译书、溯史、写字的中新文化使者

周丰

南治国，生于湖北黄冈，自号“星洲闲人”。1987年考入华中师范大学英文系，1991年攻读上海外国语大学比较文学专业硕士学位，毕业后留校教授翻译、文学等课程。2001年前往新加坡国立大学攻读博士学位，之后留在新加坡义安理工学院（获终身教职）、南洋理工大学、新加坡华文教研中心任教。

作为一名从事中外文学研究与教学的学者，三十年来南治国始终致力于研究中国文学与新加坡的历史渊源、中国现代作家及其文学作品对新加坡文学的影响，以及探究华文教育在新加坡的历史与现状。

让世界优秀文化走进中国

这段时间，南治国受上海译文出版社邀约，正在翻译非洲裔英国作家古尔纳的长篇小说《荒弃》（Desertion）。2021年10月，这位作家因围绕“殖民历史”和“难民经历”的创作而被授予诺贝尔文学奖。

“我一向视翻译为苦差，但有时候又禁不住手痒，再忙也津津有味。”南治国对中英互译外国名著充满了热忱。

“你必须要精通并娴熟运用两种语言，保证语句的准确顺畅，还要对语言的文化和历史有深入了解，让文笔更符合读者的阅读习惯，就仿佛是本国作家写的原著一样。虽然这对翻译者是比较大的挑战，但却是必须遵循的准则。”

最近十年，南治国曾参与上海译文出版社三本书的翻译工作。其中，最让他有成就感的译文作品是英国作家阿兰 · 德波顿的随笔集《旅行的艺术》。

“乍一看书名，你可能以为是本老套的旅行日记。”他建议记者不妨读一读，“你会发现作者思考的深度、广度超乎普通旅行作家，这本书的内容其实在探讨旅行的心境和方式，鼓励你保持好奇、思考和观察，通过细节切入生活，去发现美”。

南治国认为，一名优秀的文化创作者如果能够广泛涉猎各类优秀的国外文学，知晓他人的世界观、价值观，吸取其精华，可以获得更多创作的新灵感，在不断的模仿中最终形成自己的风格。

如今，他参与翻译的《旅行的艺术》和《身份的焦虑》中文版已被选为上海译文出版社的经典译作，这在他看来是一种莫大的肯定。

前两年，南治国还受上海社科院文学研究所之托，和新加坡知名学者王润华共同主编了《东南亚汉学中的上海文学研究》，整理东南亚学者对上海文学的关注。

“其实新世纪以来，东南亚学界特别是新加坡光是对鲁迅、郁达夫和张爱玲的研究就出版了许多专书。因此在这本书中，我们尽可能收录涉及较多研究对象的论文，并附录几篇轻松的随笔和访谈类小文章，专业又不失趣味地讲述海外汉学研究者心目中对上海乃至中国的文学想象。”

在南治国看来，上海和新加坡作为文学的“双城”，曾经有故事，现在有故事，将来还会有许多人续写它们之间的故事，这是一条难以割舍的文化认同纽带。

中国文化何以引发共鸣和推崇

新加坡作为中西文化交汇的枢纽，一个多世纪以来一直受到多种文化的碰撞交融。

1919年10月1日，新加坡《新国民日报》的文学副刊——新国民杂志创刊，开启了新加坡华文现代文学的思潮。

“郁达夫、徐志摩、林语堂、凌叔华等中国现代文坛的代表人物，都曾来新加坡讲学、办报和创刊。而即使是从未踏足此地的鲁迅、闻一多、郭沫若，他们的作品同样推动着本地社会的进步思想。可以说，新加坡的华文现代文学史在中国新文学运动的影响下，与中国新文化运动几乎同步萌芽和成长。”

南治国介绍说，从二十世纪20年代末到1965年新加坡独立前后，鲁迅一直是新加坡华文文坛的教父级人物。《呐喊》和《彷徨》中的小说以及鲁迅的大量杂文，不仅被中国人视为充满批判主义精神的“匕首文学”，也曾引发英国殖民统治下很多新加坡人的共鸣，被本地人称为“鲁迅风”的文学，犹如一面旗帜，深刻影响着新加坡几代作家的创作。

前新加坡作家协会会长黄孟文，就曾模仿《故乡》的结构和立意撰写了短篇小说《再见惠兰的时候》，讲述了马来西亚山村女孩惠兰，虽然聪明能干，但重男轻女的观念和清苦的家境让她最终辍学，数年后当主人公“我”念完大学回到故乡，见到了和童年时完全不一样的惠兰，情形一如迅哥儿见到了童年的玩伴闰土……

在新加坡任教期间，南治国也专门收集了二十世纪20、30年代新马文学中带着“南洋”色彩的阿Q众生相，并整理成文《旅行的阿Q》。

这群生活在南洋的阿Q们，拜金、逐色、忘祖、崇洋，有的会背几句“爷死，怒”（yes， no）之类的洋泾浜，靠坑蒙拐骗谋生;有的喝洋墨水，穿名牌洋货，取洋名字“Stephen Q”，不屑学习中华文化，折射出当时发展畸形、缺少温情、容易自我迷失的南洋現实社会。

“具有批判性、充满现实主义的文学作品，在当时的新加坡备受欢迎。”南治国说。

1936年10月19日，鲁迅病逝于上海。短短几天内，《南洋商报》《星洲日报》《新国民日报》等新加坡主要报刊都特别赶编了“鲁迅纪念专号”，通过诗歌、照片、评论等寄托无尽哀悼和崇高敬意。

“数量之多，内容之充实，令人感动和钦佩。对鲁迅先生的纪念是马华文艺界纪念文艺家最隆重、最庄严的一次……鲁迅逝世后，马华文艺界对他的认知趋同度一直很高，对其创作水平和思想崇敬有加。”2001年，南治国在刊发于新加坡《亚洲文化》的《鲁迅在新马的影响》论文中写道。

海外华文教育走向何方

众所周知，新加坡是一个多元种族共存、文化开放包容的国家，马来文为国语，英文为教学和工作用语，各民族还有传承自身文化的母语。

据《联合早报》2019年报道，新加坡大多数华族年轻人都能用华语交流，但华语和英语这一双语优势仍然在相对减弱。来自新加坡教育部当年的统计，英语已逐渐取代华语成为华族家庭的主要用语，在家中讲英语的华族家庭已占七成左右。

2019年正是新加坡“讲华语运动”推行四十周年，该国总理李显龙在庆祝大会上呼吁让年幼的孩子从小耳濡目染，接触华语和华族文化。

“目前，世界各地的人正在積极学习华语，他们都知道如果要在中国工作、与中国人打交道、把握住中国发展所带来的商机，他们就必须学好华语。”李显龙当年的这段讲话，也引发南治国对于新加坡华文教育寻找发展方向的“共鸣”。

在他看来，一种语言的生命力强盛与否，不仅在于文化底蕴是否深厚，更重要的是其经济价值的大小，“简单来说，中国的国力越强大，华语在海外就越受欢迎”。

南治国对华文教育在新加坡的发展始终充满信心。“新加坡是一个务实的国家。随着新中两国在经贸、文化、科技等领域交流更加频繁，我身边越来越多的新加坡人认识到掌握华语是一个职场‘加分点’，意味着可能找到更好的工作，拿到更高的薪水。”南治国谈道。

据他观察，近两年新加坡华人对中华传统文化的学习热情有赶超中国国内的趋势。

“很多新加坡社区都开设了书法班，一些学校还会邀请书法老师前去授课。不仅是孩子爱学，还有医生、律师甚至政府高级官员等精英阶层也热衷练习书法，把书法视为一种闲适且高雅的兴趣爱好。”

南治国也是一名书法爱好者。45岁提早退休后，每得空闲他就会琢磨秦汉简帛书法、魏晋及后世知名碑帖，研究不同字体的架构和共性，从哪里起笔？力度如何？他对练笔有着自己的想法 ：书法固然需要勤奋，但更需要才情，能融入性情、写出趣味的字就是好字。

南治国自称“星洲闲人”，朋友们把他的书法称为“闲体”。“大家都很好奇，为什么我选择了这种书写风格？我认为书法艺术讲究独创性和辨识度，而在中国和新加坡两地的不同人生经历，包括读过的书、走过的路、遇见的人，也在潜移默化地影响着我对书法创作的认知。”

2019年和2021年，南治国在新加坡分别举办主题为《遇见》和《云淡风轻》两次书法展，展陈的近百件作品一售而空。“闲体”受到了本地华人的热烈追捧。

“好的书法作品，既有地方色彩，又有时代烙印，更应有个性特征。这么看来，在文化审美上还是有不少人与我志同道合。”南治国觉得，好的书法家须养书卷气，写性情字，宁拙勿巧，这样创作出的作品才能无理而妙。

Nan Zhiguo， the Cultural Ambassador Between China and Singapore

By Zhou Feng

Born in Huanggang， Hubei province， Nan Zhiguo likes to joke about himself being “An Idler of Singapore”. He entered the English Department of Central China Normal University in 1987， and in 1991 he went to Shanghai International Studies University for his master program in comparative literature. In 2001， Nan went to the National University of Singapore for his PhD， and after graduation stayed in Singapore where he taught at Ngee Ann Polytechnic （tenure-track）， Nanyang Technological University， and Singapore Centre for Chinese Language successively.

As a researcher and teacher of Chinese and foreign literature， during the last three decades he has devoted himself to the study of the historical origins of Chinese literature in Singapore， the influence of modern Chinese writers and their literary works on Singaporean literature， and the exploration of the history and the status quo of Chinese language education in Singapore.

Recently， under the request of Shanghai Translation Publishing House， Nan has been translating a novel Desertion written by an African British writer Abdulrazak Gurnah， a Nobel laureate granted in October 2021 for his literary creations centered on colonial history and refugee experience. “I always take translating as a hard job， but sometimes I just feel like doing it and enjoy doing it even at my busiest.” He has such enthusiasm towards translating foreign literature both into and from Chinese. “You must be proficient in both English and Chinese， making sure the sentences flow accurately and smoothly. You also need a profound understanding of the culture and history of the said languages， and steer your translation style to agree with your readership， so as to create an impression of a native literary work. Challenging as it is， it is a necessary rule for translators.”

During the last decade， Nan participated in translating three books for Shanghai Translation Publishing House and the one endowed him with the fullest sense of fulfillment was Alain de Botton’s The Art of Travel. “Judging by the title alone， you may think it is just another cliché travel journal，” admitted Nan. Yet he recommended for the reporter to give it a read. “You will find the depth and width of the author’s thinking far outweigh an ordinary travel writer’s. The book actually discusses the state of mind and different forms in travel and encourages people to stay curious， keep thinking and observing， and discover beauty through details of life.”

Nan Zhiguo believes that an excellent writer who is able to read all kinds of outstanding foreign literature extensively， know the worldview and values of others， and absorb their essence， will get more inspirations to create and eventually form his own style through repeated imitating. Today， the Chinese versions of The Art of Travel and Status Anxiety， which he participated in translating， have been selected as classics by Shanghai Translation Publishing House. It is， in his opinion， a great affirmation of his contribution.

Two years ago， Nan was also commissioned by the Institute of Literature of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences to co-edit， together with a renowned Singaporean scholar Professor Wong Yoon Wah， The Study of Shanghai Literature in Southeast Asian Sinology， where they sort out the attention of Southeast Asian scholars to Shanghai literature. “In fact， since the beginning of the new century， the academia of Southeast Asia especially in Singapore have published many monographs on the studies of Lu Xun， Yu Dafu and Zhang Ailing alone. In this book， therefore， we have included as many papers as possible that deal with a larger number of research subjects， and appended several light small essays and interview-type articles that tell the story of Shanghai and China’s literary imagination in the minds of overseas sinology researchers in a professional yet interesting way.” In Nan’s view， there were and still are plenty of stories between Shanghai and Singapore， the literary “twin cities”， which will be continued as an unbreakable bond of cultural identity.

As a hub where the East meets the West， Singapore has witnessed the clash and mingling of various cultures for over a century. On October 1， 1919， the Sin Kuo Min magazine， a literary supplement to Singapore’s Sin Kok Min Jit Pao， was launched， initiating a modern era of Chinese literature in Singapore. “Yu Dafu， Xu Zhimo， Lin Yutang， Ling Shuhua and other such celebrities in modern Chinese literature came to Singapore to lecture， run newspapers and magazines. As for Lu Xun， Wen Yiduo and Guo Moruo who had never set foot here， their works also promoted advanced thinking in the local community. It can be said that the modern Chinese literature in Singapore sprouted and grew almost simultaneously under the influence of the Chinese New Literature Movement.”

From the late 1920s to around the time of Singapore’s independence in 1965， Lu Xun had a profound influence on Chinese literature in Singapore， Nan Zhiguo told the reporter. The stories in Call to Arms and Wandering， as well as his numerous essays， are regarded as the “daggers and spears” in Chinese literature for their strong criticism about the old Chinese society. They also resonated with many Singaporeans who were under the British colonial rule. The style of Lu Xun is like a banner that has profoundly influenced generations of Singaporean writers.

Dr. Wong Meng Voon， the former president of the Singapore Writers’ Association， wrote a short story “When I See Huilan Again”， imitating the structure and intention of “Hometown”， a famous short story of Lu Xun. “Literature that was critical and fully realistic was very popular in Singapore at the time.” Nan Zhiguo said.

After Lu Xun’s death on October 19， 1936， just within a few days many major Singapore newspapers unanimously produced special “Lu Xun Memorial Issue”， sending their condolences and respects through poems， photos and commentaries. According to Nan， it is the grandest and most solemn commemoration of a literary artist in the communities of Singapore and Malaya.

Singapore is known to be a multiracial， culturally open and tolerant country， with Malay as the national language， English as the working language， and native tongues for each ethnic group to pass on their own culture. According to a Lianhe Zaobao report in 2019， most Chinese young people in Singapore can communicate in Chinese， but their bilingual advantage of Chinese and English has diminished. In 2019， the Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called for young children to be immersed in the Chinese language and culture from an early age， as Singapore marked the 40th anniversary of its Speak Mandarin Campaign.

Nan Zhiguo is always confident about the future of Chinese language education in Singapore. “Singapore is a pragmatic country. With more frequent exchanges between Singapore and China in the areas of trade， economy， culture， science and technology， more Singaporeans around me are realizing that mastery of the Chinese language is a workplace ‘plus’ that could get you a better job and a higher salary.” He has observed that in the past two years， the enthusiasm of Chinese Singaporeans for learning traditional culture tend to catch up with that of their Chinese counterparts.

Many Singaporean communities are offering calligraphy classes， for instance. Nan himself is also passionate about calligraphy. In the eyes of his friends， his calligraphy is of an “idle style”. “People are curious about why I chose this style of calligraphy. I think my different life experiences in China and Singapore， including the books I have read， the roads I have travelled and the people I have met， have also influenced my perception of calligraphy，” explained Nan.