It will take some time for "1984" to be published, and Lin Zixuan is ready to publish a set of Soviet and Russian books first.

The series is based on Zamyatin's novels, but also includes works by other Russian writers, such as Tolstoy and Pushkin.

A more comprehensive display of Russian Golden Age and Silver Age literature, so that Chinese readers can have a deeper understanding of the Soviet Union.

Among them, the main recommendation is Zamyatin's "We", and Lin Zixuan wrote the preface to the Chinese version of "We".

He thought that there were too many reports praising Soviet Russia in China, which led to the inability of Chinese young people to correctly understand the real situation in the Soviet Union, and the purpose of this series of books was to pour cold water on them and make them sober up from their fanaticism.

The Soviet Union was not an ideal country.

He used Gorky as an example.

Because of Gorky's influence in the world, Chinese youth often regard Gorky as a representative of Soviet revolutionary literature, and they think that Gorky is a staunch supporter of the Soviet revolution.

Actually, that's just Soviet propaganda.

Gorky did support the Soviet Revolution, but after the outbreak of the October Revolution, he saw many problems in the revolution.

As a result, he lashed out and criticized the violence and inhumanity of the October Revolution in the newspaper New Life.

"This is a Russian insurrection without the participation of spiritual socialists, without the participation of socialist psychology, a great release of the animalistic nature of the petty burghers, and the next step will be to turn to the dark monarchy, and that day is not far off."

"The Bolsheviks ruined, emptied and destroyed the Motherland, and used Russia as a great testing ground for madness, turning the people into test objects for their revolutionary dreams."

"Insult you. But that's how I think, and I never wanted to turn my mind into a vassal of your doctrine. ”

These articles, published in the New Life Newspaper, were published in a collection. It's called "Untimely Thoughts".

The book was banned in the USSR for 70 years and was not republished until 1988.

This is Gorky after the October Revolution.

If it weren't for his status in the literary world. and friendship with Lenin, I am afraid that he would have been expelled long ago.

Lenin was very protective of Gorky, and every time Moscow arranged a mass arrest, Lenin would send Gorky to other places, so as not to make trouble in Moscow and make everyone end badly.

In 1921, Gorky, who was dissatisfied with the Soviet Union, left the country again, and the Soviet Union claimed that Gorky was going abroad to recuperate.

Gorky lived first in Germany and then in Italy. That's seven years.

In 1924, after Lenin's death, Gorky wrote to Romain Rolland: "I will not return to Russia, I feel that I have played the role of an enemy on all sides in Russia."

This can be said to be a watershed moment in Gorky's life.

If he had continued to uphold his stance of upholding justice, upholding humanity, and protesting against power abroad, he would still be a literary man with a conscience, and the tragedy that followed would not have occurred.

As the French writer Romain Rolland wrote in the Moscow Diary, Gorky was weaker in character.

Gorky did not have a good time in Italy, because he had supported the Soviet revolution, he was under surveillance, and his cook was sent by the Italian police.

At this time. He began to change his stance and expressed his desire to return to China.

Gorky had a great influence in the domestic and international literary circles of Soviet Russia, and even Stalin admitted that Gorky's influence and role in the international community could not be estimated.

Stalin needed Gorky to add political weight to himself, and the two sides hit it off. An agreement was reached.

In 1928, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR praised Gorky's contributions, calling him "a staunch defender of the October Revolution." Various commemorative events were held throughout the USSR.

Welcome Gorky back to the USSR with the highest specifications.

Returning to the country, Gorky became cautious, and he lived in a dacha near Stalin's residence.

In his diary and in his private letters. Calling Stalin "master" and praising Stalin in the article.

"You are a great man. The real leader, and the proletariat of the USSR was happy, because they were led by a man who could be called the second Ilyich in terms of logical strength and inexhaustible energy. ”

It's a sad story.

Lin Zixuan didn't care about what happened to Gorky in the future, in 1926, Gorky was still sticking to his beliefs, and he may also be watching the situation in the Soviet Union and waiting for the opportunity.

Anyway, Gorky wrote that book "Untimely Thoughts", and that's enough.

Due to the lack of authorization from Gorky, Vientiane Book Company could not publish this book, which was banned in the Soviet Union, and the general content could only be seen from the reports of some Western countries.

Western countries are very concerned about Gorky's remarks, and it is not difficult to find them.

Therefore, Lin Zixuan expounded Gorky's views in the form of "quotations", and mentioned Gorky's views on the October Revolution at length in the article.

Let Chinese readers know that not everyone in the Soviet Union sings the praises of the Soviet Union, and there are also sober people who see the problems.

The publication of this series of Soviet-Russian books can also be regarded as "out of place", but it is precisely because it is out of place that it is more valuable.

There are two sides to everything, there is light and there is darkness, blindly singing, or blindly criticizing is not comprehensive enough, if you want to recognize the world clearly, you can't just look at one side.

What Lin Zixuan has to do is to show the shadow side to others, because too many people are paying attention to the light.

Contrary to Zamyatin's expectations, this series of books and Lin Zixuan's preface sold well as soon as they were published.

Zamyatin underestimated the interest of Chinese readers in the Soviet Union.

It just so happened that the discussion caused by Hu Shi was still hot, and the enthusiasm of Chinese readers for the Soviet Union was undiminished, and although they could not go to the Soviet Union to see it in person, they could find answers in the books.

Another reason is that Soviet literature is rare in China.

Most readers learned about the Soviet Union through newspapers and travelogues of Chinese scholars, including a few scattered translations, because both the Beiyang government and the Shanghai Concession authorities strictly banned the publication of Soviet and Russian books.

Lin Zixuan's book was published because the content of the book was not to praise the Soviet Union.

In the eyes of readers, this set of books is different from what they have seen before.

In the past, they had seen reports glorifying the October Revolution that made their blood boil, but this set of books was mostly sober criticism, describing the many problems that had occurred in the revolution.

They also learned a different Gorky.

Even Gorky went abroad, so it seems that there is really a problem with this Soviet Union.

Similarly, this set of books has been criticized by many people, who believe that these authors are rebels in Soviet Russia and naturally speak ill of the Soviet Union, while Gorky only went abroad to recuperate.

But Gorky did criticize the Soviet Union and make those untimely statements.

As a result, the topic of whether Gorky had ever criticized the Soviet Union became a debate in China. (To be continued.) )