China News Service, Qingdao, September 26. Title: Faulkner’s “Eastward Journey” and Chinese writers’ “Westward Journey”. How do Chinese and American contemporary literature read and learn from each other?
——Exclusive interview with Li Mengyu, professor at the School of Literature and Journalism, Ocean University of China and author of "William Faulkner and Contemporary Chinese Literature"
Author Wang Yu
Since the first mention of American writer William Faulkner in Modern magazine in 1934, the literary connection between Chinese and American contemporary literature has lasted for nearly a hundred years. During this period, Faulkner "traveled eastward" and used "Yoknapatawpha County" to inspire Mo Yan to build "Northeast Gaomi Township"; Chinese writers were also "traveling westward", and the works of Mo Yan, Yu Hua and other writers were translated and introduced into the eyes of American readers.
A literary "stamp" connects both sides of the Pacific. Why can Chinese and American contemporary literature read and learn from each other and play a unique role in deepening cultural exchanges between the two countries? China News Service's "East-West Question" recently interviewed Li Mengyu, a professor at the School of Literature and Journalism at Ocean University of China and the author of "William Faulkner and Contemporary Chinese Literature," to explain this.
The interview transcript is summarized as follows:
China News Service reporter: What kind of influence does William Faulkner have on the world literary world? What process did his works go through in spreading in China?
Li Mengyu: As one of the founders of modernist literature in the 20th century and winner of the 1949 Nobel Prize for Literature, William Faulkner was hailed as the "Shakespeare" of the United States by later generations for his in-depth writing of the American South and his pioneering narrative experiments, and became a literary landmark with global influence.
As early as the 1930s, the French intelligentsia was the first to pay tribute to him. Sartre analyzed his philosophy of time by "sitting facing backward in a Mercedes-Benz car"; Camus put "Requiem for a Nun" on the stage. It was these interpretations that allowed William Faulkner to get rid of the label of "local writer" and become a pioneer in exploring "the dilemma of human existence".
In America, William Faulkner's influence was even more profound. Marquez said that he was nourished by him in his early creations. His representative work "Withered Branches" was mostly based on William Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying"; writers such as Borges, Llosa, and Rulfo also shared the spirit of William Faulkner, profoundly influencing the face of Latin American literature in the mid-to-late 20th century.
In China, "Modern" magazine mentioned William Faulkner for the first time in 1934, which kicked off the study of "Fu Xue" in China. In the 1980s, through successive translations and introductions by translators such as Li Wenjun, William Faulkner became an important resource for ideological emancipation and artistic exploration in the literary world in the new era. Mo Yan said frankly that it was "Yoknapatawpha County" that inspired him to build "Northeast Gaomi Township"; Yu Hua called him his "master", and Su Tong learned "painting stamps" from him. It can be said that William Faulkner has profoundly influenced the development trajectory of contemporary Chinese literature.
The Collected Works of William Faulkner. Screenshot of Shanghai Translation Publishing House’s social media
Reporter from China News Service: Why is William Faulkner able to transcend the huge differences in culture and time and space and resonate strongly with contemporary Chinese writers?
Li Mengyu: William Faulkner's fictional "Yoknapatawpha County" is a microscopic world that illuminates the nuances of race, class, and human nature. In his acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize in Literature, he wrote that a writer’s honor is to use words to remember the spirit of “courage, honor, hope, self-respect, sympathy, mercy and sacrifice.” It is this tribute to kindness and the light of humanity that resonates with Chinese writers across mountains and seas.
The resonance between the two sides lies in the relationship between literature and life. Mo Yan believes that the works of William Faulkner provided great spiritual motivation for his creation and helped him stay awake in the wave of marketization. Yu Hua said: "His works are as simple as life, like the stones on the mountain and the grassy slopes by the water."
Whether in the East or the West, writers will protect the glory and dignity of human nature while writing about suffering, alienation and redemption. They all agree that literature and life are in harmony, and aim to write "good art". These common humanistic propositions are the spiritual wealth shared by mankind.
Original English books of Mo Yan on display at Xinhua Bookstore in Wangfujing, Beijing. (File photo) Photo by Liu Guanguan issued by China News Service
Reporter from China News Service: Academic circles often use the term "Yoknapatawpha County" to correspond to "Northeast Gaomi Township". From American southern stories to Chinese vernacular writing, how do Chinese writers creatively transform based on local experience?
Li Mengyu: Mo Yan once compared William Faulkner and Marx to "two scorching blast furnaces". On the one hand, they used their fire to temper their literary style, while on the other hand, they tried their best to break free from the shadow. He understands that if his hometown is mechanically reproduced, it will have no literary value. The writer's ability lies in "expanding his hometown with imagination" and using fictional geography to expand the artistic space.
When it comes to "how to write," Chinese writers look more to tradition. "Sandalwood Punishment" adopts the opera composition of "crested head, pig belly, and leopard tail"; "Life and Death Fatigue" combines the animal perspective of Buddhism's "six reincarnations" in chapter style; "Frog" integrates letters, texts and scripts; Wang Meng's "Oriental Stream of Consciousness" traces back to the classical origins of "Fu, Bi, Xing", and Ge Fei's "Jiangnan Trilogy" blends modern brushwork with classical tradition.
It can be seen that Chinese writers always insist on using me as the main subject and for my use. What William Faulkner provided was a "candlelight" rather than a template. The real place to put pen to paper was the land of China, the experience of the Chinese people and the aesthetics of the East.
On May 13, local time, Mo Yan, a well-known Chinese writer and Nobel Prize winner for literature, held a literary lecture at the Latin American Immigration Memorial Hall in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photo by China News Service reporter Lin Chunyin
Reporter from China News Service: Looking back at this spiritual connection that spans a century, what practical implications does it have for today’s Chinese literature to balance local experience and world vision, and promote dialogue between Eastern and Western civilizations in a global context?
Li Mengyu: Great works often echo the dual variations of darkness and light at the same time. It not only denounces the ugliness, hardship and alienation of human nature, but also praises kindness, tolerance and benevolence. This is the eternal theme of Chinese and foreign writers.
The century-old connection between William Faulkner and Chinese literature has inspired us that civilizations are colorful through exchanges and enriched through mutual learning. The current development of Chinese literature should adhere to the path of "rooted in the local area, open to absorption, and two-way symbiosis", and go to the world with confident local creations. While absorbing outstanding achievements from abroad, it should express unique Chinese experience and Chinese values. Only in this way can global literature move from a single center to pluralistic symbiosis, and Eastern and Western civilizations can illuminate and deeply integrate with each other in equal dialogue.
China News Service reporter: Communication is never one-way. While Faulkner was "migrating eastward", Chinese writers such as Mo Yan and Yu Hua were also "migrating westward" and gradually entered the horizons of American readers. What is the significance of the exchange of contemporary literature between China and the United States?
Li Mengyu: The exchange of contemporary literature between China and the United States is far more than the dissemination and reception of literary works. It is also a two-way "awakening" and "watching" across the Pacific. Faulkner's "Eastward Journey" awakened Chinese writers to creatively transform local resources. The "Westward Journey" of writers such as Mo Yan and Yu Hua aroused American readers' attention and understanding of China's complex reality and the common humanity of mankind. The significance of this two-way communication ultimately points to finding resonance in differences, enriching each other in dialogue, and building a more inclusive and mutually understanding world.
In recent years, the international influence of Chinese literature has become increasingly prominent. According to an analysis of reader reviews on Amazon.com, Mo Yan's 11 English-translated novels have received a favorable rating of about 90% from readers. The English translation of Yu Hua's masterpiece "To Live" is deeply loved by Western readers. Readers fully affirmed the humanistic themes it displayed and thought it was "full of the beauty of life, contempt for death and desire for life."
"Going out" and integrating Chinese literature into global culture is an inevitable trend in the development of world literature. Chinese culture and literature are rooted in traditional philosophical thinking that is very different from the West. Its perspective of observing things, observing life, comprehending life, and expressing reality is significantly different from that of Western literary culture. This undoubtedly greatly enriches the diversity and layering of world literature. (End)
Interviewee profile:
Li Mengyu. Photo provided by interviewee
Li Mengyu is a professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of Literature and Journalism, Ocean University of China. His major areas include comparison of Chinese and Western literature and Faulkner studies. He has published many works such as "William Faulkner and Contemporary Chinese Literature", "William Faulkner and Chinese Writers of the New Era", "Cross-Cultural Communication and Dialogue between Chinese and Western Literature". He presided over a number of scientific research projects including the National Social Science Foundation project "Research on the Influence of William Faulkner on Chinese Novels in the New Era".
