总想写写他，他是个大家。
　　在当代文学界，陈廷一被誉为我国传记文学的扛鼎作家，在传记文学界素有“南叶北陈”之称：上海的叶永烈以写北京的“四人帮”蜚声文坛，而北京的陈廷一则以写上海的“宋氏三姊妹”闻名遐迩。梅洁先生10年前在《新闻出版报》上发表文章道是在当代中国“读传记文学，不读陈廷一不行；写传记文学史，不写陈廷一不可。”
　　早在1998年的深秋，在陈廷一的力作《皇天后土》研讨会上笔者采访了他，他幽默地说，我的作品算起来还不到1000万字，等超越1000万大关，我请你写我好不好?我说我的标题就叫《千万富翁陈廷一》，他不置可否地笑了。
　　时隔六年后的2004年，北京西单中国图书大厦举办传记文学展销，全国五家出版社出版了陈廷一的17部传记文学作品，其中人民出版社推出了他的《宋氏三姊妹》《毛氏三兄弟》等六部。
　　有了六年之约，我来到陈廷一位于北京南城的家，进了他的书斋。书斋一侧有面偌大的山墙，山墙被设计成他作品的珍藏柜，四周则是他一生43部出版作品样本。每一部样本展放一格，是分年限摆放的。从第一部作品《许世友传奇》到最新人民文学社出版的《山西首富》，每一本都顷注了他的心血，背后都有一个尘封鲜活的故事。在众星捧月般的书籍中间，放着各类奖杯和获奖证书。
　　
　　一
　　
　　人们品味成功时，往往只赞美鲜花的俏丽而忽视当初所经过的风雨霜雪。
　　陈廷一出生在中原大地一个贫困农民的家庭里。这里两千年前曾诞生过道家鼻祖老子，所以陈廷一自称为“老子故里人”。他从记事起没吃过一顿饱饭，他说他是吃地瓜干长大的血性男儿。
　　为了让儿子成才，父亲去世后，母亲却做出了一个惊人的抉择——哪怕要饭也要供儿子上学!于是陈廷一以第一名的成绩升入了高中。但就在陈廷一兴高采烈地准备进入大学的时刻，“文革”一声闷雷把他的大学梦击得粉碎。
　　就在上大学无门的情况下，陈廷一毅然穿上了绿军装，来到了北国边防长白山下的一个白桦林哨所，开始了他的军人之旅和枪杆诗的写作。
　　来到长白山脚下哨所的陈廷一才20多岁，血气方刚，他爱看小说，爱读传记，但从没有做过当作家的梦。不过白桦林的边防哨所，山清水秀，天蓝云白，水清得像面镜子，空气清鲜得让你留恋。每到夜幕降临，就会想入非非：“头枕边疆的云月，脚踩长白的大地……”，枪杆诗就这样从他的心中淌流出来了，后来居然变成了铅字在大江南北传开，这对于年轻人是多么大的鼓舞啊!后来，他的散文《哨所》在《吉林文艺》发表了，不久他的小说《铁骑怒火》又发表了，就这样，作家梦在他脑中闪现。不久，一张大红喜报寄到了哨所，陈廷一被聘为《吉林文艺》编辑部工农兵编辑，当这只凤凰要飞出山沟的那天清晨，全连哨兵列队山涯敲锣打鼓地欢送他，陈廷一流泪了，不过那是喜庆的泪。
　　陈廷一在尔后的岁月里开始写自己身边的人和事，后来开始了人物传记的写作。凭着他的智慧，当年在“活人不能立传”的时候，他写出了《许世友传奇》三部曲，发行100万册之多，一炮走红。
　　
　　
　　二
　　
　　“文革”后期，身着军装的陈廷一，终于圆了大学梦，进入吉林大学中文系。接着，他写出了《孙中山大传》（上、下册）《宋庆龄全传》《宋美龄全传》《宋蔼龄全传》《宋子文大传》《孔祥熙大传》《蒋介石大传》《宋氏三姊妹之父——宋查理大传》，还有《民国四大家族秘笈》等。在中国现代史上，他写出了《毛氏三兄弟》《贺氏三姊妹》《许世友外传》上、下册、《许世友夫人田普传》《青年邓小平》《陈氏兄弟》《张氏父子》等。从这千万字的书目中，我们不难看出陈廷一对历史的博学和研究的精细。
　　1993年日本一家电视台来华采访，无意中发现北京好几家大书店里都摆出了陈廷一的“宋氏家族人物传记”专著，于是他们临时改变动意，原本请史学专家录制的节目，却把陈廷一请上了台。这样一来他那“史学专家”美名更加名声在外了!
　　陈廷一学史写史有两种情况：一是他从实地采访中获得，二是从资料里获得。如《许世友传奇》，资料库里找不到关于他的多少记载，他只好迈开双脚去许世友家乡大别山腹地采访，为了写好许世友，凡是许世友去过的地方他几乎都走了一遍。
　　当年陈廷一在写处女作《许世友传奇》时还是一位热血青年，他为了重走长征路，有三个春节行走在长征路上，饿了啃干粮，渴了饮山泉。一路下来人瘦了一圈，掉20多斤肉，然而却换来了厚厚的几十本采风日记。
　　1987年4月20日，人民大会堂云南厅灯火辉煌。这是一个隆重的纪念日子，由中国青年出版社和河北作协联合召开的陈廷一《许世友传奇》作品研讨会在这里拉开了序幕，陈廷一主讲了“历八年艰辛绘将军风采”的创作之路，他的重走长征路引起了与会者震惊，老作家王愿坚、刘白羽、魏巍都先后发言，盛赞后生的勇气。
　　1992年在信阳召开全国老区作品研讨会，陈廷一又重到许世友的家乡访问。那天下着毛毛细雨，陈廷一携带他的新作《许世友传奇》，伫立在将军的坟墓前行三鞠躬礼，此时多日不见太阳的天空云开日出，河南省文联主席傅开沛直嚷许将军显灵了!当陈廷一从大别山返回向李德生讲述这段“红色迷信”时，李德生将军笑着说：“你走长征路写许世友，老许感动了!”说得在场的同志都笑逐颜开。
　　
　　三
　　
　　否认平庸，才是创作成熟的标志；超越自己，才能行走在时代的前头。
　　常听到人说陈廷一的人物传记是小说型传记，好读好看，包括许世友将军夫人田普在作品研讨会上也如是说，尤其是他的后期作品，如《许世友传奇》之后的《许世友外传》，《宋美龄全传》之后的《宋庆龄全传》《小家大国之父》《孙中山大传》《山西首富》等。
　　说起作品魅力，它不光体现在文章的字句上，更重要体现在创作理念上。按照陈廷一的话说，书出了十本二十本，如果没有新意，再出也就没有什么意义了，说穿了可多得一顶“文字泥水匠”桂冠。他把自己的想法向恩师、现任山大博士生导师、中国著名诗人吴辛教授汇报，这位导师对学生提出了“再爬一个坡，你就到了高处”的要求。为了悟这个“爬坡”，陈廷一曾辍笔两年多。他记住吴辛教授说过的一句话：“文到高处忘自我。”在沉寂两年后，他终于又推出了长篇报告文学《皇天后土》。
　　
　　这是一部中国国情问题的长篇报告文学。作品一鸣惊人，被国土资源部系统称之为“开天斧作”。一位副部长看了看稿，提笔写道：“纵观人类发展史，无非是一部土地持续利用史。一要吃饭，二要建设，两者既对立又统一。有建设用地就有文明和粗野之分。文明标示进步，粗野孕育危机。展示文明，批判粗野，历来是我们的责任。作者在紧紧张张的写作这部作品之前的采访中，曾遭到歹徒的劫持，场面是惊心动魄的，但作者没有退却，相反更激励了他，我被作者这种‘用生命拥抱创作，用创作燃烧生命’的精神所感动。”
　　1998年8月，由中国通俗文艺研究会与国土资源部联合举办《皇天后土》作品研讨会。就在这一年，陈廷一成为享受国务院特殊津贴的专家。
　　在谈到下一部作品时，陈廷一先说保密，最后还是告诉了我们：《警告人类》。我们期待他明年的新作会再次给人们一个惊喜!
　　在结束对陈廷一的采访时，我们觉得人的成功在陈廷一这里体现更多的则是他的勤奋。他的作品代表着他的人格，他的人格融进了他的作品。
　　
　　链接：
　　陈廷一出生于河南新县许洼村，“文革”中参军，军旅生涯18年，当过参谋、指导员。业余时间爱好文学创作，发表不少散文、小说。由中国青年出版社出版的《许世友传奇》，一版和再版发行了20多万册。
　　
　　后来挂军衔进了吉大作家班深造，从此明确了自己创作选材上的定位，写出了《孙中山大传》《毛氏三兄弟》等革命历史题材的传记作品。
　　近年来陈廷一又把关注点从个体转到国家的大命运上来。他在转业到地方任《国土资源》报记者中获得的大量素材，写出了《皇天后土》及《21世纪谁来养活中国》等一系列关注资源、民生的作品。
　　
　　Prolific Biographer
　　By Wei Xinmin
　　
　　Beijing-based Chen Tingyi and Shanghai-Based Ye Yonglie are China’s two most outstanding biographers of today. A scholar commented ten years ago in an influential publication that Chen’s biographies were a must for the readers who wanted to know about Chinese biographies and that Chen was indispensable in the history of biographers. The commentator’s words still ring true today.
　　As early as in the autumn of 1998, I met Chen at a forum on his latest book and asked for an interview. He joked, what about come to see me and write abut me when I have produced more than 10 million words??I relied in the same joking way, what do you think of the title for my story: Chen the multi-millionaire??He smiled noncommittally.
　　At an exhibition of biographies held at China Books Tower in Beijing in 2004, 17 biographies by Chen Tingyi were on display. They were launched by five publishers.
　　Since the 6-year-old agreement still held good, I visited the prolific biographer at his house in the southern Beijing last year. Along a wall of his study stood a bookcase where 43 copies of biographies he had written were proudly on display.
　　His own story is probably no less colorful than those he has written for famed ones in the Chinese history. Born into a poverty-stricken rural family in central China, Chen doesn remember he ever had a good meal as a kid. After the death of his father, his mother made a big decision: she wanted her son to become somebody through education even if she would have to be a beggar.
　　Chen was number one student when he went to senior high school. But his college dream was shattered in 1966 when the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) broke out. He joined the army and became a soldier in a forest area in the northeastern China. In his early 20s, the young soldier was fascinated by the picturesque scenery around the barracks. He began to write poems. Pretty soon, his poems and a short story appeared in a literary magazine in Jilin Province. He began to dream of becoming a writer. Unexpectedly, his prayer was answered. He became an editor for Jilin Art and Literature.
　　
　　In the later period of the Cultural Revolution, he was enrolled into the Chinese Department of Jilin University. His college dream finally came true.
　　His first biography is about Xu Shiyou, a legendary senior general of the People’s Liberation Army. More than one million copies of Chen’s trilogy about the hero were printed. The trilogy broke the taboo in the then China that no writer should produce a biography for a living person.And the big success made a nationwide name for the young biographer.
　　The success came with hard work. It was when he was doing researches for his first book that Chen Tingyi established two principles for his career: for materials, he goes to where history happened and he reads about his subjects extensively. He applied the two principles to his first book. In those years, very little information about the legendary general was formed in data banks. In order to find more about the hot-blooded general and his past, the hot-blooded young Chen traced the Long March step by step over years. For three Spring Festivals, he was on the road doing his own Long March. He lost more than 10 kg but what he saw and learned were recorded in dozens of notebooks. He went to the general’s home village in the Dabie Mountains. In fact, Chen visited almost all places where Xu had once lived. It took the biographer a good 8 years to complete the Legends of Xu Shiyou.
　　Since then Chen has authored multi-volume biographies on big names in the modern Chinese history such as Dr. Sun Yat-sen, Madam Song Qingling, Chiang Kai-shik, Mao Zedong, and Deng Xiaoping.
　　In 1993, a Japanese TV sent a group to produce a program on Chinese history. They had planned to have a historian appear in their program. But when the TV reporters visited major bookstores in Beijing and spotted biographies on the Song Family by Chen Tingyi, they decided to change their plan. They turned their camera toward the biographer.
　　Readers say that Chen’s biographies read like novels. This is particularly true of his later works. This results from his understanding of the genre, history and reality. For him, the appeal of a biography does not lie in sophisticated words or phrases. It originates from a philosophy of creative writing. Chen believes that writing loses meaning when a writer, even if he has produced 20 books, can continue to turn out something new.
　　In order to produce something new that catches the readers?imagination, Chen Tingyi was silent for two years before he launched his tour de force Land, a lengthy reportage and discussion on what land means to the Chinese civilization from the past to the future.
　　This is a truthful report on the national realities. People in the Ministry of Land and Resources compared the book as in axe that cuts the sky open?
　　Chen is brave. He never withdraws himself from writing about history and those that shaped history. What he learns from history and reality inspires him. Before he began writing Land, he was kidnapped. The nerve-wracking experience did not deter him but urged him on.
　　When we finished the interview, Chen let on that his new book will come out in 2005. I feel that Chen’s success comes largely from his hard work. His biographies represent his personality and his personality fuses into his works.
　　
　　 (Translated by David)