孫雯
作為從課本中走出來的童話作家,冰波對(duì)于青少年的影響是可想而知的,而且影響的不僅僅是一代人。
700多種、900多冊(cè)——在杭州少年兒童圖書館,有無數(shù)面書墻承載著這樣的容量,看似并不稀奇。
可是,當(dāng)你注意到這些書的作者是同一人時(shí),你是否會(huì)油然而生一種震撼感。
這些書,全部出自兒童文學(xué)作家冰波先生。
他把自創(chuàng)作以來出版的兒童文學(xué)作品,全部捐贈(zèng)給杭州少年兒童圖書館,建造起一座獨(dú)家館藏。其中,包括20世紀(jì)80年代的騎訂本小圖畫書,也包括“百年百部中國(guó)兒童文學(xué)經(jīng)典書系”紀(jì)念版的大部頭圖書。而且,每一本書的扉頁,冰波都鄭重地簽上名字,他想為孩子們打造一座閱讀的城池。
當(dāng)然,冰波的作品不限于此。前不久,他的《夏夜的夢(mèng)》(Dream of a Summer Night)推出了英文版,帶著他的一顆童心,走向世界各地的孩子們。
早熟與童心并不矛盾
從1979年發(fā)表《造房子》開始,到2020年,冰波的童話創(chuàng)作已經(jīng)超過40年。
一個(gè)人的故事,往往都要從童年講起。
那時(shí),他是一個(gè)早熟的男孩。那些早熟的往事,還被他的母親寫進(jìn)了一篇回憶文章——
他從12歲開始,就為家里買菜了。從前的買菜可不像現(xiàn)在,那時(shí)候菜很少。買菜對(duì)大人來說,也是一件非常辛苦的事,通常要在清晨天還沒亮就起來,到菜場(chǎng)去排兩小時(shí)的隊(duì),否則,就會(huì)什么也買不到。當(dāng)時(shí),他就告訴過我,在菜場(chǎng)里,從來沒有見到過像他那么小的孩子在買菜的。他說的時(shí)候,顯得很驕傲,認(rèn)為自己很能干??伤恢牢衣犃诵睦锖茈y過。
回望自己的經(jīng)歷,冰波希望今天的小朋友當(dāng)中,有更多的人早熟——“早熟是自己做各種各樣的事情”。
今天小朋友能做的事情,已經(jīng)少之又少了,即使如此,冰波認(rèn)為,除了必須要做的事情之外,小朋友要多做生活中的事情。
他打了個(gè)比方:“我自己做個(gè)凳子,我來修一下自行車,在這個(gè)過程中,可以學(xué)到很多技能,不知不覺中,我就比人家的技能多了,智慧就高了?!?/p>
當(dāng)然,也包括養(yǎng)蠶寶寶。
眼下,正是杭州小學(xué)生的養(yǎng)蠶季。當(dāng)我們聊到這個(gè)話題時(shí),冰波連說了兩遍:“蠶寶寶的這個(gè)事情,真的要說一下。”
對(duì)今天的孩子而言,老師布置的養(yǎng)蠶任務(wù)并不難,即使城市中最難采的桑葉,也可以很方便地在網(wǎng)上買到。
童年的冰波,每年都養(yǎng)蠶寶寶,數(shù)量維持在三四十條,但桑葉只能在一個(gè)多小時(shí)步行距離的杭州郊區(qū)才能采到。
說到采桑葉,冰波至今記得那些費(fèi)盡腳力走到桑田后的瞬間——
賊頭賊腦地左顧右盼,心狂跳著,匆忙地摘些桑葉塞進(jìn)小小的口袋里,時(shí)間不敢超過一分鐘,然后趕緊逃走,只有回到了大路上,才覺得已經(jīng)安全。然后再走一個(gè)多小時(shí)回家,豪邁得像個(gè)將軍。
冰波覺得,自己當(dāng)年在養(yǎng)蠶的過程中得到的東西比今天的小朋友更多。
“我養(yǎng)的蠶我得自己負(fù)責(zé)。”這個(gè)過程中,讓人感受到責(zé)任、成敗、美丑、愛恨。其中,冰波認(rèn)為最重要的就是責(zé)任心,“責(zé)任心往往是兒童缺少的,需要我們培養(yǎng)的?!?/p>
早熟與童心,看似矛盾,其實(shí)不然。
“冰波寫的是兒童書,我很高興。因?yàn)槲衣犝f,有一顆童心的人不大會(huì)老。”這是冰波的母親對(duì)他的期望。
作為一位優(yōu)秀的童話作家,他果然不負(fù)母親的這句話。與冰波聊天,很容易感受到他那種天然的童心。
那么,童心來自哪里?
“童心是練出來的?!北ńo出的答案有點(diǎn)出人意料,但卻是所有兒童文學(xué)作家該有的共識(shí)——“自己要培養(yǎng),腦子里要想著這個(gè)問題。”
在冰波看來,每個(gè)人都有童心,這是毋庸置疑的。但是,隨著年齡的增長(zhǎng),因?yàn)槁殬I(yè)差異,有些人的童心一定會(huì)慢慢少下去,而兒童文學(xué)作家不同,他的一生,都是一個(gè)尋覓童心的過程:不斷發(fā)現(xiàn)適合孩子的東西,了解孩子的心理,構(gòu)思屬于孩子的故事……
正如冰波說的那樣:“要成為一個(gè)兒童文學(xué)家,你需要一個(gè)鍛煉的過程,讓自己更有童心?!?/p>
有三款封面的《毒蜘蛛之死》
作為從課本中走出來的童話作家,冰波對(duì)于青少年的影響是可想而知的,而且,他影響的不僅僅是一代人。
2011年,冰波與“80后”代表作家郭敬明有一段交集。當(dāng)時(shí),郭敬明再版了冰波寫于22年前的《毒蜘蛛之死》。這一年,是郭敬明人生的高光時(shí)刻,他打造起了自己的“小時(shí)代”。
這個(gè)版本的《毒蜘蛛之死》很特別,同樣的文字內(nèi)容,郭敬明團(tuán)隊(duì)設(shè)計(jì)了三款封面,而且,這三款外觀不同的《毒蜘蛛之死》都上市了,出售的時(shí)候,讀者可以隨機(jī)挑選,如果都喜歡,那么三款全拿下。
“這是郭敬明聰明的地方,結(jié)果,真的是好多人三本都要?!钡牵ㄕJ(rèn)為,郭敬明并非是為了賣書,而是出于對(duì)這本書的某種情結(jié)——“他要做這本書,并且要做得漂亮”。
杭州市少年兒童圖書館的書墻上,這三款《毒蜘蛛之死》都在。
翻開書,可以讀到,郭敬明寫的序言,其中有這樣一句話:“《毒蜘蛛之死》在少年時(shí)代留給我的那種類似暗夜力量的震撼至今縈繞于心,甚至大大影響了我的后期的創(chuàng)作。”
“照道理,人家一般不肯這么說的。一個(gè)人在做大了的時(shí)候,反而將一段往事說得小一點(diǎn)。我倒不是為了把這件事放大到怎么樣,只是想說,這反映了一個(gè)作家的真誠(chéng)?!?/p>
事實(shí)上,冰波與郭敬明并沒有見過面,《毒蜘蛛之死》的出版也是通過相關(guān)編輯進(jìn)行的。
“我想說,郭敬明把《毒蜘蛛之死》重新出版,應(yīng)該是看到這篇作品的潛在生命力,另外,也可以看出郭敬明沒有忘記他閱讀作品時(shí)的體驗(yàn)?;蛟S,一個(gè)作家的某一篇作品,真的會(huì)影響一個(gè)人。就像我讀到張?zhí)煲淼摹洞罅趾托×帧酚肋h(yuǎn)不能忘懷一樣。所以,我想說,閱讀,真的會(huì)改變一個(gè)人的人生?!?/p>
His mother is happy that the son grew up to write books for children. “I hear that a person with childlike innocence will stay young forever,” says the mother.
Where does that innocence come from for an adult? Bingbos answer is that you need rigorous training and cultivating. This answer is a little bit unexpected but it is the consensus among those who write books for children. For many, innocence is something that eventually gets minimized or lost after one grows up and works for a living. Those who write books for children are different. They make constant and conscious efforts to pursue and maintain that innocence. They work hard to understand children and discover stories suitable for children. “To write books for children, you cultivate yourself and mould your temperament to maintain the innocence you are born with,” remarks the Bingbo.
Bingbos books have influenced more than a generation. In 2011, Guo Jingming, a bestseller writer and blockbuster film director who was born in 1983, reprinted authored in 1989 by Bingbo. Guo read the story when he was a boy. In the foreword for the new edition, Guo recalls that he was deeply impressed by the dark force of the story when he read it as a boy and that the force stays with him and has influenced his writing. Guo created three different cover designs for the new edition. Many readers bought the whole set of books. However, Bingbo and Guo Jingming have never met. The new edition was published through the arrangements of their agents. “The republishing evidences the hidden force of the book. Moreover, it indicates that Guo didnt forget his reading of the story. It may be indeed true that a book can influence a person. I was influenced by a story by Zhang Tianyi. I want to say that reading can really change a persons life,” says Bingbo.
Over the past 40 years as a writer for children, Bingbo has morphed several times. At the first phase, he wanted to write books so that professionals and experts would approve him as a good writer. After the initial phase, he really wanted young readers to like his books. Now he is writing to his hearts content. “In this present part of my career, I want to make headway for a bigger space, greater ease, and greater freedom,” says Bingbo. He began to write a series titled? in 2019. So far he has published the fifth episode. All the episodes are designed to take place within a place called Fort Pumpkin where a full range of characters and objects will become alive.
Bingbo is fruitful in his latest endeavor. So far, some of his new stories have been published overseas, including , , , , and .
Bingbo is upbeat about the childrens book market in China. He notices that books published by overseas companies are now available to young readers in China and that books by Chinese authors will continue to be published overseas, too. He believes that foreign publishers will take the initiative to work closely with Chinese writers in creating books for both Chinese and overseas young readers. “The day will come pretty soon,” Bingbo predicts.