In 2003, because I wrote a film "Chengdu, Please Forget Me Tonight" on the Internet, "Murong Xuecun" was born and became a smash hit.
In 2005, after several novels were published one after another, "Murong Xuecun" suddenly fell into silence, and it was not until three years later that his new work "Forgive me, the world of mortals is upside down" was released. Some people say that this is a "secret history of rivers and lakes" about redemption and depravity, and it is another knife to seal the throat after "Chengdu, please forget me tonight"; Lu Jinbo, Murong Xuecun’s longtime friend and publisher, even refused to publish the novel because he thought it was "hopelessly dark".
This topic is written and illustrated by our Shanghai correspondent Liu Fang.
Content introduction:
A little boy from a poor village and family, through his own hard work, finally completed his father’s last wish and was admitted to the university law major. After graduation, he became a well-known lawyer in an open city with a very developed economy, and often appeared on local TV programs. He was the guest speaker of a famous legal column, either teaching legal knowledge or answering various legal questions raised by the audience, and became a public figure in the city … However, such a career is thriving.
This is a "big dream of the world of mortals" described in Forgive me for the upside down of the world of mortals. Sin, conspiracy, depravity, snobbery, hypocrisy, cruelty, vicious, dirty, reserved, kind, stubborn … All kinds of characters are colorful and lifelike.
Being criticized by friends for "falling" Murong Xuecun responded-
I have been killed by the world and become a bad person.
Guangzhou Daily: It has been as long as three years since the last work. Where have you been and what have you done in these three years? What directly gave birth to this new work?
Murong Xuecun: In 2005, after writing Most People Died of Greed (called Eden Cherry when it was published), I got lost. I didn’t know what to write or how to write for a long time. Later, I went to Lhasa, became a vegetarian, studied, sat in a daze opposite the Potala Palace every day, and went to Changsha to host the emotional hotline for four months. Finally, I couldn’t stand the hustle and bustle of the secular world, and returned to Lhasa, then went to Sanya and Qingdao, and made several round trips. The trip was more than Wan Li. During this time, I have written more than a dozen novels, ranging from almost 60,000 words (a martial arts novel named "Loulan Mingyue") to nearly 10,000 words, but unfortunately I have not finished. One day, while chatting with my friends, I had an impulse to say that I wanted to write an out-and-out bad guy. When I got home, I started again, but I didn’t expect it to be finished.
I majored in law in college, and I’ve always wanted to write a novel on legal subjects for so many years. After I finished writing Chengdu in 2002, I wrote about 20,000 words, which was also a lawyer’s story, named Justice. Later, the computer hard disk crashed, and I couldn’t find those 20,000 words anymore, so I lost interest in writing. I think it’s still very interesting to pick up this topic now. Of course, "Forgive me for the upside down of the world of mortals" is not "Justice". The protagonist in "Justice" is a good lawyer with ideals, dignity and full of blood, while Wei Da in "Forgive me for the upside down of the world of mortals" is an incorrigible villain. This probably reflects my own mentality: after six years, I have become a bad person myself.
Guangzhou Daily: You had an argument with your friend and publisher Lu Jinbo on the Internet about this book. He said that your new book is too dark and inhuman, "almost abnormal", and you can only sell 100,000 copies at most. What do you think of this statement? Do you care about the sales of your works? I heard that you are a "bookseller" of this book? Will your works do this in the future?
Murong Xuecun: There is something wrong with Lu Jinbo’s understanding of "human nature". Human nature has always been good and evil, and there are no 100% good people and no 100% bad people. Flesh and blood are born of human fireworks, so it is natural to provoke human dust. The world is vast, and there are no spotless saints. Saints are also made of meat, and they also have carnal selfishness, not to mention our mortals.
The focus of my argument with Lu Jinbo is not the sales volume, but the value of this book. There is little difference between 50,000 copies and 100,000 copies in my eyes, but I can’t stand him saying that my years of hard work are useless.
I run this book by myself, which is only a temporary expedient. My career is not business, but novel creation.
Lu Jinbo’s Criticism of Murong Xuecun’s "Degeneration"
Forgive me for turning the world upside down
It’s dark to despair.
Why is "Chengdu, Please Forget Me Tonight" a great work, and all versions can sell nearly one million copies together, because it is human nature and sensational; And then "Heaven to the left, Shenzhen to the right", has been relatively cold, like reportage; "Eden Cherry" began to be paranoid, but it was almost abnormal in "Forgive me for the upside down of the world of mortals"-you will never see a good man, a little kindness, a little emotion, a little integrity and a little courage in the book. To sum up, Lu Jinbo came to the conclusion that "Forgive me for the upside down of the world of mortals" is indeed a desperate novel, so he only gave a poor first print run of 100,000 copies.
Talking about new works:
The protagonist is so gloomy that even senior lawyers feel shocked.
Guangzhou Daily: I heard that you have thought of many names for your new book?
Murong Xuecun: It was originally called "Whose heart is not soft". In fact, I like the name "Dressed all over the city" best. It is tough, atmospheric, and has a strong character-the water is rustling and the west wind is cold, and the clothes are like snow. But when soliciting opinions on the Internet, most readers read it as "devil wears prada City". This is not my intention, because I was afraid that others would misunderstand me, and I changed my original name when I published it. The name "Forgive me, the world of mortals is upside down" has the meaning of repentance, and it is also a bit disappointing to wake up and see through the world, but this is only my wishful thinking. In fact, people like Wei Da will not repent.
Guangzhou Daily: You gave Chengdu, please forget me tonight a low score of more than ten points. How many points can you score for the new work?
Murong Xuecun: When I wrote Chengdu, I was still young, and I handled many plots and relationships very immature, while Forgive me for the upside down of the world of mortals is much more sophisticated. The protagonist of this book is a lawyer with a gloomy mind, alert and cunning, some of which are thrilling for even senior lawyers.
I wrote four novels. Looking back now, these four works are not good works, but I have been making progress. Compared with Chengdu, the story of Forgive me, the world of mortals is upside down is more vivid, and many printers were fascinated when it went to press. For me, this is the highest reward. Scoring at such a time is all a joke. I don’t think the new work will be graded. The merits and demerits are all judged by readers.
On Mao Dun Literature Award;
It was a joke that failed Mao Dun.
Guangzhou Daily: Not long ago, you just "bombarded" Mao Dun’s literary prize and thought it was "opaque", so you won’t want it if it is awarded to you.
Murong Xuecun: Most foreign literary awards are undertaken by independent non-governmental organizations, and the awards are more convincing. The Mao Dun Literature Award is a joke. I posted its selection regulations online the other day. It’s hard to imagine that it has such a trite guiding ideology. It’s really a shame to Mao Dun.
Guangzhou Daily: Why are you so secretive about your original name and experience? You seem to have said that you don’t plan to get married and have children in your life. Tell me about your love view.
Murong Xuecun: The author doesn’t need to sell his privacy, just create honestly.
I am a particularly selfish guy. I am only loyal to myself all my life. I don’t want to spend time shopping with anyone or patiently coax her when she is unhappy. My ideal life is a life of "no wife, no unit". As long as it doesn’t break the law, it’s out of the control of the heavenly king Lao Tzu.
I have always been suspicious of love. If there is such a thing as "love" in the world, it should be the most beautiful and best emotion, and it will last forever, and it will not be blocked by mountains or discolored by time. In reality, such feelings don’t exist at all, so I often say: it is better to believe in the kitchen god than to believe in love.
Talking about literature:
It is nonsense to say that novels should read "serious literature"
Guangzhou Daily: Some people say that your novel is not elegant. In your opinion, what is the standard of a good novel?
Murong Xuecun: A novel is supposed to be good-looking, and it is an ability to tell a wonderful story. Some unreliable critics in China emphasize "pure literature" and "serious literature". It seems that only obscure novels are good novels, but they are nonsense. If you must be ugly to "enter the room", then this hall is not enough, and this room is not enough.
Guangzhou Daily: You became famous on the Internet and were regarded as an "online writer". How do you evaluate the online literary creation in the past 10 years?
Murong Xuecun: I’m not a writer, just an online writer. In China, "Writer" is a professional title. I refused to join the Writers Association. Without a writer’s certificate, I had to call myself "Writer". But I don’t think they have anything clever at all. The internet is my spiritual hometown, and writing novels on the internet has its own pleasure. Today, there are many authors and works on the Internet, and genre novels are beginning to appear, but so far there has not been a really good novel. The writers’ attitude is too casual, the writing is too rough, and there is no imagination. Most of them are mediocre works. But given space, there will be good works.
Editor: Li Erqing
