往县城集市的路上，高加林为父亲让他在卖馍时吆喝感到为难，又怕碰上县城里的同学。不想路过县城汽车站外的马路时，就碰上了高中的同班同学黄亚萍和张克南，三人相互说了近况。三人分手后，高加林又遇见了城关公社文教专干马占胜，精明的马专干向他吐苦水，讲自己的难处，不得不下了他的教师工作。到了南关交易市场，面对热闹的集市，高加林感到茫然而困窘，不想碰巧听到一个妇女对旁人说需要蒸馍，他正准备卖馍，却发现那位妇女是同学张克南他妈，克南他妈认识他，自尊心迫使高加林放弃这笔买卖。于是，他离开这个他无能为力的场所，到的县文化馆阅览室看报纸杂志。时间很快过去，集市声基本落下，高加林只好提着馍篮往回走，却在大马河桥上遇见了本村的巧珍。巧珍暗自爱慕高加林，特意等在桥头，好心帮他解决了卖馍的难题。回村的路上，巧珍向高加林表明了自己的心意，高加林被她的感情深深感动，冲动中接受了巧珍的爱意。回家后，高加林得知二叔来信了，二叔在信中告知他们自己要从部队转到地方工作。

巧珍听从加林的建议，开始刷牙了，这成了村里的“新闻”。村里的读书人刷牙，大家谁也不奇怪，唯独不识字的女社员刘巧珍刷牙，大家感到又新奇又不习惯，议论纷纷。这天早晨，巧珍又蹲在河畔刷牙，引来村里人看新奇凑热闹。刘立本看见自家女儿在众人面前丢人败兴，起火得不行，大声喝骂女儿。巧珍感到委屈，责怪父亲没有供自己上学，刘立本也觉得自己的举动太过分，向女儿道歉。高加林在赶罢集的第二天就出山劳动了，他穿了一身最破烂的衣服，首先把自己的外表“化装”成了个农民。村里许多人认为这个文化人吃不下苦，没想到他疯狂的劳动劲头震惊了庄稼人。村里一辈子打光棍的德顺老汉心疼加林，止住了他的举动，不让他逞凶了。加林对德顺老汉解释说他一开始就想把最苦的都尝个遍，以后就什么苦活也不怕了。

高加林陷入了苦恼，一方面他后悔自己匆忙地和一个没文化的农村姑娘谈情说爱，简直是一种堕落和消沉的表现，这等于承认自己要一辈子甘心当个农民了，而他内心里未来生活的幻想之火，根本没有熄灭。另一方面，巧珍已经怎么都不能从他的心灵里抹掉了。很快，激情的洪流立刻冲垮了他建立起的理智防线，加林完全接受了巧珍，而巧珍带来的爱情也使他从灰心丧气的情绪中，重新激发起对生活的热情。而关于他俩的谣言也在全村散播开了，刘立本感到既伤面子又生气，找高玉德理论，两人不欢而散。德顺老汉发自内心为加林和巧珍感到高兴，高明楼则从自家的利益出发也支持他们俩人恋爱。

高加林发现村里水井脏得像个烂池塘，决定向井中撒漂白粉，在村里来一次“卫生革命”。第二天，高家村的水井边发生了一场混乱。来担水的庄稼人不知道水里的漂白粉是何物，不敢舀水。最后高明楼赶来带头喝了井水，平息了这场风波。风波过后，高加林感到苦闷，他从心里又强烈地产生了要离开高家村的想法。聪敏的巧珍看出了他的心思，好言安慰。

不久，高加林的二叔高玉智转业到地区专署任劳动局长，已升任县劳动局副局长的马占胜为了讨好领导，瞒着高局长，走后门将高加林安排进了县委通讯组当了通讯干事。半个月后，高加林成了国家正式工人，再次来到县城，他意识到自己这次不再是一个过客，而是县城的一员了。县城南面因暴雨引发了洪水，领导景若虹生病，为了及时报道救灾情况，高加林主动要求老景让他独自去受灾最严重的南马河公社采访。第一次工作，高加林热血沸腾，不畏艰险，出色地完成了采访报道任务，所写的报道和短通讯通过县广播站广播。播音员黄亚萍读了老同学所写的报道，为他的才气所倾倒，想到他已脱离农村，成了通讯干事，又想起俩人在学校时很要好的交往情景，她的感情顿时燃烧起来。毕业后，张克南常找机会给亚萍献殷勤，亚萍渐渐受了感动，接受了克南对她的爱情。现在，亚萍感到高加林的突然闯入，使她的感情天平发生了倾斜。高加林很快在县城成了风云人物，各种才能得以施展，他和黄亚萍也恢复了中学时期的那种交往，俩人经常一起探讨文学、国际问题，亚萍对他的爱意愈发深了。巧珍进城看望加林，加林却发现没有文化的巧珍只会和他絮叨一些家长里短。经过精神的激烈动荡，亚萍向加林表明了心意，并表示自己一家将随父亲到南京，到时候加林跟着一块去，她设法让父亲给加林在大城市找个工作。经过反复考虑和痛苦抉择，高加林选择了有共同语言的黄亚萍和远大前程，巧珍得知分手的消息后痛苦离开。黄亚萍也向父母和克南表明了自己的态度，正式和加林谈起了恋爱，精神和物质的双重享受让加林倍感快乐。不想父亲和德顺老汉突然造访，指责他不应该把良心卖了，抛弃巧珍。加林听后心情沉重，却不愿改变自己的做法。巧珍遭遇打击，马栓却托人说媒要娶巧珍，巧珍被他的善良所感动，决定嫁给马栓。张克南也在失恋的痛苦中煎熬着，克南他妈见儿子如此痛苦，决定报复高加林，她得知高加林是走后门参加工作的，去地委纪律检查委员会揭发控告了此事。县常委会很快做出决定：马占胜被撤销领导职务，高加林则被撤销工作和城市户口，送回所在大队。从省城学习一个月归来的高加林感觉自己眼界开阔，对未来的生活更有自信心了，但是当他得知自己被退回农村的消息时脑子一下子变成了一片空白。现实面前，他不得不清醒过来，只得忍痛和亚萍结束了恋爱关系。

高加林被退回农村的消息传来，村里人都很感慨，高玉德老俩口则平静地接受了命运的安排，高加林感到自己把生活中最宝贵的东西轻易地丢弃了，他感到自己本来已经得到了金子，但像土圪塔一样扔了。回村后，当他从德顺老汉那里得知巧珍不计前嫌去求高明楼给自己在公社安排个教书工作时，他一下扑倒在德顺爷爷的脚下，两手紧抓两把黄土，沉痛地呻吟着：“我的亲人哪……”

This summer evening, the sky is dark, and a thunderstorm is approaching. Gao Yude’s only son Gao Jialin, a private school teacher in the Gao Village, returned to his cave dwelling from a teachers’ meeting in the commune. The old Gao couple was busy preparing food for him, while he brought back a piece of frustrating news: the village head Gao Minglou, in order to arrange a job for his newly-graduated son Sanxing, fired Gao Jialin from his teaching position he held for three years, and replaced him with Sanxing. The old couple was heart-broken and angry when they heard the news, but with the fear of the village head’s power, they had to try their best to stop their son from quarrelling with Gao Minglou.

From a respectful teacher to an ordinary farmer, the sudden change of identity distressed Gao Jialin. He did not go to work on the mountain. However, when he realized the old age and hardships of his parents, as well as the meaning of labor, he decided to face up and accept his identity as a peasant.

One day in the village, Gao Jialin met Ma Shuan, the production expert of Madian village. Ma Shuan came to the Gao Village for a date. Qiaozhen, the second daughter of Liu Liben, was introduced to him. Liu Liben is the “Second Capable Man” of the Gao Village. He ran his business very well, and had the best-off family in the village. This, coupled with the fact that his eldest daughter Qiaoying’s married the eldest son of the village head, made him the most respectful person in village second only to Gao Minglou.

Despite the fact that the marriage alliance between the “Most Capable Man” and the “Second Capable Man” has made them the ruler of the village, Gao Jialin doesn’t envy or respect the two families with his “loftiness” as an intellectual. An idea of revenge started to form in his mind. He determined to compete with the Gao Minglou kind both mentally and socially! In order to achieve this, he had no choice but to leave the Gao Village.

Gao Jialin decided to write to his second uncle, Vice Division Political Commissar of army faraway in Xinjiang, hoping that his uncle could get a job for him there. The next day, there happened to be a market fair in the county. Jialin’s father asked him to go to the market and sell home-made steamed white buns. Gao Jialin thought he could take the chance to go to the county post office to send the letter. On the way to the fair, Gao Jialin felt awkward thinking that his father should tell him to cry out for customers, and was concerned that he might encounter his classmates in the county. When passing the road outside the county bus station, he met his high school classmates Huang Yaping and Zhang Kenan unexpectedly. They shared recent life events with each other. After they said goodbye, Gao Jialin met Ma Zhansheng, Culture and Education Officer of the County Commune. Sophisticated Ma aired his grievances to him, saying that he had no choice but to dismiss his teaching work. In the South Gate trading market, facing the bustling fair, Gao Jialin felt uneasy and embarrassed. At this moment, he happened to hear a woman talking with others saying that she needed steamed buns. When he was about to sell the buns to the woman, he found that she is the mother of his classmate Zhang Kenan. Kenan’s mother knew him, and his self-esteem forced Gao to give up this chance.

So he left the place where he couldn’t do anything, and went to the reading room of the County Cultural Center to read newspapers and magazines. Time soon passed, and the market was coming to an end, Gao Jialin had to walk back with the steamed bun basket in hand. On Damahe Bridge, he met Qiaozhen from the same village. Qiaozhen unrequitedly loved Gao Jialin, so she was waiting for him on the bridge, and kindly solved the trouble of selling steamed buns for him. 

On the way back to the village, Qiaozhen confessed her affection. Deeply touched by her warmth, Gao Jialin accepted her love on impulse. After returning home, Gao learned that his second uncle had sent a letter, saying that he was going to transfer from the troops to work back home.

Qiaozhen followed Jialin’s advice and began to brush her teeth, which became the “news” in the village. No one would feel surprised seeing the intellectuals in the village brushing teeth, but for the illiterate commune member Liu Qiaozhen, that was quite something. They felt it novel and strange, and of course started to gossip. This morning, Qiaozhen again squatted on the riverside brushing her teeth, giving rise to immense interest from people in the village. Seeing his daughter making an exhibition of herself in front of the crowd, Liu Liben was filled with rage and scolded her loudly. Qiaozhen felt wronged, blaming her father for not sending her to school. Liu felt that he had overreacted, and thus apologized to her. 

The second day after the trade, Gao Jialin went to the mountain to work. He wore the shabbiest outfit, dressing up to be a farmer. Many people in the village thought that this educated man couldn’t endure hardships, but his crazy vigor shocked the farmers. Old Deshun who has been a bachelor throughout his life felt sorry for Jialin, and stopped him from doing this wild thing. Jialin’s explanation was that he wanted to try the worst at the beginning, so that he wouldn’t be afraid of any other hard work in the future.

Gao Jialin felt distressed. On the one hand, he regretted falling in love with an illiterate girl in a hurry, which proved simply to be a symptom of degeneration and depression. This equaled to admitting that he was willing to be a farmer for his lifetime, while the fire of hope towards his future hadn’t gone out at all. On the other hand, Qiaozhen could not be removed from his mind anyway. Soon, the torrent of passion immediately washed away the rational line of defense he had established. Jialin completely accepted Qiaozhen, and the love brought by Qiaozhen also gave him the passion for life, overtaking the depression. 

Rumors about them also spread throughout the village. Liu Liben felt both dishonored and angry, thus went to quarrel with Gao Yude, ending up in discord. Old Deshun felt happy for Jialin and Qaiozhen from his heart, while Gao Minglou supported their relationship with his family’s interest.

Gao Gailin found the village well as dirty as a rotten pond, thus he decided to sprinkle bleach into the well, launching a “health revolution” in the village.The next day, a chaos occurred beside the well in the Gao Village. Farmers coming to fetch water didn’t know what bleach powder is, thus were afraid to draw water. In the end, it was Gao Minglou that came to take the lead to drink the well water, quelling the panic. After that, Gao Jialin felt depressed again. The strong desire to leave the Gao Village appeared in his mind. Clever Qiaozhen detected his thought, comforting him with soothing words.

Soon, Jialin’s second uncle Gao Yuzhi transferred to work as the director general of the local Labor Office. Ma Zhansheng, who had been promoted to be the deputy director general of the county Labor Office, in order to please the leader, went through the backdoor to arrange Gao Jialin to work as a correspondence officer of the communication group in the County Party Committee without letting Director General Gao know. Half a month later, Gao Jialin, now an official worker, cane to the county again, he realized that this time he was no longer a passer-by, but a member of the county. 

Heavy rain triggered floods in the south of the county. The leader Jing Ruohong was ill. In order to report the disaster relief situation in time, Gao Jiaolin took the initiative to ask Old Jing to go to the most seriously affected South Mahe Commune to make an interview. During this first mission, Gao Jialin, full of passion and fearless of hardship, finished the interview and reporting splendidly. The report and short news he wrote were broadcast through the county radio station. 

Broadcaster Huang Yaping read the report written by her former classmate, and became bewitched by his talent. Thinking that he had got rid of the countryside and had become a correspondence officer, coupled by the kind interaction when they were in school, her feelings suddenly flared up. After graduation, Zhang Kenan often sought opportunities to please Yaping. Yaping had been gradually moved and accepted Kenan’s love for her. Now, Yaping felt that the sudden inundation of Jialin had tilted her emotional balance. 

Gao Jialin soon became an influential man in the county. He had been able to display many of his talents. Huang Yaping and him had also resumed the kind of interaction in high school. They always discussed literature and international issues together, which deepened Yaping’s love for him. Qiaozhen went to the county to visit Jialin, while Jialin found that the illiterate Qiaozhen only knew to nag about trivial daily matters. After a strong mental struggle, Yaping confessed her affection to Jialin, and said that her family was going to move to Nanjing with her father. She asked Jialin to go with them, and she would try to convince her father to get a job for Jialin in the big city. After second thought and painful decision, Jialin chose Yaping who shared common language with him and his bright future, while Qiaozhen left in pain after hearing the news. Huang Yaping also expressed her attitude to her parents and Kenan, formally starting a relationship with Jialin. 

The double joy of spirit and material made Jialin extremely happy. Unexpectedly, his father and Old Deshun suddenly visited, blaming him for abandoning Qiaozhen against conventional morality. Jialin felt depressed, but was reluctant to change his mind. Ma Shuan asked a matchmaker to ask Qiaozhen for marriage while Qiaozhen was still suffering from the blow. Touched by his kindness, Qiaozhen decided to marry Ma Shuan. 

Zhang Kenan also suffered the pain of breaking up. Kenan’s mother, seeing her son in pain, decided to avenge. She learned that Gao Jialin got the job through the backdoor operations, so she went to local Commission for Discipline Inspection to reveal the matter. The Standing Committee of the county soon made a decision: Ma Zhansheng was dismissed from his post. Gao Jialin was dismissed from his job and urban residence, and was sent back to his brigade. After a one-month study in the provincial capital during which time Gao Jialin felt his horizon broadened and his confidence in his future boosted, he went back only to find that he had been sent back to the countryside. His mind suddenly went blank. He had to face the reality and ended his relationship with Yaping. 

When the news that Gao Jialin was sent back to the countryside came, people in the village all sighed with sorrow. The old Gao couple calmly accepted the arrangement of their fate. Gao Jialin felt that he had carelessly discarded the most precious thing in his life. He felt that he had already got the gold, but threw it back as if it was a soil ball. After returning to the village, when he learned from Old Deshun that Qiaozhen did not hold a grudge and asked Gao Minglou to arrange him a teaching position in the commune, he threw himself down to the feet of Grandpa Deshun, his hands clinging to two handfuls of yellow soil, moaning in pain, “my dearest ones ...”