"The Crocodile is a witness to my oath", and "playwright" Mo Yan's new work has been released | Drama | Witness
"I once swore to complete my transformation from a novelist to a playwright in the latter half of my life." In 2019, Mo Yan visited Shakespeare's former residence with Yu Hua and Su Tong, and in front of the statue of Shakespeare, he expressed his ambition to fully devote himself to theatrical creation. Last month, Mo Yan had a conversation with writer Wang Anyi and scholar Chen Sihe at Fudan University on the topic of "from literature to stage". When he mentioned this past, he smiled and said, "I hope people will say I am a playwright in the future. In this way, I will be different from the two novelists Yu Hua and Mo Yan."
On June 19th, the new play "Crocodile" by playwright Mo Yan was released. Mo Yan posted on Weibo, saying, "The Crocodile is a witness to my oath."
The publisher Zhejiang Literature and Art Publishing House "KEY - Ke Culture" revealed that since the online pre-sale began on June 15th, the market for "Crocodile" has been booming, with two urgent reprints before its official launch on the 19th. "The story told in a play is completed through dialogue. If I had to simply retell the story, it would be uninteresting. I hope everyone can open this book, read the dialogue, and then see that what is presented to you will be a very unique character. We can also imagine a huge stage in front of us while reading the script, and use our imagination to let the characters in this script play their stories in front of us." Mo Yan said.
"Crocodile" is a long and magical drama series conceived by Mo Yan for over a decade. Writers and critics such as Li Er and Zhang Qinghua believe that this is Mo Yan's highest level of artistic performance to date. In early June, Mo Yan and scholar Chen Xiaoming discussed the novel and drama of "The Crocodile" at Peking University. The two also performed clips from "The Crocodile", further increasing readers' expectations for this work.
Crocodile is divided into four acts and nine scenes, and the plot revolves around the protagonist Shan Wuxian and the gift he received at his birthday party, "Crocodile.". In 2005, Shan Wuhan was 55 years old. Lao Hei, a businessman in the fish watching business, gave him a 30cm crocodile as a birthday gift. Shan Wuxian, who was full of worries, developed a strong interest in crocodiles. Over the past decade, various people around Shan Wuwei made their debut: his ex-wife Qiao Ling wanted to compete with his lover Thin Ma for ownership of the villa he lived in; "My nephew" Niu Bu and the performance art performer lampshade extract "artistic materials" from him while persuading him to join their ranks; The old subordinate came to persuade, and although his seemingly emotional words implied a sense of "mission at hand"... The conflicting psychology intensified day by day, but he became increasingly close to the crocodile, feeling that only the crocodile could understand his inner voice. He constantly replaced larger fish tanks for the crocodile, allowing it to grow and grow until it became a giant beast measuring 4 meters in length.
"This is a story told in a dramatic way." Writer Cao Wenxuan praised Mo Yan's storytelling skills after reading "Crocodile". Through an infinitely growing and talking crocodile, Mo Yan explores the secrets of human nature and explores the theme of "desire". In the process of observing, studying crocodiles, and even conversing with them, the protagonist in the work sees himself from the crocodile. Once inconspicuous creatures grow into terrifying monsters due to sufficient space and nutrition, just as human desires constantly expand in an unrestricted environment and indulgence, ultimately devouring once pure souls. Scholar Chen Sihe's summary - The constantly growing crocodile is a symbol, and there is surrealistic content here, that is, the imagery of human desires; Today, desire has become the driving force behind social development and our pursuit of various careers. There are both powerful and terrifying aspects to it. Crocodile has a distinct portrayal of this.
Integrating Shakespeare's brilliant dialogue and imaginative dramatic conflict design, coupled with the unique Mo Yan style magic, Crocodile vividly portrays a series of typical characters, not only reflecting Mo Yan's deep thinking and innovation in literature, but also having social practical significance and educational warning role. In Li Er's view, "The Crocodile" portrays the complexity of human nature: "We all have a crocodile in our hearts. How should we view this crocodile?"
"Drama has been my dream for many years. When it comes to writing plays, I do have some experience and insights. A playwright sitting in a theater watching his own plays on stage really enjoys it." Mo Yan has a deep connection with drama. When he was a child, he was influenced by the folk drama "Maoqiang" in his hometown. He read plays such as "Sunrise", "Thunderstorm", and "Qu Yuan" in his elder brother's textbook, and knew these famous plays very well, planting the seeds of theatrical creation in his heart. Mo Yan's unpublished debut work "Divorce" is a play script. His play "Our Jing Ke" has won the "Best Play Award" and "Excellent Screenplay Award" at the "National Drama Culture Award - Golden Lion Drama Award", as well as the "Most Popular Play Award at the 24th Baltic House Drama Festival". "Farewell My Concubine" has been nominated for the "Best Performance Award" at the Cairo International Experimental Drama Festival. Both plays have been performed more than 100 times domestically and internationally so far.
Mo Yan also created film and television scripts such as "Romance of Heroes" and "Auntie Wearing Red Silk", as well as drama scripts such as "Golden Clothes" and "Sorghum Wine". There are also theatrical figures in Mo Yan's novels: "Frog" ends with a play, while "Sandalwood Punishment" has distinct theatrical features.
Since the beginning of this year, the play "Frog" with the same name has been staged at the Pushkin Theater in Russia, and "Red Sorghum Family" has launched a national tour of the play with the same name. Now, with the release of the repeatedly polished "Crocodile", it can be expected that the "Mo Yan drama fever" will continue.
