Newsletter No. 386

No. 386, 4.11.2011 3 「舊夢須記」系列 樊善標編輯的《犀利女筆—十三妹專欄選》是歷來第 一本十三妹選集。這位傳奇色彩濃厚的揚眉女子,不少 讀者只曾從上一輩作家文中得知點滴,而從未真睹其作 品。十三妹原名方式文,越南出生,寓居印度,回中國後 又因戰亂流落香港,以賣文維生。她通曉英語、法語,常 從歐美報刊取材,為讀者介紹「新的觀點,新的書籍,新 的動態,新的消息」。在教育未算普及、也沒有互聯網連 接全球的五十年代末香港,她的專欄成為向普羅讀者輸 入西方知識的橋樑。加上性格火辣,敢於 針砭世情,故吸引大量讀者。樊善標教 授說:「她是個非常特別的人物,現 在的讀者對她依然會有興趣。小思 老師說,她中學階段有關外國的 知識都是來自十三妹。」 香港文學研究中心委員 之一 張詠梅 博士介紹了 「舊夢須記」系列的 其他作品。她編輯的 《醒世懵言—懵人 日記選》,於五六十 年代在《大公報》連 載。筆名夢中人、原名林嘉鴻所描述的懵人,由於人太老 實,不斷被騙。作者用充滿地方色彩的「三及第」文字透 過懵人與「精叻」、「識撈」的香港人對比,刻劃出基層人 士眼中的眾生相。張詠梅說:「我特從當年《大公報》新 聞版選輯部分與小說內容相關的新聞報道,讓讀者把小 說和新聞互相對照,增加閱讀趣味,也可掌握小說 與社會千絲萬縷的關係。」 中心名譽副研究員 熊志琴 博士編輯的 《經紀眼界—經紀拉系列選》選材自 「怪筆」三蘇(原名高雄)的小說。主角拉 哥是典型的經紀人,所走的「盤」從罐頭、西 藥到鑽石、房產,拉攏生意時見盡人情世態。 其時香港經濟趨向商業化,轉型期社會的光怪陸 離,就在三蘇筆下活靈活現。小說在《新生晚報》連 載,歷時十一年(1947 – 58),廣受歡迎。 The Sharp Maiden Pen: Selected Works from Thirteenth Sister’s Columns is the first compilation of Shisanmei’s (Miss Fang Shiwen) writings. She was a legendary figure whose personal life was a myth. Her critical and fiery character was reflected in her writings, and her courage to speak up made her an idol for many. Born in Vietnam, she was fluent in French, English and Chinese, and introduced ‘new perspectives, new books, new trends and new information’ from western newspapers and magazines to Hong Kong readers. ‘She was very special and people nowadays would still find her fascinating. Xiao Si said when she was in secondary school, her knowledge about the West all came from Shisanmei,’ Professor Fan remarked. Words of Awakening: Selected Works from the Diary of the Muddle-head was originally a column in the newspaper Tai Kung Pao from 1950s–1960s, said the book editor Dr. Cheung Wing-mui , committee member of the HKLRC. The writer was Mr. Lin Jiahong (alias ‘Dreamer’), who created an honest but gullible character named ‘muddle-head’ through whom he portrayed the stories of Hong Kong’s grassroots. ‘The book features some old newspaper clippings from Tai Kung Pao , which are relevant to incidents in the novel. Readers will find fun comparing and contrasting old news with the novel, and have a better understanding of the relationship between reality and fiction,’ Dr. Cheung said. Middleman’s View: Selected Works from Agent La Series is compiled by editor Dr. Hung Chi-kum , honorary research associate of the HKLRC. The series was authored by the so-called ‘weird pen’ Mr. Gao Xiong (alias ‘Sansu’). ‘Agent La’ was a very popular icon in those days. He was money-oriented and the commodities he traded included canned food, pharmaceuticals, jewellery and private property. To find business, he witnessed all kinds of eccentricities in society. luen (alias ‘Xiao Si’) as the editor-in-chief. The series has five books and three have been published—each is a unique portrait of older Hong Kong as painted by celebrated writers. Chinese Literary Supplements Hong Kong Style Articles appearing in the ‘Dreams To Be Remembered’ series were extracted from literary supplements containing features unique to Hong Kong, e.g., the checkerboard-like page layout with each writer occupying a fixed square allowing for a fixed word count. They had to fill this space every day, and in most cases the writer’s alias was the column’s name. The bonds between authors and readers were strong, and their discussions would eventually evolve into public opinion. According to Professor Fan, literary supplements were very popular from the post- war era to the 1980s. Starting from the 1950s, Hong Kong’s population soared after Japan’s defeat and as the government was unable to take care of so many issues, the public turned to newspapers to look for services they needed, e.g., the ‘how-to’ columns on health care, making friends, and finding missing persons. These were new functions—to establish a communal support network for all. Later in the 1960s, short essays appeared frequently in newspapers and people liked them. We regard the emergence of essays as an indicator of people’s growing interest in Hong Kong’s affairs. The 1980s were the golden years of literary supplements. The Sino-British negotiations had started and Deng Xiaoping had proposed that Hong Kong should remain unchanged for 50 years. This statement became the most heated topic in town and numerous essays expounding on it were published. Newspaper supplements in Hong Kong all took part in the debate, which testified to the realization of Hong Kong’s most cherished value—the freedom of speech. At the time, academics began to recognize the social and literary values of newspaper supplements. Beginning Afresh from the Forgotten Researching on newspaper supplements is not easy because many originals are lost and the HKLRC lacks funding to support long-term projects. But Professor Fan said the work will continue. ‘We must know our past in order to understand the present. That’s why we’re going to salvage the gems. The anthologies can help us understand our current situation better. Some would say the key to Hong Kong’s success is industriousness, which was what enabled a fishing village to transform into an international financial hub. This is a popular but simplified explanation. In fact, the process of our struggles was much more complicated. Hard work does not always beget results. When we disagree with or dislike something, e.g., a political issue, we must be aware of where it’s coming from and possibly learn from it. If we forget something, we need to recall them. Bringing back the past can definitely help us solve the problems we are now facing.’ ‘When we feel lost, we seek comfort in the good old days. Remembering the past is a subtle way to express our discontent. Mind you, we don’t want to reminisce or bury our heads in the sand. The past must be remembered and lessons learnt for us to face the future.’ Columnists usually describe themselves as ‘grid-lined paper crawlers’. After half a century, we now have the good fortune to recapture some of Hong Kong’s buried memories. Through the sleight of pen of our talented columnists, we can better understand its fascinating history and renew our connections with our roots. ‘Dreams To Be Remembered’ Series 張詠梅博士 Dr. Cheung Wing-mui

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