All recommended reading lists for primary school students are indispensable. "Last year's Tree". It was planned as a collection of works and includes fairy tales written by Japanese children's literature writer New Minami Yoshihide . Shinmei Nanji had a rough life. He died in 1943 at the age of 30, but he left behind a large number of classic beautiful fairy tales such as "Last year's Tree" and " Little Fox A Quan ".
There is a saying in the Japanese children's literature circle that "there is Miyazawa Kenji in the north and the Xinmei Nanyoshi in the south", which means that the two of them are one in the north and one in the south, forming the two gems of Japanese literature . They also have many similarities. They all died young and were single for life; they only published two books when they were alive, and only received high praise after their death; the number of readers who liked them increased day by day; they were not too restricted in children's literature creation, etc.
Xinmei Nanji's works have always stood in the position of children and penetrated deep into the hearts of children. In 1941, he expressed his thoughts on children's literature in the commentary article "The Loss of Sense of Story in Fairy Tales": The readers of fairy tales are children, not literary youths, so today's fairy tales must strive to restore the storyline.
Today we will enter the 5th issue of the "People Who Write Children's Books" column - New Mei Nanji.
New Meinanji (1913-1943).
01
Stories read by every child
Whether in Japan or China, Xinmei Nanji is the fairy tale author of "every child read by every child". In Japan, starting from 1980, the fairy tale "The Little Fox A Quan" was included in the fourth-grade Chinese textbook. In China, "Last Year's Tree" has been included in the third-grade Chinese textbook textbooks. The story of "Little Fox A Quan" and "Little Fox Buys Gloves" is also known by more kindergarten children through the picture book of painter Kuroi Ken .
also tells the story of foxes getting along with humans. In "The Little Fox A Quan" and "The Little Fox Buys Gloves", the fates of the two little foxes are completely different.
The naughty little fox A Quan stole the eel that Bingshi finally caught. More than ten days later, Bingshi's mother passed away. A Quan thought that he was killing Bingshi's mother and didn't eat eels until she died, and he was very guilty. The loss of Bingshi's mother who lost her dependence on each other also reminded A Quan of herself who was also living alone in the world.
In order to make up for his guilt and to comfort Bing Shi, A Quan went to steal the fisherman's sardine , picked chestnuts and matsutake, and secretly placed them in front of Bing Shi's door. The soldiers were completely unaware of it and thought it was God's gift.
Carefully put the chestnut in front of the Twelve Gate of the little fox A Quan. Selected from the love tree children's book "Little Fox A Quan", illustration of Ken Kuroi.
When A Quan sent the chestnut to the door again, Bingshi thought, "The fox that stole my eels before has come to make trouble again." He took out the gunpowder gun...
When A Quan fell, Bingshi saw the chestnut in his arms.
The story of "The Little Fox Buys Gloves" takes place in the cold northern winter forest. The first time I saw the little fox in the snow was playing in the snow, and his hands were frozen. The fox's mother was very worried about the little fox and wanted to go to the town where humans lived after dark to buy him a pair of warm wool gloves. But the mother of fox has heard many stories about foxes almost died from humans, and she was quite nervous and dared not go out.
Finally, she decided to use the little magic to turn one of the little fox's hand into a "cute human hand", and gave him two more white copper plates, and told him to go to the hat shop in the town, put the human hand into the crack of the door, and said, "Please sell me a pair of these hands wearing suitable gloves."
Fox mother reminds the little fox. Selected from the Love Tree Children's Book "The Little Fox Buys Gloves", illustration of Ken Kuroi.
"Do you understand? Don't stretch out your other hand... Human, if you know you are a fox, you won't sell your gloves to you. You will even catch you. Humans are very scary!"
The little fox set out in a daze along the lights and arrived at the hat shop. After saying good night, the door opened a small crack. The little fox was nervous and stretched his fox's claw in.The owner was also stunned and thought, this is a fox to buy gloves, wouldn’t he buy them with leaves? So he said, "Please pay first." The little fox obediently handed the white copper plate on it. The owner handed over the little fox a pair of wool gloves worn by a child.
After buying gloves, the little fox stood in front of a family and listened to the lullaby the mother sang for the baby. Selected from the Love Tree Children's Book "The Little Fox Buys Gloves", illustration of Ken Kuroi.
The little fox held his gloves and stepped on the snow, ran back to the forest, and came to the side of his mother who was anxiously waiting for him, saying, "A person is not scary at all." The fox mother said to herself in a daze: "Ah, are people really kind? Are people really kind?"
The innocent little fox is like a child facing a complex world and has not yet formed a cognition. As a children's literature writer, the responsibility he shoulders is to "present a world for his children", a world he will face independently later. Behind this is the writer's own concept of life, just like the fox mother's thoughts, "Are people really kind?"
Xinmei Nanji wrote more than 1,500 works such as fairy tales, nursery rhymes, novels, short songs, etc. Most of them revolve around the lives of children or animals in rural areas, towns, forests, as if the tiny things in daily life are also soaked in emotions and sorrow. In his eyes, sadness and love were born together.
In the final analysis, there must be sadness in stories. Sorrow will turn into love. I will write stories containing sorrow, that is, love. (Diary of Xinmei Nanji. 1929.4.6)
In "Last Year's Tree", the birds searched everywhere for the tree they met last winter. In order to fulfill the agreement of "continue to sing for you", they learned that their old friend had been cut down and made into matches. The matches were transported to the village, and the lit kerosene lamp was still on the table of a little girl. The bird sang last year's song towards the kerosene lamp.
"The flames sway gently with the singing, as if saying that I am very happy."
02
Really understand the child's mood:
Fairy tale writer
In early 1943, Xinmei Nanji died of tuberculosis and was only 30 years old when he died.
1913, Shinmi Nanyoshi was born in a family in Handa City, Aichi Prefecture, southern Honshu Island, Japan, which runs the tatami and wooden clogs business. Its real name is Watanabe Masahata. At the age of 4, his mother died of illness. At the age of 6, his father remarried and his stepmother gave birth to his younger brother. At the age of 8, his father divorced his stepmother. In July of the same year, his father adopted him at his grandmother's home (the stepmother of his biological mother) and changed his grandmother's surname to Xinmei.
Grandmother's home is at the northernmost end of the village, quite remote, surrounded by deep bamboo forests and rice fields, and there are no friends to play with. He couldn't feel any warmth, he just felt dark, weird and lonely, and could not get along with his grandmother who was not related to blood. In December, he was sent back to his father's house, but he still retained his adopted son's identity and his grandmother's surname. Afterwards, the father remarried with his stepmother. Shinmei Nanji lives with her father, stepmother and younger brother. From then on, his understanding of maternal love has two kinds of understandings: "a mother who I will never miss but cannot reach in my memory" and "a mother in real life".
Perhaps such childhood experiences have developed the character of Xinmei Nanji's nervous and sensitive, which deepened his pain and loneliness.
He has been weak since childhood, quiet and introverted. In elementary and middle school, his grades have always been very good, and he has shown his literary talent early on. At the age of 14, he began to create nursery rhymes and fairy tales, and worked with his fellow friends to run the literary magazine "Orion", and began to use the pseudonym "New Mei Nanji".
1929, Xinmei Nanji was 16 years old. This year, Japan's most important children's literature magazine, "Akabird", announced its suspension of publication.
The Red Bird at that time had been held for ten years. It was the base of the Japanese childish art movement and the center of the children's literature community. The influential writers in the literary world, Izumi Mitsuka , Tokuta Akito, Shimasaki Fujimura, Kitahara Shiraki, Ogawa Miaki, Akugawa Ryunosuke ... are all written for children in "Red Bird". However, in the social environment of economic downturn and tightening of ideas, "Red Bird" gradually lost its author and readers.Editor-in-chief Mieki Suzuki was unable to maintain it anymore and could only announce the suspension of publication.
Xinmeinanji was deeply disappointed when he learned the news at a bookstore in the town.
In January 1931, after Suzuki Mieyoshi suffered a serious illness, he seemed to recognize his mission and announced the resumption of "Akabird" with the determination to "dedicate the rest of his life he has picked up."
This year, Xinmei Nanji was 18 years old. In March, he graduated from high school and was admitted to Okazaki Normal School. He was unable to enter because he failed the physical examination. Afterwards, he stayed at his primary school at his alma mater and worked as a substitute teacher for the second grade. Xinmei Nanji told the children in his class that he wrote fairy tales and nursery rhymes, including "The Little Fox A Quan".
While teaching, Shinmi Nanyoshi contributed to "Red Bird". "Little Fox A Quan" and his nursery rhyme works appeared in the re-issue of "Red Bird" magazine, and were appreciated by the nursery rhyme poet Kitanhara Shiraki, who was also the main creator of "Red Bird".
The January issue of "Red Bird" magazine after the re-issue.
Once, Xinmei Nanji told a fairy tale he had written before to the children in his class. A child cried softly after hearing it. Xinmei Nanji wrote this in his diary:
At that time, I was very happy. Is the story made up in my mind really worth the beautiful tears of a child? (Diary of New Mei Nanji. 1931.4)
Because of "Red Bird", he met Xun Sheng Song, a nursery rhyme poet who was also a disciple of Beiyuan Baiqiu. He didn't know that he would become his most important literary partner and editor in his life. In August, after the substitute teacher's life, Shinmi Nanji went to Tokyo and lived in the home of Xun Shengge. The next year, with the encouragement of Xunsan Song, Shinmei Nanji was admitted to the English Department of Tokyo Foreign Studies University.
"I couldn't believe it when I received the admission message and was about to cry."
1932 to 1936, he spent a lively college life and ideal literary life in Tokyo - watching movies every day, listening to music, reading, chatting and walking with friends, learning literature and foreign languages, creating nursery rhymes and fairy tales. Focusing on "Red Bird", he had a warm exchange and discussion with Beiyuan Baiqiu and Xunsan Songs, which broadened and deepened his understanding of children's literature. Fairy tales such as "The Little Fox Buys Gloves" and "Wild Dog" and nursery rhymes such as "Tomorrow" were published in "Red Bird", and Shinmi Nanyoshi became the well-deserved representative writer of "Red Bird".
1933, Kitahara Shiraki and Suzuki Mie Yoshino break up, Kitahara Shiraki left "Red Bird". Shinmei Nanji followed him and stopped submitting articles to "Red Bird". Although it is an active decision, it is inevitable to lose the platform for publishing your works.
On the other hand, his body was getting worse and he began to cough up blood. The urban life in Tokyo also made him miss his relatives and natural scenery in his hometown.
I don’t wear a coat
Go and love the beautiful girls
nor
walk happily on
Ginza Bright street
I will wear
Old ragged coat
Go to a place where no one is. Lifting against the tree trunk, like the elderly cow
, stay quietly
, mother
, please, send me the coat of last year
,
, if there is a hole, make up
, if the button is removed, nail
, send me the coat that I miss
,
——Last coat (Wu Fei Translation)
1935, Xinmei Nanji broke up with her hometown lover who had been dating for many years. "Red Candle" and "Last Tree" were both written at this time. In 1936, Suzuki Mieyoshi died of illness and "Akabird" was completely closed. The whole world is in economic depression and chaos, and all sectors of Japan advocate war and are full of uneasiness. After graduation, Shinmi Nanji failed to become a teacher as she wished. She finally found a job in Tokyo that could use English. In the end, due to her physical weakness, she fell completely ill in October and had to leave Tokyo and go home to recuperate.
03
The life of illness and loneliness:
Pursuing goodness and beauty in fairy tales
Back from Tokyo to recuperate during this period, Shin Minami Nanji endured the great changes in the outside world and the weakness of his body, and was troubled by illness and loneliness.He read " Karamazov Brothers " by Dostoevsky , as well as the works of Russian writers such as Chekhov and Tolstoy , thinking about "human selfishness and love".
Peel the human heart like peeling bamboo shoots, and the inner core is selfishness. At the moment we knew this, we encountered a major crisis in our lives. That is to say, when we know that "all people are ultimately egoists", we are pushed into complete loneliness.
However, we cannot be discouraged here. Through this we must strive to build self-sacrifice and love that is not rewarding. Love after this trial will make our world a better place. (Diary of Xinmei Nanji. 1937.3.1)
1937, Xinmei Nanji, whose health was getting better, worked as a teacher at Hehe Primary School, not far from home. This is a quiet and beautiful primary school where you can see the sea. During the summer rainy season, the school is shrouded in the sound of rain and waves. He dated his colleague Yamada Meiko and once again realized the meaning of love.
In a letter to a Tokyo friend who has always supported and encouraged his creation, Shinmi Nanji said:
Starting from April, I am a teacher in the seaside town of Hehe. Take the train from , Banda City, to the south for 30 minutes. When you reach the end, you can hear the sound of the waves there. This is Hehe, a beautiful and peaceful place. ...Here, I enjoy a short period of happiness. I didn't know that there would be such happiness in such a place.
It turns out that living is not useless.
June 5, 1937
Rivers and primary schools by the sea.
After a brief summer happiness, Xinmei Nanji went to work in a factory that introduced livestock food overseas. Due to heavy work and physical condition, I resigned at the end of the year and my relationship with my lover Meiko Yamada has come to an end.
began in 1938, until 1943 before his death, he worked as a teacher at the Ancheng High School Girls' School in his hometown for the past five years. He started his job originally entrusted by his mentor in middle school. The professional title of "girls school teacher" seemed to make him feel embarrassed, but this job gave him firm support and warm comfort.
He teaches English at school and is a class teacher. Despite making a living by teaching, he still insists that he is a creator first and foremost. He wrote poems and led his students to write poems together. "Nothing makes a day happier than writing a satisfactory poem." In 1941, he also published an article titled "The Loss of Fairy Tales" in the Waseda University newspaper, firmly expounding his creative philosophy. The war is becoming increasingly fierce. When the whole country advocates that "the most glorious man dies on the battlefield", insisting on the creation of fairy tales and poetry that follow the heart requires stronger will and courage.
Life has settled down - although he is still poor, he has the idea of marrying his lover Zhongshan Qianhui. It is worth mentioning that Chiei Zhongshan was already his reader as early as when he founded the "Orion" literary magazine in middle school. But in June 1940, Chie Nakayama died unexpectedly in Aomori and there was also a saying that she committed suicide. At that time, the relationship between Shinmi Nanyoshi and her was no longer so close. Shin Minanji cried at her funeral.
Because I have never been loved, I don’t know how to love. How can objects that have not been heated become hot? Similarly, orphans are unfortunate in childhood and adulthood. (Diary of Xinmei Nanji. 1941.1)
Even though he is still troubled by illness, loneliness and death, he never stops his creation. The quiet and beautiful scenery in the countryside and the interactions with simple farmers and students bring firm support and encouragement to his creation and life. The story background of his period was mostly rural and had more realistic colors.
In "Huamu Village and the Thieves", the thief leader complained that the little thieves under him were too weak and kind, and could not steal things from the villagers. He was determined to set an example and go to the village to do something. At this time, a child who seemed to be playing games came over, called uncle, handed a cow to him, and asked him to help him lead him. The Maverick was very obedient and stayed by his side.——The thief laughed, "I can show off to my disciples when I go back. I did nothing and just stole a cow." As he smiled, tears fell down.
He didn't understand why he cried.
Only those who have been loved know what love is. The thief clearly remembered that when he was a child, he had such a pure mood, but he gradually became dirty on the way to adulthood, "as if he was wearing a dirty dress." Now I cry because I finally realized how happy it is to be trusted.
1942, with the support of his friend Sun Saint Song, Shinmi Nanyoshi's first fairy tale collection "Grandpa's Kerosene Lamp" was published by Tokyo Yukawa. The story finally turned into a beautifully bound book, and he shared his joy in his letter to Xun Sheng Song.
Tokyo Yukawa published "Grandpa's Kerosene Lamp", which contains five fairy tales of him. "Grandpa's Kerosene Lamp" tells the story of a hawker who was the first to sell kerosene lamps to get rich in a village where candles were lit, but ultimately could not cope with the arrival of electrical era . This fairy tale was later included in Japanese middle school textbooks.
At the beginning of 1943, Xinmei Nanji was seriously ill and was bedridden at home. He still wrote with an oil lamp at night.
In "Kotaro's Sorrow", Kotaro caught an charcock and walked all over the village, but couldn't find a partner to play with him. Anxiong's father said to Kotaro: "Anxiong will be an adult from today and can't play with children anymore. Children should go and play with children."
Kotaro left slowly. A deep sorrow surged in my heart.
"Once you enter the world of adults, it is impossible to return to the world of children... There is no hope here. Kotaro's sorrow is as wide and deep as the sky. Some sorrows can be cried, but they will disappear if they cry. Some sorrows cannot be cried. Even if they cry or whatever, they cannot disappear."
He had a premonition of death, and in a letter to his students, he explained this wish:
Even if my body disappears, as long as a small part of you (no matter how small a part) remembers me for a long time and cultivates a heart that loves beautiful things, I will always live in your heart. (1943.2.9)
On March 22, Xinmei Nanji died of tuberculosis. Two weeks before his death, he entrusted his unpublished works to the Sun Yat-song song in Tokyo and wrote his last letter:
I really want to see the fairy tale collection as soon as possible. Now I just think about this. (Letter from Xinmei Nanyoshi to Xunsan Song. 1943.3.8)
04
Newmei Nanyoshi's view of children's literature:
Adhere to "childish-heartedness" writing
0 There is a saying in the Japanese children's literature circle that "there is Miyazawa Kenji in the north and the Xinmei Nanyoshi in the south". The New American Nanyoshi is also known as "Japanese Andersen". Andersen and Kenji Miyazawa were both children's literature writers who brought him strength during their lifetime. To a certain extent, the three of them are very similar - their lifelong singleness, no children, close to childlike innocence and local nature, and their works have been tested and have been loved by generations of children's readers.
1933, Xinmei Nanji compared "children" to "insects" and explained his writing philosophy of "childishness":
"Let's go deep into the inside of insects and become insects. Let's live the life of insects. Flying in the air, crawling on the ground, resting on the leaves. It is also possible to find insects in our hearts. Go and discover insects that are lurking in our hearts, twinkling like stars.
is not pursuing the outside, but exploring the inside. The objective of abandoning insects, obtaining Insect subjectivity. See with insect vision, listen with insect vision, smell with insect smell, feel with insect touch. Organize things obtained through these organs with one idea.
, which transforms from insects, plays a role in the concept of "adult", when we organize it. And because the concept of adult plays a role in sorting, our works have different meanings from children's works."
, which is also in line with the concept of "childishness" explained by Bai Qiu, Kitahara and others.Childhood does not refer to the true child's nature, but the ideal state of "no evil thinking" achieved by adult writers in writing.
New Minami Yoshiki's creation is one step further than the early creation of "Akatsuki" with romanticism and the children's literature views of Ogawa Miaki and others. He emphasizes the "storyline" and readability of the work. As early as when Shinmei Nanji was dealing with children as an elementary school teacher, he cared about how children felt when listening to stories.
"When a child listens, he does not think it is a story. He thinks that all the characters and plots are real. Their listening method is amazing, and they are enjoying the story with all the organs, senses and spirits." (Diary of Xinmei Nanji. 1937.1)
After Xinmei Nanji's death, the vitality of his works is becoming increasingly apparent. In 1970, "The Complete Works of New Mei Nanyoshi" was published. In the Japanese children's literature circle, there were very few authors who could be published in the complete works. In Aichi Prefecture, where Shinami Nanki, the Shinami Nanki Memorial Hall was established. Visitors can experience the country roads that Xinmei Nanji took to walk back then. The scene of "Little Fox Buying Gloves" is also restored in the museum. The "New American Nanji Fairy Tale Award" named after him has also become an important award in the Japanese children's literature circle.
New Meinanji complete collection and fairy tale collection.
Scene of the little fox buying gloves in the Xinmei Nanji Memorial Hall.
At a time when the whole world is trapped by the epidemic, full of uncertainty and uneasiness, the Xinmei Nanji Memorial Hall has launched an event calling on everyone to recite the nursery rhyme "Tomorrow". I hope that this nursery rhyme written by Xinmei Nanji at the age of 19 and first published in "Red Bird" can bring brightness and hope to everyone.
is waiting like a garden.
is waiting like a festival.
is waiting for everyone tomorrow.
grass buds,
scalpers, ladybugs.
is waiting for everyone tomorrow.
Tomorrow, the pupa will become a butterfly.
Tomorrow The buds will become flowers.
Tomorrow The bird egg will become a chick.
is waiting for everyone tomorrow.
is like a clear spring gushing with water.
is like a lamp lit up the light.
——Tomorrow
(New Mei Nanji diary and letter translation quoted in the article: Jiali)
Written by | Li Yindou
Edited by | Shen Chan
Proofreading | Lu Qian
