Driftwood
by Yang Benfen
About This Novel
"Driftwood" is a work adapted from real events and is the sequel to "Autumn Garden". An eighty-year-old grandmother told the story of her and her mother, as well as her family, relatives, and fellow villagers in the hinterland of Central and South China. In those days, people were ups and downs like driftwood in the water, drifting with the current, struggling to survive. Their fates were ups and downs in the great era, drifting without direction. Some were broken, and some still had a glimmer of hope. Most of the lives of the characters involved in the text no longer exist, just like bubbles bursting on the water and lightning disappearing in the sky. This article tells the story of the resilience and beauty of the Chinese people throughout their lives through memories. This life is like the memory of a dewdrop, small and short-lived. But before the dewdrop burst, it was also shining brightly, and it was a complete universe.
What Readers Think
Rating
Community(0)
Official(11)Scraped 11d ago
Driftwood - Comment on "Driftwood"
As the sequel to "Autumn Garden", "Driftwood" has a more ordinary and intimate atmosphere, and some of the stories are supplements and omissions from "Autumn Garden". The tragic tone of "Autumn Garden" has faded, and Yang Benfen's brushwork in "Driftwood" is more of a warm memory of "home", "township" and "me". Most of the characters in the novel are innocent and kind, and few are harsh and philistine. They also appear gentle and powerful when read. The biographies of little people have less aura than those of famous people. Although biographies of famous people are important, they are actually not enough in the current trend of the times. On the contrary, those ordinary people who are the bearers of history, like fragments, will be particularly moving if their voices can remain even a little bit. As the author Yang Benfen wrote in the postscript: "Recording and writing are ways for humans to resist forgetting and resisting loss. When you honestly record and understand your own life, it often means more: you also record the times. Then this is a person's contribution to the world he lives in." Yang Benfen asked his daughter: "Can a person who has only written one book be considered a writer?" Of course it is - "When you write for yourself, not for royalties or publication, writing begins." I deeply agree with the views of Yang Benfen's daughter Zhang Hong. Similarly, for readers, reading begins when you read for yourself, not for the number of reads. Life is like driftwood, floating in the air. You don't know whether waves or a quiet stream are waiting for you ahead. We are all driftwood in the long river of time, drifting with the current. In order to live a good life, we work hard and struggle to survive, just to reach the end smoothly, just like bubbles bursting on the water and lightning disappearing in the sky. An ordinary life, when you present it truthfully, will also have the power to inspire others.
It deeply describes the daily life of the grassroots people of that era and the ups and downs of life.
After reading this article, I realized how difficult life is. All I can do now is cherish the moment and live well.
A very good narrative, plain and simple. like
Yeah, that's good. Ordinary people's lives deserve to be recorded.
Very touching,
Vivid and true description, I saw that mountain and that person.
If the mother spends most of her life "living", writing in her later years means saving herself. This is a journey back to the subjective consciousness of human beings, to be aware of life instead of being confused. When you honestly record and understand your life, it often means more: you also record the times. Then this is a person's contribution to the world in which he lives. I really like these words from the author. Sometimes words are more penetrating than pictures. They can span time and bring different levels of resonance to different people. I really like this kind of prose-like record of life. I can get a glimpse of many stories that happened in that era, good or bad. I have been keeping a diary since high school. I feel that when I look back at my life after recording my life, even though I can't remember many things, I still feel touched by my words and life. I am a forgetful person, and I can't remember most things from my childhood clearly. I envy the author for being able to talk about what happened in his life, and I also envy the many people in life who can write or tell about their experiences. I think the life experiences that can be told are already very touching!
I felt so sad when I saw this, but I still haven't escaped the fate.
The addendum to "Autumn Garden" makes one feel suffocated when reading it, and feels that every story has not been fully written. But it is still worth watching. The good days are indeed worth recording, but the painful days are also worth remembering.
It seems to record trivial things, but these fragments make up life and have become a precious part of memories.
driftwood
Plain and true, it makes people feel that there are many small beauties in life. These beauties can support a difficult life.
Realize the impermanence of things Realize the value of life
Rating
Community(0)
Official(11)Scraped 11d ago
Driftwood - Comment on "Driftwood"
As the sequel to "Autumn Garden", "Driftwood" has a more ordinary and intimate atmosphere, and some of the stories are supplements and omissions from "Autumn Garden". The tragic tone of "Autumn Garden" has faded, and Yang Benfen's brushwork in "Driftwood" is more of a warm memory of "home", "township" and "me". Most of the characters in the novel are innocent and kind, and few are harsh and philistine. They also appear gentle and powerful when read. The biographies of little people have less aura than those of famous people. Although biographies of famous people are important, they are actually not enough in the current trend of the times. On the contrary, those ordinary people who are the bearers of history, like fragments, will be particularly moving if their voices can remain even a little bit. As the author Yang Benfen wrote in the postscript: "Recording and writing are ways for humans to resist forgetting and resisting loss. When you honestly record and understand your own life, it often means more: you also record the times. Then this is a person's contribution to the world he lives in." Yang Benfen asked his daughter: "Can a person who has only written one book be considered a writer?" Of course it is - "When you write for yourself, not for royalties or publication, writing begins." I deeply agree with the views of Yang Benfen's daughter Zhang Hong. Similarly, for readers, reading begins when you read for yourself, not for the number of reads. Life is like driftwood, floating in the air. You don't know whether waves or a quiet stream are waiting for you ahead. We are all driftwood in the long river of time, drifting with the current. In order to live a good life, we work hard and struggle to survive, just to reach the end smoothly, just like bubbles bursting on the water and lightning disappearing in the sky. An ordinary life, when you present it truthfully, will also have the power to inspire others.
It deeply describes the daily life of the grassroots people of that era and the ups and downs of life.
After reading this article, I realized how difficult life is. All I can do now is cherish the moment and live well.
A very good narrative, plain and simple. like
Yeah, that's good. Ordinary people's lives deserve to be recorded.
Very touching,
Vivid and true description, I saw that mountain and that person.
If the mother spends most of her life "living", writing in her later years means saving herself. This is a journey back to the subjective consciousness of human beings, to be aware of life instead of being confused. When you honestly record and understand your life, it often means more: you also record the times. Then this is a person's contribution to the world in which he lives. I really like these words from the author. Sometimes words are more penetrating than pictures. They can span time and bring different levels of resonance to different people. I really like this kind of prose-like record of life. I can get a glimpse of many stories that happened in that era, good or bad. I have been keeping a diary since high school. I feel that when I look back at my life after recording my life, even though I can't remember many things, I still feel touched by my words and life. I am a forgetful person, and I can't remember most things from my childhood clearly. I envy the author for being able to talk about what happened in his life, and I also envy the many people in life who can write or tell about their experiences. I think the life experiences that can be told are already very touching!
I felt so sad when I saw this, but I still haven't escaped the fate.
The addendum to "Autumn Garden" makes one feel suffocated when reading it, and feels that every story has not been fully written. But it is still worth watching. The good days are indeed worth recording, but the painful days are also worth remembering.
It seems to record trivial things, but these fragments make up life and have become a precious part of memories.
driftwood
Plain and true, it makes people feel that there are many small beauties in life. These beauties can support a difficult life.
Realize the impermanence of things Realize the value of life
