傅雷家書 書評 Fu Lei’s family letters Book Review
傅雷家書, a book recommendation from C******, is a great introduction to傅雷 and 傅聰’s dedication to literature, music, and arts. 傅雷is an influential French-Chinese translator and art critic, and he translated French classics including works of Balzac, Romain Rolland, and Voltaire. These letters to his son manifest his passion and dedication to literature, arts, and music. With son and father separated in 2 continents, the letters are flooded with emotion, manifesting the great expectations from father to son. Ranging from personal ethics, arts exchanges, to professional expectations, the book gives reader “a glimpse of how the genius and greatness of both artists took form”, as shared by C******.
The themes in the letters vary: exchanges in arts and music, guidance in academic and professional endeavors, advice in personal development, as well as confrontations and misunderstandings. What stood out from these letters is the in-depths exchanges in arts, music, and literature — readers can learn a lot in these fields from their profound discussions.
For instance, in Chinese poetry, 「你所賞識的李太白、白居易、蘇東坡、辛棄疾等大師人也是我們所喜歡，一切都有同感，亦是一樂也。等有什麼苦悶寂寞的時候，多接觸偉大的詩人，可以為你解憂、給你溫暖。」; in French literature translation 「越是對原作體會深刻，越是欣賞原作的美妙，越覺得心長力絀、越覺得翻譯遠遠傳不出原作的神韻。」; in Chinese calligraphy 「中國書法只有兩晉、六朝、隋唐如日中天；繪畫藝術始終沒超過宋元；便使音樂，也只有開元、天寶、唐玄宗時代極盛一時。」; in classical music, he shared his notes in listening to Hector Louis Berlioz, Chopin, Mozart, Schubert; Bach, Beethoven, Brahms etc.
According to Fu Lei, the objective of writing letters to his sons include: (1) To discuss arts and traditional Chinese culture, (2) to stimulate thoughts of young people, (3) to train 傅聰’s writing and reflections, (4) to serve as an honest “mirror”, and (5) to give guidance to his son’s life. 根據傅雷自己所說，寫信的主要目的是：討論藝術以及中國古典文化；激發青年人的感想；訓練傅聰的文筆和思想；做一面忠實的「鏡子」；指導兒子的生活。
Some of the other interesting themes in the letters include:
Reflections in solitude:
One of my favorite quotes in the book is the importance of writing reflections, which construct our values as we look back in tranquility「一個人的思想是一邊寫一邊談出來的，藉此可以刺激頭腦的敏捷性，也訓練寫作的能力與速度。」It feels great to put our thoughts into writing — it consolidates our experiences, grants personal meaning, and subtly establishes our values. Through these retrospections and with time, we may find our life anchors and future aspirations, which are invaluable in constructing our life blueprints. 傅雷also emphasized the importance of solitary reflections and personal space. 「藝術家特別需要暝思默想。老在人堆裡會缺少反省的機會，對你的精力是有妨礙的：思想、感覺、感情不能好好的整理歸納。」
Learning attitude:
A strong working attitude in their professional commitments — impressive discipline in “perfecting” their craft — can serve as encouragement for readers. In academic pursuits, 傅雷 counselled that「你對時間的安排，學業的安排，輕重的看法，緩急的分別，還不能有清楚明確的實踐，這是我最為操心的。」In his son’s music competitions, he mentioned that「別把比賽放在心上：得失成敗盡量置之度外，只求竭盡所能，無愧於心，效果反而好，精神上也可以減少負擔，上台不致緊張。」In terms of their career as artists, he emphasized the importance of sincerity: 「真誠是第一把藝術的鑰匙。知之為知之，不知為不知。有了真誠，才有虛心，才能放下虛偽和自尊心去了解自己。建築在了解自己、了解別人上面的愛，才是愛。」
Relationship and marriage:
Only 2 generations apart, father and son were exposed to very different environments and attitudes in relationships, but 傅雷 shared his wisdom and experience nonetheless. He emphasized the importance of remaining calm in relationships and shared his views in soulmates. 「追求終身伴侶的要求，正如面對人生的一切不能太苛刻。我覺得本質的善良、天性的溫厚、開闊的胸襟最重要，其他都可以培養。」「對於戀愛，首先態度和心情都要盡可能的冷靜。觀察需要耐心、細緻、深入，經過相當的時間以及各種不同的場合。初期交往易感情衝動，只憑印象，看得到優點卻看不到缺點。同性朋友相交也不免如此，對異性更是常有的事。保持冷靜能不至於為了戀愛而荒廢正業，或是遇到大小波折而擾亂心情。」
In terms of the compatibility of strengths and weaknesses, the father advised to “Be yourself”, “finding compatible personalities” and “exposing our shortcomings early”.「人人都有缺點，問題不是在找個無缺點的對象，而是找個雙方都能各自認識，各自承認，願意逐漸修改，同時彼此能互相容忍的伴侶。互動應該盡量自然。除了優缺點，兩人的脾氣性格是否相投也是重要因素：剛柔、軟硬、緩急的差別應該互相調劑。」 「感情需要理智控制，並下一番工敷在生活中長期鍛鍊。唯有極坦白，才能暴露自己，而暴露自己的缺點總是越早越好。一切不能急，越是事關重要，越要心平氣和，態度安詳，從長考慮，細細觀察；感情的高峰容易，但只能維持一段時間，要久而彌篤的維持長久的友誼可難了。」
Nature escapes and art/music exhibition/ performances that soothe the soul:
Both father and son have strong working attitudes, sometimes to the extreme end — practicing their crafts for prolonged periods with deep focus. The father encouraged the son to leave the workstation and get some fresh air with a change of environment. 「你應該離開琴，沈浸在大自然之中，欣賞造型藝術、多沈思默想，反而對音樂的理解和感受有好處：人需要時不時跳出自己的牢籠，才能有更正確的自我批評。」
A clash of civilizations:
We all have our biases, when confronted with new cultures, mindsets, and people. Without in-person exchange, exotic land and foreign cultures could seem daunting; misunderstandings and preconceptions inevitable. 傅雷compared Chinese culture and the “new American society”, 「中國人總愛靜穆、沈著、含蓄、講品味，有著傳統文化的陶壎。年輕的民族能創業創新，但若是缺乏遠見和明智，難於守成，不容易成熟。」
These letters manifest the great expectations, love, and concern from father to son. In傅聰’s own words describing his father, he wrote “These years, I met many people whom I admire and love, from whom I learn, but never have I met anyone who could bring me to a world that is at the same time passionate and serene, profound and simple, affectionate and proud, subtle and straightforward.”
