记忆、想象与现实主义——关于文学创作的对话

Memory,Imagination,and Realism:A Dialogue on Literary Writing

自2011年以来,法国著名作家、诺贝尔文学奖获得者勒克莱齐奥先生在南京大学执教,为南京大学本科生开设通识教育课,讲授文学、艺术和文化及其之间的互动关系。在他讲学期间,浙江大学许钧教授就写作的观念、写作与想象、记忆及旅行的关系等问题与其进行了持续而深入的探讨。就写作、想象与记忆而言,勒克莱齐奥认为小说创作始于质疑现实,它将神话与想象融入现实,而想象是唯一行动的形式,它激发记忆活动;阅读在其间最为关键,因为它让情绪与记忆都具象为文字。在写作源头与生命历程关系上,勒克莱齐奥不讳言自己所有作品或多或少都与自传有关,认为口头语言(经历)可以创作文学,正如文学记忆可以创作文学;他从中国古典诗歌中惊奇地发现经历与梦境、真实与想象尤其是自我与世界之间的联结,并将这种联结视之为世界文学的范式。就旅行与诗意历险而言,勒克莱齐奥坦言自己写作的东西首先都是想象的,真实的旅行于他而言并不那么重要,虽然他曾经历过身体和精神都是第二次出生的一次非洲之旅,相比于生活旅行,他更钟情于书本旅行。

Since 2011,Mr.Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio,a famous French writer and Nobel Laureate in literature,has been teaching at Nanjing University,offering General Education courses for undergraduates and lecturing on literature,art,culture,and the interaction between them.During Mr.Le Clezio’s stay,Professor Xu Jun of Zhejiang University carried on a continuous and in-depth discussion with him regarding the concept of writing,the relationship between writing and imagination,and the relationship between memory and travel.As far as writing,imagination,and memory are concerned,Le Clezio believes that novel writing begins with an inquiry of reality.It integrates myth and imagination into reality,whereas imagination is the only form of action,which stimulates memory activities.Reading is the most important part in the process,because it makes emotions and memories concrete as words.In terms of the relationship between the origin of writing and the course of life,Le Clezio does not deny that all his works are more or less autobiographical.He thinks that spoken language(experience)can create literature,just as literary memory can create literature.He has been surprised to find the connection between experience and dream,reality and imagination,and especially self and the world,in classical Chinese poetry.And he regards such a connection as the paradigm of world literature.As to travel and poetic adventure,Le Clezio confesses that his writing is first of all imaginary,and that real travel is not so important to him even though he once went through a journey to Africa,where he experienced a rebirth both physically and mentally.He prefers journeying in books over traveling in life.