Winner of Fiction in Chinese
雨林的背影
故事设定在1989年马共与泰国及大马政府签署和平协议，部队解散之后，马共人的抉择，以及对过往的回忆──肃反扩大化、与泰兵交火，突击队战事，两代三代的革命家庭，甚至新加坡籍战士的归属……故事写了众多人物，不同世代，不同情况下进山，进山前各自迥异的经历。小说经由这些人物，拉出几条叙事脉络，基本覆盖雨林游击生活，并旁及中国湖南长沙的电台，以及在印尼群岛的流亡。在蛮荒异域，青春与热血，理想与坚持，奉献与牺牲，都在这里发生。
The Back View of the Rainforest
The story is set in 1989 when the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) signed a peace agreement with the Thai and Malaysian governments. After the MCP army was disbanded, the choices made by its members and their memories of the past – the expansion of the anti- counterrevolutionary campaign, the firefights with Thai soldiers, the guerilla war, the revolutionary families of two or three generations, and even the affiliation of Singaporean comrades... The story contains many characters of different generations from various backgrounds, who chose to join the struggle under myriad scenarios. Through them, the novel draws out several narrative arcs, covering guerrilla life in the rainforest, touching on the radio station in Changsha, Hunan, and the exile in the Indonesian archipelago. Life in a wild and foreign land, youth and passion, ideals and persistence, and dedication and sacrifice can all be found within.
有人出版社, 2023
评判评语
海凡的长篇小说《雨林的背景》通过真实的描写和细腻的刻画，展现了马共成员在斗争中的生命抉择和内心世界。在这部作品中，海凡以自传式的手法讲述了自己和同伴们在马来西亚雨林中经历的艰难岁月。这不仅是对马共理想主义社会的深刻反思，更是对自身的国族认同和归属问题作出深刻拷问。
在新马作家中，虽然雨林游击的题材并不鲜见，但海凡的《雨林的背景》独具一格。海凡以亲身经历为基础，将雨林中的艰辛和复杂情感生动地呈现出来。他不仅关注“雨林”和“斗争”，还深入探讨了马共成员的内心世界和情感纠葛。
小说真实地再现了马共武装斗争的背景和情境，充满了无奈、悲愤和茫然的情感。海凡通过自己的经历，让读者感受到马共成员在面对斗争和理想时的复杂情感。他们在长达13年的革命斗争中，为了一个理想社会而奋斗，然而在1989年《合艾和平协议》签署后，马共解散，理想如何延续与实践成为一个亟待解答的问题。
《雨林的背景》不仅在宏大叙事上探讨了国族认同和归属感的问题，更难能可贵的是，海凡在小说中描绘了大量的女性马共角色。这些女马共的形象鲜明而细腻，为国族建构的叙事提供了新的视角。女性身份在国族建构的过程中往往被边缘化，但海凡通过这些女马共的故事，重新诠释了她们在历史中的地位和作用。小说中的女马共都有了明确而细腻的描写，她们在斗争中的坚韧和勇敢，使得这部小说更为丰富和深刻。”
Judges' Comments
Through authentic descriptions and detailed portrayals, Hai Fan’s novel, The Back View of the Rainforest, shows the life choices and inner worlds of the members of the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) during their struggle. In his work, Hai Fan uses an autobiographical approach to tell the difficult years that he and his companions endured in the Malaysian rainforest. It is not only a profound reflection of the idealistic society envisioned by the MCP, but also an in-depth interrogation about national identity and belonging.
Amongst Singaporean and Malaysian writers, the theme of guerrilla warfare in the rainforest is not uncommon, but Hai Fan's work is unique. Using his personal experience, he vividly depicts the hardships and complex emotions experienced in the rainforest. He not only pays attention to the themes of “rainforest” and “struggle”, but also explores deeply the inner worlds and emotional entanglements of MCP members.
The novel accurately reproduces the background and reality of the MCP’s armed struggle as a mixture of helplessness, grief, and confusion. Through his own experience, Hai Fan gives his readers a taste of the complex emotions experienced by MCP members over their struggles and ideals. Over 13 years, they fought in a revolutionary struggle for an ideal society. However, the disbandment of the MCP after the signing of the 1989 Hat Yai Peace Agreement leaves its former members with the pressing question of how to push on to realise their ideals.
In its grand narrative, the novel not only explores the issues of national identity and belonging, but more importantly, Hai Fan portrayed many female MCP characters in his work. His portrayals are vivid and detailed, providing a new perspective for the narrative of building national identity. The identity of women is often marginalised in the establishment of national identity, but Hai Fan redefines their historical statuses and roles through the stories of these female MCP members. The clear and detailed descriptions of these female MCP members, and their tenacity and courage during the struggle made the novel richer and more profound.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
海凡 (洪添发)
海凡 ，新加坡公民。原名洪添发，笔名：辛羽和海凡。著有散文集《倾听·回眸》《喧腾的山林》；小说集《芳林余韵》《可口的饥饿》等十余种著作。《可口的饥饿》入选《亚洲周刊》2017中文十大小说。曾获新加坡金笔奖；方修文学奖；世界华文微型小说双年奖。
Hai Fan
Ang Tiam Huat is a Singapore citizen who goes by the pen names of Xin Yu and Hai Fan. His works include the short stories collections Listening and Reminiscing and The Tumultuous Hills and Jungles; and a dozen or so novels including The Lingering Fragrance of the Rainforest and Delicious Hunger, which was among Yazhou Zhoukan’s 2017 list of top ten Chinese novels. He has won the Singapore Golden Point Award, the Fang Xiu Literature Award, and the World Chinese Mini-Fiction Biennial Award.
海凡写作心得 | Short Notes with Hai Fan
在写作方面，“心眼”对于您意味着什么？
What does "Mata Hati | 心眼 | Eye of the Heart | மனக்கண் வழியே" mean to you in writing?
在生活中开放感觉器官去感受，观察和思考。
To use your senses to feel, observe, and think in life.
请分享您的写作习惯：手写还是打字？是否有好几份草稿、长时间的停顿或短暂的灵感泉涌?
What does your writing process look like? Do you type or write? Are there multiple drafts, long pauses, or sudden bursts of activity?
我使用电脑键盘打字写作。基本是比较有规律的安静的创作状态。
I use a computer keyboard to type and write. It is basically a structured, quiet creative mode.
请形容一下您的写作空间。
What does your working space look like?
我有一个小书房阅读和写作。
I have a small study for reading and writing.
请以不超过30个字向读者们推荐您的入围作品。
Make an elevator pitch for your shortlisted work in 30 words or less.
雨林，游击战，几十年的社会运动，实现自我价值，不一般的生存状态。
Rainforests, guerilla warfare, decades of social movements, self-realisation, an unusual state of existence.
请分享在创作入围作品当儿的一个关键时刻。
Could you share a pivotal moment as you were writing this work?
完成于新冠疫情时期。
Completion during Covid.
回顾入围作品的写作过程，您会给当时的自己一个什么建议？
If you could give one advice to yourself when you were writing this book, what would it be?
希望更好分享非一般的，有别于世俗主流，却又实际存在的生存状态。
I hope to better share extraordinary, non-mainstream living conditions that are still realistic.
