陳瑞琳：拓展海外華文文壇生存空間

吳洋

嘗試著走近陳瑞琳，是從海外華文文壇代表人物訪談，以及國內(nèi)外諸多專家學(xué)者研究她的散文作品和文學(xué)評(píng)論開始的。小說家陳忠實(shí)說：“陳瑞琳熱愛她腳下走過的每一寸土地，然而她更愛人！”賈平凹則說：“陳瑞琳的文字里有漢唐之風(fēng)，豐腴、大氣?！毖胍?套在做她的專訪時(shí)，將她定位為“鑿碑立傳的文學(xué)女人”。

陳瑞琳，13歲起在報(bào)刊發(fā)表小說、散文、詩歌，1977年，15歲的她考上西北大學(xué)中文系，不滿20歲便已成為大學(xué)老師。1992年，作為陪讀家屬隨同丈夫赴美留學(xué)。雖然這樣的選擇讓原本正要騰飛的文學(xué)事業(yè)在邁出國門的一剎那被重新改寫，但聰慧而敏感的她卻在海外文壇開辟了另一番天地。時(shí)至今日，陳瑞琳取得了公認(rèn)的非凡成就，被譽(yù)為“當(dāng)代海外新移民文學(xué)的重量級(jí)評(píng)論家”“海外華文文學(xué)的開創(chuàng)者”。

陪讀打拼的散文作家

來到大洋彼岸后的陳瑞琳首先是以散文寫作者身份出道的，她的散文（尤其是后期散文）既閃爍著現(xiàn)實(shí)人生的浪漫，又不乏時(shí)空的悠遠(yuǎn)與歷史的沉思。而她的文學(xué)評(píng)論則在冷冰冰的理論中注入了一種浪漫的色彩與情感的火焰。張愛玲認(rèn)為，好的作品“還是在于它是以（作家）人生的安穩(wěn)作底子來描寫人生的飛揚(yáng)的”。陳瑞琳應(yīng)該就是這樣的作家。她的心態(tài)之所以達(dá)到“飛揚(yáng)”與“安穩(wěn)”二者妙不可言的平衡，首先得益于她對(duì)生命力度高昂的自信心。文學(xué)女人從不缺乏敏感，陳瑞琳卻總是“豐面帶笑”“大肚能容”，她的個(gè)性開朗達(dá)觀，正面看人生，好意揣測(cè)人，她到哪里，哪里就有充滿感染力的笑聲。而這種散文風(fēng)格和人生態(tài)度的鮮明顯現(xiàn)和被人辨識(shí)，除了童年、青年時(shí)期境遇的影響外，還與30歲以后她在異國他鄉(xiāng)陪讀、奮斗的經(jīng)歷緊密相連，她的文學(xué)表達(dá)與經(jīng)歷分享為移居并需要適應(yīng)新的語言文化生活圈的人們?nèi)绾巫叱銎吹拿糟?、找到自身存在價(jià)值提供了具體而勵(lì)志的借鑒樣本。

這期間，她一邊在各式各樣的餐館打工，一邊給各種報(bào)紙投稿，也當(dāng)過記者、辦過報(bào)紙、開過書店、編過文學(xué)雜志以及做過華語電臺(tái)節(jié)目等，幾乎是跟文學(xué)有關(guān)的都嘗試過。再到后來，還舉辦各種文學(xué)征文活動(dòng)，苦耕勤力，因?yàn)樯钪氨娙耸安窕鹧娓摺薄皵喔荨笨M繞于心，她在所有可能的場(chǎng)所呼吁漢語寫作的“承繼”，做華文寫作的領(lǐng)航員、中美文化的聯(lián)絡(luò)員。1998年，中國文聯(lián)出版社出版了她的首部散文集《走天涯——我在美國的日子》。1999年，休斯頓市長向她頒發(fā)了“榮譽(yù)市民”及“文化親善大使”稱號(hào)。在說起自己同胞的種種情況時(shí)，她的情思總是更為濃郁與深邃，她對(duì)自己筆下那些旅美或訪美的醫(yī)生、作家、商人、雕塑家、演員和運(yùn)動(dòng)員等都十分動(dòng)情地加以描繪，她不僅希望在美利堅(jiān)這塊土地上生活的炎黃子孫們能夠成為出類拔萃的榜樣，更懷念和祝福在遙遠(yuǎn)的祖國的親人們都向著美好的明天邁進(jìn)。

陳瑞琳這顆虔誠和灼熱的心靈，常常透過字里行間強(qiáng)烈震蕩著。她很自然和形象地從東西方文化的不同視角，作出有趣而又發(fā)人深思的比較，這對(duì)于中國讀者了解美國以及整個(gè)世界都是很有幫助的?！秾⒁浀氖隆肥顷惾鹆諏懡o逝去的母親抑或是寫給自己的一篇回憶錄，初到他鄉(xiāng)時(shí)奮斗的歷程、豐富的見聞和深沉的思索，以及對(duì)追尋文學(xué)之夢(mèng)的滿腔熱情和執(zhí)著奮進(jìn)在文中娓娓道來，在飽嘗生活的酸甜苦辣后還能以詼諧幽默的語言讓人會(huì)心一笑，文筆之細(xì)膩，情真之意切，讓人感同身受。

海外華文文學(xué)的創(chuàng)新推手

回首來時(shí)路，陳瑞琳覺得那是一段“艱難而興奮著，痛苦而快樂著”的美好日子。正因?yàn)樯钋懈惺芎屠斫夂Ｍ馕膶W(xué)創(chuàng)作者的孤獨(dú)和艱難，陳瑞琳便著手全面展開對(duì)海外華文文壇的俯瞰，開啟了作為文學(xué)評(píng)論家的新征程。

1999年，美國《僑報(bào)》特別為陳瑞琳開辟了“海外新移民作家掃描”的評(píng)論專欄，以獨(dú)特視角關(guān)注近年來海外新移民文學(xué)的創(chuàng)作。2005年，她和融融一起編著的北美新移民作家首部專輯《一代飛鴻——北美中國大陸新移民作家小說精選點(diǎn)評(píng)》在中美兩地出版。2006年，《橫看成嶺側(cè)成峰——北美新移民文學(xué)散論》一書驚艷問世，首評(píng)嚴(yán)歌苓、張翎等華文作家，被譽(yù)為當(dāng)代北美華文文學(xué)研究的開山之作。同年，她榮獲了中國《文藝報(bào)》評(píng)選的海外唯一的“理論創(chuàng)新獎(jiǎng)”。

多年來，陳瑞琳不只是評(píng)論華文作品，推介華文作家，她還是一個(gè)導(dǎo)航者。因?yàn)楹Ｍ馊A人寫作，沒有統(tǒng)一的理論指向，為此她提出“創(chuàng)新與再生”，力促華文文學(xué)為中華語言文化作出特殊的貢獻(xiàn)。

格局須創(chuàng)新，深度、廣度、力度都要下力，既超越“唐人街”文化的種族藩籬，又能以健康坦蕩的心態(tài)直面西方文化的沖擊，在“邊緣”狀態(tài)中獨(dú)立清醒地重塑華人自我的文化身份，在“超越鄉(xiāng)愁”的高度上尋找新的生命理想，這是她對(duì)華文寫作內(nèi)容的期許。

形式上也要“創(chuàng)新與再生”，須“對(duì)源遠(yuǎn)流長的中華文學(xué)傳統(tǒng)展開自覺意義上的反思和開拓”。責(zé)其重源于深其望，不能不說，陳瑞琳的急切在于，海外華文文學(xué)是在用漢語語言文學(xué)與世界各民族文學(xué)“賽龍舟”，因此，就得有自己的速度，有自己的風(fēng)姿，有自己的力度。陳瑞琳有著充分的勇氣和卓越的能力跳出來當(dāng)這個(gè)“龍舟賽”上喊號(hào)子的人。

拓展海外華文文壇生存空間

陳瑞琳說，海外華文文壇這個(gè)特殊的族群需要她傾注所有心血去關(guān)注、研究、扶持，同時(shí)，她自身也需要文學(xué)的拯救。為此，她多次擔(dān)任“海外新移民作家國際筆會(huì)”會(huì)長，并舉辦海外新移民文學(xué)創(chuàng)作成果大展，使得新移民文學(xué)的創(chuàng)作與研究有了自己的空間。

一手寫自己、一手評(píng)他人的陳瑞琳如今已過了“知天命”之年，但她卻越來越覺得，“所謂好的中年，應(yīng)該是低成本的慈悲人生，不再要物質(zhì)的積累，卻能求靈魂上的圓滿，有人在乎，有人守候，有人懂得，每日收藏起生命里最美的緣”。這種能通過文字傳達(dá)并感染讀者的豁達(dá)、包容、樂觀和大愛，這種能給他人以正面鼓舞和溫馨慰藉的磅礴力量，是只有在命運(yùn)變遷、時(shí)代更迭的歲月沉浮中守住了文學(xué)初心、實(shí)現(xiàn)了遙遠(yuǎn)夢(mèng)想，以及“授人玫瑰”后“手留余香”之人的身上才獨(dú)有的。

可以這樣說，海外華文文學(xué)這一美麗風(fēng)景是時(shí)代創(chuàng)造的，但陳瑞琳無疑是其中的一位卓越參與者和重要助推者。她的敏感把握、她的卓識(shí)遠(yuǎn)見、她的熱情扶持、她的無私奉獻(xiàn)，都讓今天的文壇記住了她的名字。

（感謝林非、劉荒田、黃嘉華、宋曉英、陳屹對(duì)本文的貢獻(xiàn)。）

Chen Ruilin： Pioneer of Overseas Chinese Literature

By? Wu Yang

Chen Ruilin began to publish her novels， essays and poetry when she was only 13 years old. In 1977， a 15-year-old Chen took the college entrance examination and was admitted to the Department of Chinese at Northwest University in Shaanxi province. Not yet reaching her 20th birthday， she had already become a lecturer teaching contemporary literature at Shaanxi Normal University， after finishing postgraduate studies.

In 1992， while waiting for her PhD interview， Chen learnt that her husband obtained the visa to study in the US. Standing at such a crossroads， she decided to choose family over career development after serious consideration. The original path Chen was pursuing had to be rewritten the moment she left China， but her intelligence and literary sensibility helped open another window for her. Now， her accomplishments have been widely recognized， and she is regarded as a “major critic on contemporary overseas Chinese literature”， and a “pioneer of overseas Chinese literature”.

Chen Zhongshi， a top contemporary Chinese author， once remarked， “Chen Ruilin loves every inch of land she has walked over， but above all， she loves people more！” Jia Pingwa， another renowned writer， said Chens writing is a mirror of her： “Her works remind people of literary styles of the Han and Tang dynasties， rich and majestic.”

Chen is both a prose writer and a literary critic， both an active participant in overseas Chinese literature and a promoter and a chaperone for overseas Chinese writers.

After arriving at the US， Chen Ruilin restarted her literary pursuit first as a prose writer. Her prose and essays （especially those published in the latter stages）， according to some scholars， are radiant with real-life romance as well as thoughtful contemplation on time and history. Indeed， her literary criticisms have injected color and emotion into theories that are invariably cold and rigid.

Eileen Chang （1920-1995） believed that good works “portray lifes successes based on the stability of life”. Chens works are considered as such， and the subtle balance between “success” and “stability” derives first and foremost from her self-confidence in life. Some female writers get overly sensitive to criticisms of their works， but Chen is quite the opposite. She is always full of smiles and magnanimous; wherever she goes， laughter follows. Such a cheerful and upbeat personality can be easily discerned in her writings， which， apart from childhood upbringing and the influence of circumstances during early adult years， has much to do with Chens experience of accompanying her husband to pursue further studies in the US and striving to gain a foothold there. Hers was more than an individual experience; it was a microcosm of tens of thousands of Chinese immigrating to the US， Europe， Australia and other Western countries in the 1990s. More importantly， Chen set a good example for those who have chosen to live in a different country， and who have to adapt to a new language， a new culture and a new life.

In the US， she wrote for a number of newspapers， worked as a journalist， owned a newspaper， operated a bookstore， edited a literary magazine ... she basically did everything literary. She also organized various literary competitions and， on every possible occasion， appealed for overseas Chinese to continue “inheriting” Chinese writing. She also served as a liaison between Chinese and American cultures; in 1999， the mayor of Houston named her an honorary citizen and a Goodwill Ambassador. In 1998， her first collection of essays， Traveling to the End of the World： My Days in the United States was published， in which she portrayed vividly all sorts of overseas Chinese — a doctor， a writer， a businessman， a sculptor， an actor， a sportsman. In another book， Things about to Be Forgotten， a memoir Chen penned both in memory of her mother and for herself， she talked of her experiences when she first set foot in the US. In one episode， she wrote：

Houston didnt believe in tears， but I needed money. I needed a job. I saw a city that wouldnt speak my language， and worse， I couldnt find my way back. Under the tall building in the downtown area， the last bus had already left， and it was getting dark and raining heavily. I dared not go to the nearest building for shelter， and only some tramps pointed at me， whispering to each other under the eaves. I finally found the phone booth， heard my cousins voice， and waited for her to drive here and pick me up. I would have to stand in the rain for at least an hour. I began to cry， anyway， there was no need to wipe tears， the moment the earth also seemed to stop spinning， lonely I seemed to stand at the gate of hell.

As the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin （1799-1837） once said， “What will pass will be nice.” Looking back， Chen Ruilin sees her journey in the US as one that is “both tough and exciting， both painful and happy”. Thanks to her firsthand knowledge and understanding of the loneliness and difficulties facing overseas Chinese authors， Chen began her career as a literary critic in 1999. Since then， she has been focusing on the literary works of new Chinese immigrants with unique perspectives. The China Press， a leading Chinese language newspaper catering to the Chinese American community in the US， specially opened a new column for Chen to look at new Chinese immigrant writers. In 2005， her co-edited book Selected Stories of North American Chinese Writers was published in China and the US， the first such collection of the new generation of North American Chinese authors. In 2006， her book Essays on North American Chinese Literature， regarded as a pioneering work in the study of new Chinese immigrant literature in North America， was published.

Chen finds that history has given her a “duty” not only to review Chinese works and promote Chinese writers， but also to “guide” the way. For overseas Chinese writers， there is no unified theoretical direction. Therefore， she proposed the idea of “innovation and regeneration”： The dynamic should be transformed to transcend the racial limitations of the “Chinatown culture”， but also to face the impact of Western culture with a healthy and open mind， and rebuild the cultural identity of the Chinese community， often regarded as being on the fringe of the mainstream society.

Today， already in her fifties， Chen Ruilin is still working hard to create a distinctive identity for overseas Chinese literature. Her sensitivity， her insight， her enthusiastic support for young writers and her selfless dedication have all contributed immensely to this endeavor.