The Birth of a Narrative Community, 10th Shanghai International Literature Week Literature | Shanghai | International

Facing the Huangpu River, on the evening of August 15th, on the eve of the opening of the 2023 Shanghai Book Fair and "Bookish China" Shanghai Week, the 10th Shanghai International Literature Week summoned Chinese and foreign literary writers with the theme of "Narrative Community". "Community can also be translated as community or home. This is a world-class gathering of literary relatives and friends. As an old Shanghainese, I welcome everyone back home." Shanghai Jiao Tong University professor Wu Jun, who hosted the first half of the forum at Jiantou Bookstore, gave a warm opening speech.

In the eyes of writer and scholar Chen Fumin, the function and content of "narrative community" are far more open than the concept itself. "When we use the concept of 'narrative community', it first indicates a crisis situation in literary writing. In the past, the dependence of cultural expression and literary narrative on words was almost absolute, and we rarely considered the diversity and dominance of media. We rarely thought about whether Mo Yan's literary effects and social achievements could reach the peak of traditional literature if it weren't for Zhang Yimou's film 'Red Sorghum'. In Chen Fumin's view, novelists must face and respond to new cultural challenges and new narrative possibilities beyond traditional worship of words.". "As the forum theme shows, as the era advances into the 21st century, a 'narrative community' is emerging. We come from literature, and defending the beauty of language and writing is an obligation that we must undertake. However, we must also recognize that this obligation includes profound and complex topics of civilization and the situation of the times, requiring literary narratives to face new challenges and enter new civilizations."

Austrian writer Philippe Weiss shares with readers about "mountains". A painting by Leonardo da Vinci, without any figures, only mountains and rivers, uneven rocks, rivers, trees, shrubs, and meadows, is considered the first pure landscape painting in human art history. However, Chinese landscape painting did so hundreds of years ago. In traditional Chinese fables, the Foolish Old Man who moved the mountain was not foolish, but instead became a prophet of the human world. He had long known that his descendants would eventually possess the power to move mountains. Each mountaineer climbs their own mountain, depending on whether they start from the east or west, south or north, and whether they view the scenery from a German, Chinese, or Arab perspective. But what if all the climbers meet at the mountaintop, look at the horizon, and describe the mountains they each encounter? What if these mountains merge into a narrative community and form a kaleidoscope like image?

Lu Xun Literature Award winner Tian Er responded with a "mountain" to his Austrian colleagues, "If we all have the same mountain peak in our sight, then we just need to believe in the guidance of our own eyes, follow the path under our feet, and move forward. Although the paths are different, we will eventually converge at the highest point. This is especially true for writers. If literature can cross the barriers of language, avoid communication barriers, and communicate with each other smoothly, and works from different languages can be viewed equally. So, shouldn't each writer take a shortcut to reach or get close to world literature?"

Novelist Liao Jing talked about the significance of reading in "community". "Reading can be an activity of one person, or it can bring many people together. The reading and dissemination of a book is like building a mobile living room, where those who have read sit inside and are surrounded by friends they have never met before. These interconnected experiences that occur at different times and in different spaces are, in a sense, a kind of community." In Liaojing's view, books are like a space of public life. "Perhaps when we open the same website, the content pushed is different, but a book is in its original form in everyone's hands, giving us the opportunity to sit together."

Scholar, translator, and poet Bao Huiyi said, "My job is academic writing, but writing poetry is my way of existence. I also write novels, and novel writing requires a narrative technique different from poetry. The riddle poem of the 9th century Old English goes, 'I speak with many voices,' and the answer is' the singer of the night, 'that is,' the nightingale. 'Whether it is poetry or fiction, may every person who takes writing as their destiny not give up the right to' speak with many voices, 'and not give up the right to narrative."

Sichuan writer Du Yanglin said, "Every writer is an individual labor when facing writing. Building a literary building with individual strength, but we must not forget that individuals cannot survive without society. Individual stories must be integrated into the narrative framework set by the collective and society, so as to generate strong narrative commonalities and make the work deeply rooted in people's hearts."

At night, Chinese and foreign writers continue to interpret the "narrative community" from various perspectives

Since its establishment in 2011, as a special sub brand of the Shanghai Book Fair, Shanghai International Literature Week has invited more than 250 Chinese and foreign writers and scholars, including four Nobel laureates in literature. It can be said that Shanghai International Literature Week itself has formed a "community".

This year, 28 guests from Shanghai International Literature Week will participate in over 40 literary events, including the "Night of Poetry" held at the Shanghai Postal Museum, literary dialogues and sales sharing held at Shanghai Exhibition Center, Sinan Literature House, Duoyun Academy, Shanghai Library East, Shanghai Cervantes Library, and 1927 Lu Xun and Neishan Memorial Book Company. This year, multiple events have adopted online live streaming for the first time, allowing more literary enthusiasts and readers to share the live broadcast.