Roman Roland (1866-19) was a French thinker, writer and humanitarian. In addition to enjoying an immortal position in the literary world, Roman Roland is also the most serious expert in studying Beethoven, and John Christophe, based on Beethoven's Biography, is a classic in the world literature.
on January 29th, 1886, Roman Roland was born in a small town in central France. Because the ancestors of both parents are lawyers for three generations, this is a well-respected family in the local area. And his loving father named his son Roman and Paul Emile, hoping that he would have strong spirit and extraordinary talent like the Roman hero written by the ancient Roman writer Plutarch.
At this point, the future Roman Roland did not let his father's wish fail. However, when Roman Roland was a child, his body was not healthy. Once, due to the negligence of his servant, Roman Roland, who was less than one year old, was left alone in the cold outdoor and almost froze to death.
Roman Roland, a teenager, has always been sickly. And the best way to protect his parents who have been doting on him is to ban little Roman Roland at home. And this has a fierce conflict with the nature of little Roman Roland's longing for nature. When he recalled this childhood, he used the word "rat cage" to describe the situation at that time.
and the biggest drawback of this "rat cage" is that it stifles the "spiritual freedom" of little Roman Roland. He can't herd cattle and sheep in the fields like other children, and he can't play in the vast nature. This has led to the confusion and fear of young Roman Roland about life and death.
Unfortunately, when Roman Roland was five years old, his younger sister, who was two years younger than him, was suddenly killed by diphtheria. The direct consequence of this incident is that parents are more severe in "protecting" Romulan, and the death of his sister has invisibly increased the fear and confusion of the young Romulan.
because the family of little Roman Roland belonged to a decent middle class at that time, and his parents attached great importance to their children's education. So when Roman Roland was fourteen years old, his family moved to Paris, the capital of art, in order to give him a good education.
this move is a major turning point for Roman Roland's life. In Paris, in this big city, the young Roman Roland was extremely uncomfortable at first. In his view, "big cities are formidable organisms, where intelligent microorganisms will multiply as quickly as all chronic molds." If newcomers can't obey immediately, it will take a long and painful period to adapt their blood to these toxins. " Among them, the most important thing is that for the introverted and fantasy-loving Roman Roland, he lost his home of faith, the crazy pace of the city and the chaotic situation of the school made him full of contradictions and confusion.
At this time, Roman Roland began to come into contact with the works of Shakespeare, Voltaire and other masters, which revived his barren spiritual realm again. And what made him very lucky was that he met Hugo, the great writer at that time, on his way to visit a friend. And this meeting obviously gave Roman Roland a very deep impression.
There are many great artists who have influenced him greatly in his life. Just his own biographies for these great men can be counted as Beethoven, Goethe and Beethoven, Tolstoy and Michelangelo ...
Let's talk about Romano and music first.
Before the age of sixteen, Roman Roland was mainly influenced by Haydn and Mozart. After he came into contact with the music of Wagner and Beethoven, those beautiful melodies occupied the most beautiful position in his mind and became an important spiritual sustenance and a haven for his soul in his life.
For Wagner, Roman Roland once commented that "Wagner is a severe classical musician. For him, everything is subject to the highest truth, which dominates the drama, commands the theme and constantly develops ideas."
In p>1887, due to the deterioration of the relationship between France and Germany at that time, some French musicians stopped Wagner from performing in Paris on the grounds of national pride. At this time, Roman Roland, who has always flaunted harmony, made a severe attack on it. "A powerful nation will not be afraid of spiritual conquest by another nation." (Think about the globalization we are facing now and the argument that some so-called "Korean Wave" and "Europeanization" impact our own culture.) This is not so much Roman Roland's defense of Wagner as his own declaration of international art that transcends national boundaries.
Beethoven's music is closely related to Roman Roland's life.
Roman Roland studied Beethoven deeply when he was in college in Rome. He thinks Beethoven "has the greatest spirituality of all musicians". Roman Roland studied Beethoven from that moment until the end of his life. This is enough to prove how important Beethoven's music and spirit are to Roman Roland's enlightenment! Beethoven's life is a process in which a talented artist struggles with an ill-fated fate. Roman Roland was obviously impressed by Beethoven's powerful spiritual system. He believed that Beethoven belonged to the kind of person who yearned for happiness from the heart. "Beethoven is simply a force of nature. He refuses to compromise everything he doesn't agree with. He has been struggling all his life!" The spirit and prototype expressed in John Christophe, the greatest masterpiece of Roman Roland's life, is the epitome of Beethoven's life.
Roman Roland and literary masters.
Roman Roland has been exposed to countless great writers in his life, such as Hugo, Goethe, Gandhi, Rilke, Spinoza ... and there are also many great masters who have been his spiritual mentor and influenced his life. Here I will focus on the influence of Shakespeare and Tolstoy on him.
As mentioned above, Roman Roland came into contact with Shakespeare's works during his most distressing days in Paris. And those views have influenced his life.
"Action, production, creation ... I understand that this is the purpose and the law of life, and I am willing to do so".
It can be said that because of Shakespeare, Roman Roland was reborn again. And this has become the most important feature he will show to the world in the future: thinking and acting.
The young Roman Roland was fascinated by Shakespeare's well-known plays. At that time, he was always interested in watching such classic plays as Hamlet, King Lear, Othello and Romeo and Juliet again and again. This has also played a subtle role in the future drama creation of Roman Roland.
Tolstoy is the most admired master of Roman Roland. He regards Tuo Weng as his spiritual mentor all his life, and he is crazy about his works.
"Reading Tolstoy can help us find ourselves, which is an inspiration to our life and a door to the vast universe"
What moved Roman Roland most was that there was a sincere letter exchange between them.
That was after Tolstoy published his new book "So What Should We Do". In the face of Tolstoy's disdain for Shakespeare, Beethoven and their achievements in modern art, the young Roman Roland was a little confused. He didn't know why Tolstoy attacked him so strongly as the art of life, and he couldn't understand the meaning of his spiritual mentor. The young Roman Roland couldn't control his anxiety and impulsiveness, so he wrote a letter to his beloved mentor, Tolstoy, who was far away in Russia, to express his incomprehension and confusion ...
But one day after half a year, Roman Roland, who had forgotten about it, was very surprised to receive a personal letter from Tolstoy, the master. And it is a long letter written in French. Tolstoy explained his understanding of modern art in detail in his letter, and the excerpt is as follows: "In our society, what people say about science and art is just a big lie. Once we get rid of the traditional superstition, we often fall into the advanced superstition of science and art. In order to see clearly the way we are going, we must start from scratch ... The real achievements of science and art come from sacrifice, not from some superior material conditions. (Think about people's extensive understanding of science and art and their evaluation of success today, this sentence is a blow.) Tolstoy finally concluded that "the whole history is not others', but the gestation process of the principle of unity of all mankind. This idea has been proved by historical experience and personal experience. The happiest and freest moment of mankind is the time to carry forward the spirit of selflessness and friendship. Rationality has found the only way to happiness in people, and feelings have played a role in promoting it. "
This passage has unparalleled instructions and vigilance for the "harmony" spirit that Roman Roland yearns for in the future. Therefore, Tolstoy is a key figure in the composition of the spiritual system of Roman Roland's life. It is also in the communication with such a literary master that his spiritual life is full of joy and the whole soul is filled with incomparable fullness.
Tolstoy's life is a life of struggling with suffering. Born in an aristocratic environment, he realized at the age of five that "life is not a pleasure, but a very heavy job" (everyone of us will shout for happiness now). Tolstoy, who was almost a teenager, wanted to sell his car and give it to the poor, only because he thought "they are people like me" (Tolstoy would never agree with the praise of "philanthropists" at this time).
Tolstoy was born in the upper class, but he despised such a luxurious and decadent life. The most distressing thing in his life is that he cannot live with those poor people. Because he still has many relatives, he can't leave them. So he was forced to live a "luxurious" life all day long.
Finally, one day, Tolstoy could no longer face his own condemnation. He left home on a stormy night. Old and frail, he unfortunately fell ill. When he was taken care of by everyone, he cried and said, "There are thousands of creatures suffering on the earth. Why do you all take care of only one Tolstoy here?"
Such stories can infect every pure soul. Roman Roland followed this attitude all his life, and made contributions to the happiness and peace of all mankind.
the love life of Roman Roland.
Roman Roland met a pair of beautiful Italian sisters when he was in college in Rome. The young Roman Roland is full of admiration for them, and at the moment he doesn't know which one he likes. In his own one-man show like guessing boxing, I secretly appreciate the distress of love. And when he got up the courage to try to confess, he found that the two sisters didn't mean that to him at all. So this self-written and self-performed drama has come to an end. In the memory of this first love, Roman Roland wrote in his memoirs, "I don't know how to think independently, but I am intoxicated with the elegy of emotional emptiness"
and his first novel was born, a novel called "Spring in Rome".
Roman Roland's first wife was a Jewish girl. Her father is a linguist and has a high prestige in the academic circles in Paris.
In his own memoirs, he once described the married life at that time as "little joy, disappointment, funny, or strange and sometimes sad days, we talked to each other like brother and sister. We also criticize this society with the same eyes. My wife has a talent for observing and analyzing psychology, which is consistent with me and complementary to me ... My wife is a musician, similar to me; Music plays a big role in our love ... "
It can be seen that the initial marriage life was without waves. Very harmonious and happy.
but then things changed.
Roman Roland created a lot during this period. However, it is difficult for these scripts or novels to be staged and published. Because Paris is too big, and Roman Roland, a mainlander, can't stand here by his own microwave power. Every time, I need my wife's help to get some opportunities for performance. The wife always thinks that "only what is recognized by others is useful, or that the purpose of any creation should have the pursuit of getting ahead with practical interests (probably every woman persuades her partner in this way, and then calls it" this is a sign of self-motivation "). And all this makes Roman Roland feel more and more indebted to others. He would rather give up realistic interests for dignity. In several worthless discussions, Roman Roland never reached an understanding with his wife. Finally ended their eight-year marriage.
However, the life that hit a wall everywhere after the divorce and those hard experiences just became the real experience and inspiration for his later creation.
Later, Roman Roland wrote the world-famous masterpiece John Christophe. And at the moment of the outbreak of the First World War, he was able to transcend the border with the country, racial contradictions and other issues, and wrote "Beyond Chaos" which was praised by many people sometimes. Although the French authorities at that time sneered at him. But he still believes that his point of view is correct and just.
In 1916, the Swedish Academy of Literature announced that this year's Nobel Prize in Literature winner was Roman Roland. The man who had been abandoned by France at that time, after learning that he had won the prize, replied, "This honor is not mine, it belongs to the whole French people. If this honor helps to spread the ideas that make France loved all over the world, I feel happy. "
This broad mind is just as described in John Christophe. "He doesn't know that his full love shines around, and it is at this time that when he thinks he will be lonely forever, he gets more love than the happiest person in the world."
on August 24th, 1944, Paris was liberated.
one month later, December 3th. Roman Roland completed his life journey.