Literature's Impact on Hearts and Minds Trumps Political Controversy

Literature's Impact on Hearts and Minds Trumps Political Controversy
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
December 11, 2012
Summary: Mo Yan's achievements can be put on the same footing as the works of other Nobel laureates. They are able to withstand comparisons. Mo Yan's originality is apparent in the original text. The Chinese-speaking world can read it directly, without the need for translation.

Full Text below:

Have any Chinese ever won the Nobel Prize prior to Mo Yan? Yes, they have. But they include Chen Ning Yang, Tsung-Dao Lee, Samuel Ting, Yuan T. Lee, Gao Xingjian. None of them were Chinese nationals. Has no citizen of Mainland China ever won the Nobel Prize? Yes, but the only winner is currently locked away in a Mainland prison. His name is Liu Xiaobo.

This allows us to understand the significance of Mo Yan's Nobel Prize. It was never purely an individual achievement. It was the result of a century of longing for international respect and affirmation, and a concentrated effort to overcome repeated frustrations. These frustrations include two related but not identical matters. One is national culture. The other is national politics.

People of Chinese descent have been awarded the Nobel Prize in physics, chemistry, and other sciences. This allieviated some of the frustrations felt by Mainland Chinese regarding China's culture. But it did not affirm the PRC as a political entity. If anything, PRC leaders experienced even more frustrations. These frustrations were intensified when Gao Xingjian and Liu Xiaobo received awards. One disagreed with the Mainland authorities and sought self-imposed exile. The other chose to remain in the country, but as a staunch dissident. The Nobel Prize affirmed certain values. But these were clearly contrary to those of the Mainland authorities.

One may or may not like Mo Yan. One may or may not agree with him. But he is the first Mainland Chinese recipient of the Nobel Prize. He is the first Mainland Chinese recipient who agrees with the Mainland authorities, who accepts the Mainland authorities, whose receipt of the Nobel Prize represent recognition of the Chinese people. Compared to other Nobel laureates, he is on relatively good terms with the Mainland authorities. His relationship with the Mainland authorities is close. Naturally he stands out.

Therefore Mo Yan will inevitably will be put to the microscope. The Mainland authorities and the Nobel Committee have axes to grind. Therefore people will see Mo Yuan a certain way. They will define Mo Yan a certain way. They will see him and define him not by his literary contributions. They will see him and define him not by his creativity. They will say "He was not a dissident."

Some may pay special tribute to him because he is not a dissident. Others may slander him because he is not a dissident. It is true that Mo Yan is not a dissident. He is not particularly concerned about society's ills. He is an intellectual who holds no strong views about about society. This is a fact. This will not change merely because he was awarded the Nobel Prize.

But here is the important point. Mo Yan is just like hundreds of millions of other people on the Mainland. He did not choose to be a dissent. His relationship with the Mainland authorities. is no better or worse than most other people on the Mainland. Some will demean his work and his conduct. They will denounce him as a lackey. Such characterizations are unfair. They are vicious distortions. They are emotion based demonizations.

Hundreds of millions of people are non-dissidents. But only Mo Yan won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Why? The answer must be found in the field of literature.

The Nobel Prize is awarded only once a year. The award is awarded to only a single individual. This does not mean that the winner is "number one in the world." This does not mean others do not compare. It does mean however that his achievements have attained the highest possible level. Compared to his peers, circumstances this year were in his favor. Hence the award.

Mo Yan's work uses rural vernacular to create rich images and strange fantasies. Mo paints a picture of a northeastern China village that is both familiar and alien. This constitutes a remarkable literary achievement.

Mo Yan toiled long and hard on his novels. He deftly moves or shocks readers with novels of different lengths. He is noble, forceful, contemptible, vulgar, brutal, gentle. This too constitutes a remarkable literary achievement.

Mo Yan's novels fall between realism and fantasy. They echo trends in world literature. But they do not merely mimic existing techniques. They evince self-esteem and self-confidence. He endlessly searches and experiments with his novel writing technique. He is especially concerned about the magic of story-telling. In this respect he has achieved something that cannot be ignored. He has achieved something from which others can learn.

Mo Yan's achievements can be put on the same footing as the works of other Nobel laureates. They are able to withstand comparisons. Mo Yan's originality is apparent in the original text. The Chinese-speaking world can read it directly, without the need for translation.

We hope the political controversy will be temporary. We think it will be. Literature touches our hearts and minds. It is more enduring than political controversy. Mo Yan had no choice. He could not escape. He accepted this historic award amidst controversy. Hopefully, the dust from the controversy will subside. People the world over will reassert the primacy of literature over politics. They will recognize Mo Yan's real contribution to Chinese literature, and even world literature.

文學的感動與思考應該比爭議更長遠些
【聯合報╱社論】
2012.12.11 03:28 am

在莫言之前，有沒有中國人得過諾貝爾獎？有，但他們，包括楊振寧、李政道、丁肇中、李遠哲、高行健，他們都不是中國籍。難道沒有一個中國大陸公民得過諾貝爾獎？有，但那唯一的獲獎者，現在卻關在中國的牢裡，他就是劉曉波。

放在這樣的背景下，或許可以更清楚看出莫言獲獎的意義。諾貝爾獎對中國而言，從來都不是一個單純的個人成就獎，而是凝聚了一百多年想望與挫折的投射焦點──要在國際上得到尊重與肯定的想望，及久求不得累積的挫折。這種挫折有著相關卻不盡相同的兩面，民族文化的一面，和國家政治的一面。

物理、化學等科學領域選出了華人血統的諾貝爾獎得主，有助於紓解中國大陸民族文化面的挫折，卻對國家政治面沒有幫助，甚至還反而強化這方面的挫折。尤其是高行健和劉曉波先後得獎，一位是不認同中共政權的自我流放者，一位是堅決的內部異議分子，諾貝爾獎肯定的價值，顯然與中國國家立場相反。

不管莫言喜不喜歡、同不同意，他就是第一個認同中共政府，也為中共政府接受，又為諾貝爾獎表揚的中國人。和其他受獎者相比，和中共政府的友善、密切關係，很自然地凸顯出來了。

於是莫言在這方面的所有表現，也就無可避免一定會被放大檢驗、討論。放在這樣的中國與諾貝爾獎的糾結中，人們首先看到了，用來定位莫言的，不會是他的文學，不會是他的創作者身分，而是「他不是一個異議者」。

有人因為他不是個異議者而特別讚揚他，也就有人因為他不是個異議者而痛詆他。莫言的確不是個異議者，他甚至不是一個特別關心社會，對社會抱持特殊意見、立場的知識分子。這是個事實，不會也不能因為他得了諾貝爾獎就改變了的。

不過重點在：莫言不過就是和中國大陸的幾億人一樣，沒有選擇作為一個異議者，他和中共當局的關係，不比絕大部分大陸人民緊張，也不比絕大部分大陸人民緊密。從他的作品和他的行事上硬要將他描繪成體制的奴才，那是不公平的深文周納，過激羅織。

幾億人都採取了這種非異議者的立場，卻只有莫言得了諾貝爾文學獎，為什麼？答案顯然還是只能回到文學的領域裡來尋找。

一年只頒一次，只有一位得主的獎項，一定不可能意味著得主就是「世界第一」，把其他人都比下去了；而是他的成就到達了最高的層級，在和其他同等級的大家相較下，今年對他有利的條件特別多，於是由他獲獎。

莫言的作品創造了一種可以承載豐富意象與奇情幻想的鄉土語言，已知描繪了一個看來既親切又陌生的「高密東北鄉」，這是項了不起的文學成就。

莫言對於小說孜孜矻矻的長久追求，能夠在不同篇幅的小說中自在優遊地書寫出不同的文學感動或震撼，可雄渾可鄙瑣可高貴可粗俗可殘酷可溫柔，這又是項了不起的文學成就。

莫言的小說，出入於寫實與魔幻之間，呼應著國際文壇的浪潮，然而卻又不僅只是片面模仿既有的技法，帶著自尊與自信，他不斷琢磨、實驗自己的小說理論，尤其是關注故事與說故事的人的神奇關係，這方面，他也自有不容忽視，可以提供其他人借鏡的成就。

莫言的成就，可以和之前獲得諾貝爾文學獎的各國大家，無愧並列，平起平坐．莫言對於中文的原創性開展，更是足以讓同屬華文世界的我們欣慰可以不經翻譯直接閱讀領會。

我們衷心期待，政治上的激情爭議是一時的，而文學帶來的深沉感動與思考，可以更為長遠。莫言無可選擇、無可逃避，必須要在爭議中領取這歷史性的獎項，但願爭議塵囂落下後，世人能夠回歸文學本位，認知莫言對於華文文學，乃至於世界文學的確實貢獻。