Bulletin Spring‧Summer 2001

Literature has no obligations t o anyone. A write r writes not for fame or applause, bu t to express himself: ' I express, therefore I am.' Literature is a me d i um of emotional interflow. Deep feelings and genuine passions are sure to move, as the writer plucks a familiar cord i n the heart of his reader. Hence the language o f the writer mu st be pure and refined , and not the cumbersome, r o u g h - h e wn verbiage that is o f t e n the result o f i n d i s c r i m i n a te westernization. Mr. Gao places great emphasis on th e freshness of approach, precise language, and v i v i d form s of expression. I n Yigeren de shengjing (One Man's Bible), he says: 'You may fool around w i t h yourself, but y ou must not fool around w i t h language. I believe the same is true i n music . Unnecessary embellishments are best deleted..... Say only what y o u really have to say, otherwis e remain silent.' A s a matter of practice Mr. Gao w o u l d, before he puts pe n to paper, recor d his fleeting and fragmentary thoughts on a tape-recorder and ponder them. It is only after repeated deliberation and careful weighing and evaluation that he finalizes his script, b y wh i ch tim e there w i l l be no superfluous languag e and his thoughts are n ow dressed i n the most succinct manner . I n addition, the spoken language also exerts deep influence on the wo r ks of Gao Xingjian, whether these be plays' novels or even treatises. N o w this spoken language is not the daily i d i om of the c ommon man , but a refined, refreshing, precise f o rm of expression, we ll punctuated w i t h a musical rhythm, the end-result of wo r ds that have bee n reviewed at least 50 times by the author. A n d i t is this k i n d of language that has opened a w i n d o w to clarity and brightness in the layered mists of mo d e rn Chinese language. Mr. Gao's works show a n adeptness in scrutinizing the western m i n d f r om a Chinese perspective. He is also apt at a p p l y i ng m o d e m western techniques so as to expand the structure and contents of traditional Chinese fiction and drama. This integration of the east and the west, the ancient and the mode r n, explains the charm of hi s works. He is of th e conviction that a ma r k ed distinctio n between Chinese and western cultures is unnecessary, and that art, in its highest form, transcends regional and national boundaries. A t the highest level race, colour, religion and language all lose their relevance, and that is w h y h e calls himself a citizen o f the wo r l d . A n d it is exactly because of this that the French literar y c ommu n i t y opines that the awa rd has been bestowed on h i m because 'he has enriched French literature w i t h Chinese language compositions. ' The Swedish Ac ademy lauded his wo r k s for their 'universal validity', and praised h i m for 'the bitter insights and linguistic ingenuity, wh i ch has opened new path s for the Chinese novels and drama'. Th e success of Gao Xingjian, therefore, marks the t r i umph of th e Chinese language, and shows that, wh en mastered b y someon e of superior intelligence and consummate skill' our language is f u ll of life and never out of fashion. Works w r i t t en i n such a manner, wh en entrusted to expert translators, w i l l indeed be resonant w i t h th e wo r l d 's heartbeat, and partake of h uma n universality. Mr . Gao acknowledge s that his wo r ks w r i t t e n after the 1990s are all satisfactory as they have been composed i n anunrestraine denvironment. He writes only to express himsel f and no longer for a living, hence there is no necessity o r urgency involved. Tha t w a y his w r i t i ng all comes f r om th e heart, and he himself become s the d r i v i ng force b e h i nd his efforts. Mr. Gao writes in both Chinese and French. I n the former language he writes w i t h the facility and learning of a scholar but, wh i le perfectly at home w i t h the fines t nuances' he cannot help feeling the burden that weighs on the traditiona l Chinese literati f r om time to time. French is not his first language, but it gives h i m an entirely new space i n wh i ch to explore and to roam, w i t h less historical burden. Hence he is doing very well i n both pursuits. Mr. Gao is a modest i n d i v i d u al w h o attaches no great importance to profi t and fame. 42