Tang Sulan talks about the pillow

Tang Sulan, writer of children's literature, professor at the School of Literature, Hunan Normal University

China Reading News: What is your childhood? Remember the reading of childhood?

Tang Sulan: I grew up in remote mountain villages. When I was a kid, I was very limited. I haven't read children's literature at all. But those limited books have launched a strange world that is completely different from real life. One of the most impressive stories I read in my childhood was that a boy called the eyebrow ruler asked others to cut down his head for revenge. Later bite. This story frightened me and fascinated me. After growing up, I learned that this magical story is Mr. Lu Xun's "Sword".

My father worked outside when he was young, and later returned to his hometown, living with craftsmanship. He hid some books he read on the attic and was later found. This incident triggered my interest in finding a book. When I was a kid, I often took advantage of the opportunity to play at my classmates and turned their homes with my classmates. That's how Mr. Lu Xun's "New Story" was found. I remember I also found books such as "Copper Wall and Iron Wall" and "Bitter Caulus". At that time, there was another painter going to our village. There were many comic paintings in his family. I often borrowed it.

China Reading News: I have written children's literature since college. What did your original writing look like? Who is more influenced?

Tang Sulan: Like many Chinese students in Chinese, my first practice was poetry. During the college, I had a group of prose poems published in the literary journal in the province. It was a good starting point. The relationship between children and I was also when I was in college. In the year when I graduated from college, I listened to a children's literature lesson. After class, I read the two fairy tales of Andersen's "Daughter of the Sea" and Yan Wenjing's "Song of the Creek". When I was a kid, I did n’t read the fairy tales. This style made me curious. So I imitated the song "The Song of the Creek" and wrote a "Two Creek Streams" and was published to the magazine of "Xiaoxi Stream". This is my children's literary debut.

China Reading News: Do you want to be a writer from the beginning? After graduating, I went to the publishing house to engage in children's literature editing. What was the creative period of that period? Why did you choose to teach and children's literature courses at Hunan Normal University later?

Tang Sulan: I studied Chinese at the Normal University and volunteered for three years after graduation. Three years later, the graduate students were originally intended to be in the Ming and Qing literature, but the yin was wrong. When I flipped through the enrollment chapter, I accidentally turned to Zhejiang Normal University to recruit postgraduates for children's literature. I remembered the fairy tales published in "Little Creek" and applied for the Institute of Children's Literature of Zhejiang Normal University. After graduating from a graduate student, I went to a children's publishing house as a literary editor. At that time, I never thought of becoming a writer. However, I think that the editor must make a manuscript with the writer and have to understand a little bit, otherwise it will be too layman and you can't come to a good manuscript. Therefore, I started to practice writing while editing. At that time, it was generally handwritten, and the author packed the manuscript in the envelope. If the magazine did not use your manuscript, he would usually return the manuscript. At that time, I was young, my face was thin, and I had no confidence in myself. I was afraid that I would let my colleagues know, but I just wrote secretly and rarely sent it out.

It happened that a friend transferred me to the Taiwan Xinyi Foundation's draft notice. I wrote 6 small stories with the "stupid wolf" as the main story according to the request of the draft. Can't choose anyway, it will not be returned. Unexpectedly, this set of stories was shortlisted for the Xinyi Children's Literature Award of that year, and also published a single book, and was selected as "good book everyone read" in Taiwan. The Xinyi Foundation will see the market potential of the book, and ask me to write another one with the "stupid wolf" as the protagonist. Several short -story fairy tales I secretly wrote have also been published in domestic magazines and received praise. Maybe the name "Tang Sulan" is relatively old -fashioned, not like a young author. After publishing three or four short -story fairy tales, some publishers have a long article with me. I was actually very virtual in my heart, but the opportunity was rare, and I decided to try it, so I wrote my first minister's fairy tales "Little Duo Duo and Big Magic Master". It was thirty years ago. At that time, everyone thought I was almost the same age as I am now, but I did not expect that I was a newcomer.

I have been the editor of children's literature for sixteen years. In the past sixteen years, I have gone through the process of the publishing house's transition from cultural institutions to an enterprise. Before the editor, as long as he concentrated on compilation, the distribution and efficiency of the manager should not be managed. After transferring to the enterprise, the editorial role has changed a lot. Some editors have actually become the person in charge of the project. They need to be fully responsible from planning topics to printing, publishing, distribution, and benefit assessment. Because of my serious work, I was the earlier project leader of the publishing house. The "Happy Composition" project I founded in that year has achieved the top five nationwide in the composition market segment. However, this change also made my editorial work completely contradictory, and I originally liked teaching. When the college entrance examination was filled in volunteer, it was a teacher from the first volunteer to the fifth volunteer. At the end of 2007, I left the publisher and went to college to teach.

China Reading News: When editor, you have won the Ye Shengtao Editor Award; as a writer, you have won the National Outstanding Children's Literature Award four times. Is this more among children's literary writers? What do you think of these honors? Winning so many awards, it is said that you have become famous, but you have always insisted on writing, publishing more than sixty children's literary works such as "Story of Stupid Wolf", "Alian" and "Running to Green Heart" - What?

Tang Sulan: I have a working principle when I edit, that is, my editor, and I must read my children. The same is true for my writing. At least I want my child to read, and how many benefits I read, I have to be responsible for the child. When he was young, he valued honor. He believed that honor was an affirmation of your efforts to work, and had a great motivation to incentive himself. Of course, I now cherish these honors very much, but compared with when I was young, I valued the efforts of each writing and every point I made.

Looking back on my writing, it can be said that it is a process from spontaneous to conscious. My initial writing was a mistake. As a literary enthusiast and the publisher's literary editor, I entered writing. This kind of writing is a ticket -friendly style. You can just be interested and write happily. There are no higher requirements for writing. The conscious writing has standards and requirements. This standard and requirements are manifested in the enthusiasm and courage of the continuous exploration of the art world and the childlike world, continuously surpassing their determination and the responsibility of guarding childhood and accompanying growth.

The reason for always insisting on writing is that writing is indeed charming, because it never has an end; another reason is that readers like my work. My first generation of readers have grown up. When they told me that I read my work when I was a kid, those works had given them happiness. Now their children still like it, which moves me and makes me better know the meaning and value of writing for children.

China Reading News: What are your favorite children's literature works? Can you simply talk about the reason?

Tang Sulan: My favorite children's literature works are "Andersen Fairy Tale", "Little Prince" and "Mao Mao", as well as traditional Chinese nursery rhymes and folk stories. Andersen wrote everything in his life in a fairy tale, which gave me great inspiration. And Andersen wrote scripts, novels, poetry, travel notes, etc. before writing fairy tales. He became famous in Denmark at that time, but he finally chose fairy tale and wrote a new fairy tale for children every Christmas as love as love. Gift. In "Little Prince", the author's symbol of the fairy tales by the author, San Eknspery, made a comprehensive review and reflection on his life, and explored the significance and value of life. "Mao Mao" is the work of German writer Mitchell Ende. He used this fairy tale to answer the philosophical question "Where is the time?" These works are not only written to children, but also to adults. This is exactly the sentence in the magazine of "Children's Literature": this magazine is suitable for citizens 9-99. Really excellent children's literature is suitable for all readers.

China Reading News: You have always been committed to the reading and promotion of children's literature, and launched the book construction project "Sulan Book House" of rural schools. Since 2017, the first "Sulan Book House" has been donated. Now There are 20 books in Lanshu, and more than 60,000 books are donated. Where do these books come from? How do you learn to use it alive after donating? Do you have further intervention and promotion?

Tang Sulan: Most of the books of "Su Lan Book House" were purchased by myself. Several publishers knew that I was doing this public welfare project and donated some books, but that one accounted for few. Because the schools and communities I donate are relatively remote and poor. Children are rare to have extra -curricular books. I have high requirements for the quality of books. I think that children should read some good books, some valuable values, some valuable values. Books, therefore, the book is determined by myself.

At present, I am still continuously mailing newly published books and some newspapers and magazines as supplements, and I also intend to send some books to update. If time permits, it is best to make a return visit. Some bookstores with more convenient transportation and good management have been continuously carried out activities, including volunteers' reading guidance and companionship of children.

China Reading Book: Do you have any pillows?

Tang Sulan: My bedside is always placed, but there is no book that repeatedly read on the pillow. I have always been reading. For a while, I will put the book on the bed and read a paragraph before going to bed.

China Reading News: What are the books that are often revisited? Why choose these books, can you simply talk about it?

Tang Sulan: The book I often relive is "Andersen Fairy Tale", which will be relive almost every year because I mainly write fairy tales. Andersen is the coordinates of fairy tales. There is also "Dream of Red Mansions". I like the poems inside. When I study in college, I also memorized it. The poems in "Dream of Red Mansions" are closely related to the fate of the characters. Textbooks, so I will choose it from the perspective of writing and literary appreciation. Other works such as "New Story", "Mrs. Bao Fali", "Little Prince", "Liu Lin Feng Sheng", "Italian Fairy Tale" and "Green Fairy Tale" and other works have not been read.

China Reading News: Do you recommend bibliography for your students and your children? What do they want to read most?

Tang Sulan: I will recommend a book for my students. Because there are two parts of the students, one is engaged in children's literature research, I will recommend some basic educational, children's literature research and literary theory. The other part is learning creative writing, and it is recommended to inspire writers. My current students are mainly college students. The works I want to read most are "Liao Zhai Zhi Yi", Lu Xun's novels, essays, and his "New Editor" and "Weeds", Shen Congwen's "Border City", Liang Shiqiu's "Ya Ya" "She Xiaoping", Lin Yutang's "The Art of Life", Zhu Guangqian's "Talking Beauty", as well as Malx's "Centennial Solitude", Wolf's "Going to the Lighthouse", and Borhes, Calvino The works of writers and other writers, these are books for literature. China Reading News: If you may go to the uninhabited island, which three books would you bring?

Tang Sulan: If you can only bring three books, I will bring "Liao Zhai Zhi Yi", "Selected Tang Poems" and "Song Ci Selection".

China Reading News: If you have the opportunity to organize banquets, which characters would you invite?

Tang Sulan: I hope to invite the earliest pictures and book writers in the UK, Miss Bitlei Potter, who write Bunny Peter, Finnish writer Luof Yangsong, and our Chinese Zhuangzi Zhuangzi Essence They all have super powers to talk to all things in heaven and earth. In the imagination of the world's imagination world, I do my best, self -sufficient, and I want to get close to their interesting souls.

Edit: Liu Qihan

Source: China Reading Newspaper

- END -