刘奇葆：用文学的光芒照亮中华民族的精神世界（中英对照）

三、文学创作最根本的方法是扎根人民、扎根生活

III. The most fundamental approach to literary creation is to take root in the people and everyday life.

习近平总书记指出，文艺创作方法有一百条、一千条，但最根本、最关键、最牢靠的办法是扎根人民、扎根生活。应当看到，人民是历史大舞台的真正主角，生活是文学创作的源头活水。只要文学存在，人民与文学、生活与文学的关系问题就永不过时。去年以来，文艺界开展“深入生活、扎根人民”主题实践活动，广大作家艺术家积极参与、热情投入，在深入生活、了解生活中增进了与群众的感情、丰富了创作的灵感，取得了很好的效果。

As General Secretary Xi has pointed out, there are hundreds, possibly even thousands of approaches to literary creation, but none are more fundamental, crucial, or reliable than taking root in the people and everyday life. We need to understand that the people are the true actors on the stage of history, and that everyday life is the source of literary creation. As long as literature exists, the question of the relationship between the people and literature and between everyday life and literature will always be relevant. In 2014, an activity to bring authors and artists closer to the people was launched in China’s literary and art circle. Authors and artists have participated enthusiastically in the activity, developing a closer bond with the people and finding creative inspiration as they have entered communities and learned more about people’s everyday lives. This has made the activity a great success.

“闭门觅句非诗法，只是征行自有诗。”只有牢固树立以人民为中心的创作导向，切实解决好“为了谁、依靠谁、我是谁”的问题，自觉以最广大人民为服务对象和表现主体，才能写出大作、力作、传世之作。我们要真正沉下心来、扑下身子，把双脚踩在大地上，深耕生活沃土，提炼生活真味，在人民的生产生活中进行美的发现和美的创造，使文学创作更有底气、更接地气、更有生活温度。

Authors who shut themselves off from the outside world cannot be expected to produce fine works of literature. Only by firmly orienting literary creation towards the people, being clear on the question of who we represent, who we rely on, and who we are, and consciously making the people both the main target and object of literary creation, will we be able to write major, powerful, and eternal works of literature. We need to genuinely settle our minds, bring ourselves down to earth, plant our feet firmly on the ground, and dig deep into the fertile soil of real life to extract its true essence. We need to discover and depict beauty in the lives and work of the people, thereby creating works of literature that are more confident, more down to earth, and closer to real life.    

深入生活、扎根人民，还有一个如何看待和把握生活的问题。真正的文学，应该向上、向善，充满着活得更好、更光明、更美丽的力量，即使是悲剧创作也是如此。如果只是单纯记述现状、原始展示丑恶，过度渲染社会阴暗面，就不能鼓舞人民前进。文学要源于生活、高于生活，用现实主义精神和浪漫主义情怀观照现实，更加全面准确地把握社会生活的本来面目，与时代前进的脚步合拍、与人心向背合拍，让人们看到美好、看到希望、看到梦想就在前方。

In taking root in everyday life and the people, we must also afford thought to the question of how we treat and understand everyday life. True literature aspires to all that is positive and good. It is imbued with the power to make life better, brighter, and more beautiful, even when it is depicting tragedy. If literature merely records the state of reality, depicts ugliness in its original form, and overemphasizes the dark side of society, then it will lack the power to spur the people forward. Having its root in real life, literature should rise above real life. It should observe reality with the spirit of realism and the sentiment of romanticism, present a fuller and more accurate picture of the true face of society, and remain attuned to the pace of progress and the true feelings of the people, showing people that beauty, hope, and their dreams are in front of them.

四、在继承借鉴创新的基础上提升文学的创造力

IV. It is important that we raise the creativity of literature on the basis of inheriting, learning, and innovating.

今年是《新青年》杂志创刊100周年。《新青年》的创办，拉开了新文化运动的序幕。以“鲁郭茅巴老曹”为代表的一批思想进步、才华横溢的优秀作家，学贯中西、革故鼎新，站在新文化运动的前列，用白话文表达新思想、新道德，创作出一大批经典之作，拓展了中国文学的领域，丰富了中华文化的美学表达，提升了中华民族的文化创造力。

The year 2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of New Youth magazine, the publication that set in motion the new cultural movement in China. The magazine brought together a group of progressive and enormously talented writers, most notably Lu Xun, Guo Moruo, Mao Dun, Ba Jin, Lao She, and Cao Yu. Armed with extensive knowledge of both China and the West, these authors were innovators who stood at the forefront of the new cultural movement. Through the use of vernacular Chinese, they expressed new ideas and moral values and wrote a large number of classic works that broadened the horizons of Chinese literature, enriched the aesthetic expression of Chinese culture, and raised the cultural creativity of the entire nation. 

继承、借鉴、创新是文学创作的生命力所在。中华优秀传统文化是当代中国文学的底色，是文学创作想象力的不竭源泉和深厚土壤。我们要坚守中华文化立场，深扎本土、不忘本根，继承中华美学精神，汲取古典文学精华，赋予当代文学新的时代内涵，使中国文学拥有自己独特的面孔，始终保持中国精神、中国风格、中国气派。强调继承传统，并不是要排斥吸收借鉴世界优秀文学成果，中国当代文学是以开放包容的胸怀面向世界的。改革开放以来，中外文化交流互鉴越来越频繁，一大批外国优秀作家作品被翻译介绍到中国，对当代作家的创作影响很大，促进了当代文学的发展繁荣。要在尊重传统、保持底色的基础上，积极吸收国外优秀文化成果，借鉴文学创作的新鲜经验，丰富发展我国文学创作的理念、样式和手法，增强当代文学的创造活力。

Inheriting, learning, and innovating are the lifeblood of literary creation. China’s fine traditional culture is the underlying character of contemporary Chinese literature. It is an inexhaustible source that supplies literary creation with rich imagination. Holding firmly to the standpoint of Chinese culture, we must dig deep into our native soil and make sure that we never forget our roots. We must inherit the aesthetic spirit of Chinese culture, extract the cream of classical literature, and endow modern literature with new contemporary meaning, so as to give Chinese literature its own unique appearance and preserve China’s spirit, character, and style. However, emphasizing the importance of inheriting tradition in no way means that we are unwilling to learn and draw from the fine literary achievements of other countries; contemporary Chinese literature looks out towards the world with an open embrace. Since the launch of the reform and opening up drive, interactions between Chinese culture and other cultures have become increasingly commonplace. A large number of fine literary works have been translated into Chinese and introduced to Chinese audiences. These works have had a major creative influence on the current generation of authors, helping to promote the flourishing of contemporary Chinese literature. On the basis of respecting tradition and preserving the underlying character of our culture, we should draw from the fine cultural traditions of other countries and borrow from the newest experiences in literary creation, so as to enrich the principles, forms, and techniques of Chinese literature and enhance its creative vitality.   

语言文字体现一个民族的智慧。文学是语言的艺术，对于传承发展母语、提升民族创造力具有重要作用。托尔斯泰、巴尔扎克、曹雪芹等中外文学巨匠，都对丰富母语作出了重要贡献。我们打开《红楼梦》，就好像打开了一座民族语言文字的宝库。鲁迅先生的作品为什么经久不衰，除了思想性以外，还在于极富特色的语言，他的语言凝练质朴、犀利深刻，具有强大的艺术张力和穿透力。在当代作家中，汪曾祺的小说、散文篇幅大都不长，但文字简洁优美，语言筋道、充满灵性。金庸先生的武侠小说，不仅故事情节引人入胜，语言也非常有特点，文白兼用、雅俗共赏，体现了深厚的传统文化底蕴。有不少人反映，现在有些作品的语言比较粗糙，缺少中国语言文字的气韵、美感、味道，艺术呈现、艺术魅力不足。这有快餐文化盛行、创作心态浮躁的问题，也有作家自身文字功力不足的问题。我们应当有母语自信，以名家为范、向先贤看齐，在锤炼文字上下更大功夫，努力成为语言大师，创作出更多文质兼美的精品力作，为提升母语表现力、创造力作出贡献。

The wisdom of a people is embodied in their written language. Literature, as the art of language, plays an important role in continuing and developing a people’s mother tongue and raising their overall creativity. The masters of Chinese and foreign literature, such as Tolstoy, Balzac, and Cao Xueqin, all made major contributions to the enrichment of their native languages. Opening Dream of the Red Mansion is like opening a treasure chest of our nation’s language. Why have Mr. Lu Xun’s writings been able to stand the test of the time? Other than the ideas they contained, this is due to the highly unique character of their language. Concise, plain, piercing, and profound, Lu Xun’s language carried a penetrating artistic force. Looking at contemporary authors, Wang Zengqi’s novels and essays may not be long, but their words are concise and elegant and their language is firm and full of soul; Mr. Jin Yong’s martial art novels not only engross readers with their stories, but their language is also highly unique, combining the classical with the vernacular in a way that makes them appealing to all people. This reveals their deep roots in traditional culture. As a number of people have complained, some of the works we see today are written rather crudely. Not only do these writings lack the rhythm, beauty, and flavor of the Chinese language, but they are also short of artistic charm. In part, this is due to the prevalence of “fast food culture” and to the fickleness of creative mindsets. However, the aptitude of authors for language is also a reason. We should have confidence in our mother tongue, look up to and follow the example of the great authors that preceded us, and devote greater efforts to tempering a high proficiency for written language. Striving to become masters of language, we should create more fine works of literature that excel in both form and substance, and make a contribution to raising the expressiveness and creativity of our mother tongue.

文学评奖是坚持导向、引领创作，推出精品、激励队伍的重要手段。茅盾文学奖是我国长篇小说最高奖项，在国内外有着广泛影响，近年来在评奖方面做了一些改革，实践证明是有成效的。要进一步规范和改进文学评奖工作，把真正优秀的作品和作家评选出来，提高公信力和权威性。要加强对获奖作品的评论和研讨，让读者更好地了解这些优秀作品。

Literary prizes offer an important means of upholding the correct orientation of literature, guiding literary creation, recommending fine works, and rewarding authors. As China’s highest prize for novels, the Mao Dun Prize for Literature enjoys widespread influence in China and abroad. In recent years, changes have been made to the way that the prize is judged, and they have proven to be highly effective. We should continue to standardize and improve China’s literary prizes, raising their credibility and authority by ensuring that they recognize genuinely fine works and authors. We also need to step up the review and discussion of prize-winning works, so that readers are able to become more familiar with these fine works of literature.

 （本文摘自刘奇葆同志2015年9月29日在与第九届茅盾文学奖获奖作家座谈时的讲话。）

(The is an extract from a speech by Liu Qibao, Director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, at a forum with winners of the 9th Mao Dun Prize for Literature on September 29, 2015.)