布莱希特的“中国榜样”与《四川好人》的侨易之旅

Bertolt Brecht’s Chinese Example and the Kiao-I-Process of The Good Man in Sichuan

在1933年被迫走上流亡之路后,德国作家布莱希特借助来自世界文学中的榜样逐步廓清了“流亡文学”的内涵。在侨居他国的岁月中,与异国文化的频繁交流也帮助布莱希特越来越多地获得了来自异质文化的启迪。在此过程中,“中国榜样”尤其扮演了重要角色,并促使布莱希特将其酝酿多年的寓言剧更名为《四川好人》。在布莱希特逃亡于丹麦、瑞典、芬兰、美国的日子里,《四川好人》的内容也随着时局变化而不断地发生变化,从最初反映资本主义社会中的经济斗争和尔虞我诈,逐步演变为影射政治时局,到后期则越来越多地折射出流亡者的艰辛与对人性、对生存策略的反思。而与剧中情节相呼应,流亡中的布莱希特为渡过难关也一步步戴上了用于伪装的面具。因此,《四川好人》不仅折射出布莱希特与中国文化的共鸣,也反映了他对流亡之路的深刻思考。

After being forced to go into exile in 1933,German writer Brecht gradually clarified the connotation of“exile literature”with the help of examples from world literature.In the years of living abroad,frequent exchanges with foreign cultures also helped Brecht gain more and more inspiration from foreign cultures.In this process,the“Chinese examples”played a particularly important role,prompting Brecht to rename his fable drama to The Good Man in Sichuan,which had been brewing for many years.In the days when Brecht fled to Denmark,Sweden,Finland,and the United States,the content of The Good Man in Sichuan also changed continuously with the changes of the times.From the initial reflection of the economic struggle and intrigue in the capitalist society,it gradually evolved into a political allegory that alluded to the current situation,and in the later stage it increasingly reflected the hardships of the exiles and their reflections on human nature and survival strategies.In response to the plot in the play,Brecht in reality also put on a mask for disguise step by step in order to overcome the difficulties.Therefore,The Good Man in Sichuan not only reflects Brecht’s resonance with Chinese culture,but also reflects his profound thinking on the path of exile.