鲁迅长孙周令飞:今年140岁的祖父依然鲜活
2021-12-08严格童笑雨
严格 童笑雨
9月25日,是鲁迅诞辰140周年的日子。前后几天,周令飞非常忙,作为鲁迅的长孙、鲁迅文化基金会会长,他需要出现在天南海北各种纪念活动中。
最后,采访被安排在一个会议的茶歇时间。地点也非常鲁迅——绍兴咸亨酒店。
鲁迅又“回来”了
2021年是鲁迅诞辰140周年。周令飞虽常回绍兴,但这还是他第二次出席如此隆重的纪念大会。上一次是2011年,鲁迅诞辰130周年。
纪念的主体不变,但周令飞还是觉得,和十年前相比,如今鲁迅更“热闹”了。“他出现在我们视野中的次数变多了,网络上关于鲁迅这一话题的点击量也变高了,魯迅又回来了。”
鲁迅又回来了,是一个既定的事实。
十年前,提到鲁迅,很多人都会联想到《狂人日记》《阿Q正传》等教科书中的作品,会认为鲁迅就是“横眉冷对千夫指,俯首甘为孺子牛”的形象。那个鲁迅,严肃、不苟言笑。
但十年后,鲁迅成为了不折不扣的“流量担当”。周令飞做过一个统计,网上研究鲁迅的文章有8万多条,将近3亿字。
这只是学术上的“热闹”。更多时候,鲁迅很忙,忙着普度众生,忙着道尽世间“真理”。
“年轻人,多吃蔬菜,少熬夜”“本身就穷,折腾对了就成了富人,折腾不对,大不了还是穷人”……
“这些网上的‘鲁迅说,大多数都不是鲁迅说的。”周令飞说,近年来,鲁迅从教科书中那个匕首、斗士,转变为被追捧的人生导师。究其原因,是人们在物质日渐满足后对精神的追求。
鲁迅在作品中对国民性的批判、呈现的价值观,以及他“横眉冷对千夫指”的斗争精神和“俯首甘为孺子牛”的奉献精神,都能引起不同阶层、年龄、岗位人们的共鸣。
“这好比一笔文化遗产。”周令飞提到了那句著名的“被玩疯了”的“两棵枣树”。
以前有人问他,鲁迅作品中这两棵树有什么含义?周令飞回答不出来,只觉得是强调,是文学上的一种技法。如今,他恍然大悟。他的理解是:“一棵是物质的,一棵是精神的。”
他说,鲁迅就是一个“精神斗士”,也是中国精神的集大成者。这才会引发青年人的追捧。他们不再止步于追求“我要买个房子、车子”之类的物质满足,而是想要一种精神慰藉,于是鲁迅成为各取所需的心灵港湾。
从平面走向立体的鲁迅
鲁迅以各种方式“回归”,在周令飞看来,这能让大家见到更立体的鲁迅。“我不想大家一谈到鲁迅,就都是眉头紧皱、刻板严肃的平面斗士形象。这样的鲁迅,反而就不可爱了。”
他提到,以前大家见到的鲁迅,都是在教科书中,都是平面的。包括他自己,接触自己的祖父也是从课文开始。每次都是打开课本,再提炼中心思想。“可以说,老师的理解就是我们的理解,老师的想法就是我们的想法。”同学们也常常调侃周令飞:“又要背你爷爷的文章了。”
周令飞坦言,学生时代这些内容自己也无法理解。《狂人日记》《阿Q正传》中对国民性的批判,也是似懂非懂,自己对祖父的认识是一知半解,或者说“一片空白”。
后来,他明白,似懂非懂的是因为鲁迅的那个世界、那里面的人,都是生活在几十年后的大家所不熟悉的,这让很多年轻人对于鲁迅望而生畏。
幸运的是,越来越多的年轻人选择用自己的方式去走近、探究鲁迅这一位“80后”大叔。
比如在B站弹幕中、在脱口秀段子里、在影视剧里,鲁迅都以极其特别的方式出场;《狂人日记》《阿Q正传》里的不少桥段,成为网络热梗。
周令飞还遇到过rap、交互手游、文创产品等传播鲁迅的方式。他觉得,严肃的方式也好,诙谐的方式也罢,他都不反对,戏说的方式也可以。
另一个要点,是基于真实。他谈到了之前热播的电视剧《觉醒年代》。剧中鲁迅趴在地上写《狂人日记》,稿纸散满一地。但周令飞觉得,这个有点夸张。
在家族记忆中,祖父是个很整洁的人。买了东西的牛皮纸,他都要一一打开、叠好,再把系在上面的牛皮绳缠起来。甚至在鲁迅去世前几个小时,他都选择下床走到桌子边写下便签,说“我病重了,赶快找医生来。”
他觉得这样一个讲究、有条理的人,不可能会把稿子四散,趴在地上写毛笔字。
但无论如何,周令飞还是希望能通过多种载体、方式,让更多人看到立体、3D的鲁迅。“也许鲁迅诞辰150年的时候,社会对他的看法,又不一样了。”
家人眼中的鲁迅
无论社会给予鲁迅怎样的立体表达,在周家人眼中,生活中的鲁迅,是有七情六欲的,是鲜活的。获得这个认知,周令飞用了二十年。
二十年前,他对祖父的认识是一知半解,或者说是“一片空白”。之前在祖父的光环下,他甚至会回避甚至逃避有关鲁迅的一切。
二十年后,他开始做鲁迅工作,又是鲁迅文化基金会会长,接下了传播和普及鲁迅精神和文化的重任。“这些年来我进步了,可以说和祖父最亲近。”周令飞说,这是每天在一起的二十年。他了解到,鲁迅并不是世人眼中横眉冷对的样子。“他的笑容比严肃多。”
幽默、爱笑,喜欢喝酒、抽烟、聊天、美食、看电影。周令飞给鲁迅贴上这几个“标签”。
他说,鲁迅是多面的。作家鲁迅和生活鲁迅、严肃的鲁迅和好玩的鲁迅、有钱的鲁迅和孺子牛鲁迅、精神鲁迅和物质鲁迅,都是不一样的。这个鲁迅,甚至喜欢恶作剧。
1926年—1927年,鲁迅在厦门大学国文系担任教授。有天他去当地一个理发店理发,穿得不怎么讲究,甚至有点破烂。理发师怕他不付钱,就潦潦草草地给他剪了个头。剪完后,他从兜里抓了一把钱,塞到理发师手里就走了。
第二次,鲁迅又找了这个理发师。理发师想好好招待鲁迅,刮脸刮得特别认真。结束后,鲁迅掏出一把钱,从中拿了两块给理发师。理发师懵了:“为什么上次我随随便便剃个头,你给我那么多钱,今天却只给两块?”鲁迅说,上次我是随随便便给的,今天我也认真了。
這是周令飞在鲁迅回忆录中看到的,如今仍令他印象深刻。他没想到,祖父这么“好玩”。他领悟到,教科书中的鲁迅,只是平面的,生活的鲁迅才是三维、立体的,他甚至比别人的祖父更有快乐细胞,更有生活气息。
比如鲁迅十分好客,经常邀请朋友到家做客。有次他打开门,看到围坐在一起的朋友,十分开心,跳着华尔兹,嘴上数着节拍就进来了;他喜欢美食,却不会做饭,经常下馆子;他十分文艺,在上海的十年间,看了100多部电影,在和许广平恋爱的两年时间里,写了160多封信;他喜欢坐汽车出去兜风,喜欢喝茶,喜欢喝酒,喜欢微醺的状态,喜欢金石篆刻,喜欢拓片,喜欢碑贴,喜欢木刻,他喜欢很多东西。
周令飞觉得祖父有一颗好奇心。这一点周令飞觉得自己也遗传了祖父的基因,喜欢接触未知的东西,经常找一些不知道的事情去了解,而且还要把它钻研透。
周令飞曾经庆幸,幸好自己没生活在祖父身边,不然每天都要被祖父“打屁股”。但父亲周海婴的回忆,颠覆了他的想象。
周海婴提到了鲁迅为数不多“管教”孩子时的场景:报纸卷成棍子状,抓起儿子就“啪啪啪”地朝着屁股打。“声响虽大,但一点也不疼。可你也能感受到他确实很生气。”周令飞说,鲁迅生气并不是一两天都闷闷不乐,可能过个5分钟、10分钟就好了。
他看到了这个“斗士”心底的柔软。这个柔软,不是像刺猬一样,把刺留给别人,而是一种敢为四万万民众鼓与呼的善良。
鲁迅到中国民国国民政府的教育部任职后,每个月的工资也有两三百块大洋。这是什么概念?周令飞作了个比较:那个时候,佣人的工资是一块大洋。他一个月的工资,就能买一栋房子。
虽然收入颇丰,但鲁迅手头并不宽裕。周令飞解释说,祖父曾拿出很多钱支持革命者和青年人,还帮助一些年轻作家出版文集。这些在鲁迅的日记里都有所记载。“这也是祖父为国为民的情怀,就像他弃医从文,也是为了劳苦大众。”
不过作为鲁迅的后代,周令飞有时候也会有困惑。
前几年,周令飞曾经和日本文豪夏目漱石的孙子对话。夏目漱石的孙子说,自己前半辈子一直生活在一种恐惧当中。作为夏目漱石的后代,每天就是被人家说,你应该会写作,你不会写作,就是数典忘祖。但夏目漱石的孙子后来学的是漫画,从事漫画评论工作,人家也说这是不对的。
那一次对话让周令飞很有同感。
周令飞记得自己的父亲周海婴,在大学时候会打桥牌,也会跳交谊舞,但别人就会说,鲁迅的儿子怎么可以打牌跳舞,不好好读书。
周令飞本人,有一件事印象深刻。有一次有人给他递烟,他说不会抽烟,对方很诧异,鲁迅的孙子怎么可以不抽烟呢?鲁迅不是整天抽烟吗?这让周令飞哭笑不得。
不过,这些年鲁迅的“去脸谱化”,让公众对鲁迅的了解越来越丰富多元。这样哭笑不得的事情也越来越少了。这也是周令飞和鲁迅文化基金会孜孜以求的目标,让更多的人,特别是年轻人了解丰富多彩的鲁迅和鲁迅精神。
今年祖父140岁。在周令飞眼里,祖父依然鲜活、生动,很有生命力。
Lu Xuns Eldest Grandson: My Grandfather Is Still Very Much Alive
By Yan Ge Tong Xiaoyu
A Madmans DiaryIn the past, the public usually knew Lu Xun through textbooks, and even Zhou himself got to know his own grandfather in this way, which to Zhou is too simplistic. Every time it was just opening the textbooks, reading the texts and looking for the main ideas. “My teachers understanding was our understanding, and my teachers ideas were our ideas,” opines Zhou. His classmates also made fun of him: “Time to memorize your grandfathers essays again.”
Zhou Lingfei readily admits that he couldnt understand his grandfathers writings during his school years. Later, he realized that his inability to do so originated from the unfamiliar world that Lu Xun lived in, which for a long time deterred young people from studying Lu Xun and his works.
Fortunately, with the development of new technologies, particularly the internet, more and more young people are now approaching and exploring Lu Xun in their own ways. In “bullet screen comments” on the wildly popular video-sharing website bilibili, in standup comedies, in films and TV dramas, different images of Lu Xun can all be found. He is even making appearances in rap music and mobile phone games.
Serious or otherwise, Zhou Lingfei has no issues with the way Lu Xuns image is communicated to the public.
However, an important point Zhou emphasizes is that everything should be based on facts. In one scene of the Age of Awakening, the acclaimed TV drama on the Chinas modern revolution, papers were strewn all over the place as Lu Xun lay prone writing A Madmans Diary. Zhou thinks it exaggerated, for in the family memory, Lu Xun was neat and organized; he wouldnt have left his manuscript scattered everywhere.
However the public perceives Lu Xun, for his family, Lu was a flesh-and-blood human being, with all the emotions and desires, which, for Zhou Lingfei, has taken 20 years to sink in.
Two decades ago, Zhous knowledge of his grandfather was no different from that of the general public. Living in the shadow of such an eminent grandfather, he tried to avoid and even escape from anything related to Lu Xun.
It all changed when Zhou began to genuinely look at his grandfather as he was and later became the head of the Lu Xun Culture Foundation. “Ive made a lot of progress, and has grown ever closer to my grandfather,” Zhou explains. Humorous, full of smiles, fond of drinking, smoking and chatting, a gourmet and quite into movies … these are the “labels” Zhou has given to Lu Xun.
Zhous memoirs on his grandfather recorded an interesting anecdote. When Lu Xun taught at Xiamen University between 1926 and 1927, he went to a barbershop one day. Seeing Lu somewhat shabbily dressed, the barber gave him a cursory haircut. After it was done, Lu handed him a handful of cash and left. Later, he went to the same barbershop again. This time, the barber treated Lu with the utmost respect, and when he was done, Lu still took out a handful of cash but only gave two yuan to the barber. “Why so little this time?” The barber demanded. “Last time I was perfunctory in handing out the money, and today Im serious too.”
This episode has left a strong impression on Zhou, for he didnt realize his grandfather was such a fun guy, much cooler than what the textbooks have presented. Indeed, although Lu Xun had a handsome income, he didnt have much money with him, as he donated a lot to revolutionary causes and to young and upcoming writers. He was quite hospitable, often inviting his friends to his home and treating them to lunches and dinners. He was stern in disciplining his son, yet was also indulgent with him. He loved going to the movies, he enjoyed drinking and getting tipsy, he was into stone engraving …
Over the years, the efforts by Zhou and many others have helped dispel some of the most popular myths and stereotypes about Lu Xun.
“Perhaps the public perception of Lu Xun will be different again when the 150th anniversary of his birthday arrives,“ says Zhou.