I was reading a novel, so I didn’t expect to encounter classical music. I was so happy when I suddenly faced it, and I had an additional fondness for this novel. I am talking about "The Lemon Table" by the British writer Julian Barnes.

Julian Barnes' short story collection "The Lemon Table" contains two protagonists who are closely related to classical music.

The "I" in "Vigilance" is an avid classical music fan living in London, whether it is Wigmore Hall or the Albert Hall, whether it is Mozart's works or Shostakovich's works, whether the protagonist on the stage is the famous conductor Meister Haitink or the pianist Andras Schiff, "I" will buy a ticket to enjoy it. At first, my husband Andrew would accompany me, but later, "I" could only have fun alone. "I" thought that Andrew had a new love, but as the story progresses, the reader gradually understands that what Andrew dislikes is that "I" care about the surrounding audience in the concert hall more than the music on the stage: poke the front right and say The whispering Austrians bring cough candy into the concert hall and deliver it to those who can't help but cough during the concert...

The protagonist of "Silence" is the composer. He has a rich body of work and a happy family life, but that is only the composer in the eyes of others. The composer himself felt that he was exhausted and addicted to alcohol. No matter how insinuating others are, they can't figure out when the Sixth Symphony, which has been publicized for a long time, will be completed, but when he is alone, the composer himself has to admit that there is no time to complete it. No, and wife A, who gave up her talent for the composer, also knew. Without the crane, the wild goose would be considered beautiful - and the composer, who was unable to do what he wanted, had to excuse himself.

Two characters closely related to classical music. One cannot concentrate on performing on stage, and the other has no ability to continue his career. Let’s think about it carefully, whether it is listening to music or writing music. No matter what, they are all the characters' coats. What Julian Barnes wants to express is the unwilling struggle of you and me as we enter the old age and truly feel the helplessness of "the endless falling trees".

In fact, "Lemon Table" has a total of 11 short chapters. The characters have different identities. They were all old when they appeared in this collection. The elderly are washed ashore by the torrent of life. The world of mortals has nothing to do with them, and the stars are stingy in spreading their brightness to them. There are no workplace battles or romantic passions. What is there to write about in novels about such a group of people? Even if it were written, what would be interesting about it? However, the literary world all over the world knows that there is a person named Julian Barnes, nicknamed Fox. His "Lemon Table", which describes the elderly, is so beautiful that people can't help but click the verses while reading it.

Every article is good. If I had to choose a favorite, I would choose "The Story of Mats Israel Elson". The murmur of love, because it is treated by Julian Barnes in a vast space and time, gives readers a marginal space for imagination: taking her to "visit Fallon" is Anders' promise, Barbe Does Luo know about the promise Anders made to her? is a mystery. The reason Anders' promise remains a mystery is that the two met while each other had families. Did an extramarital affair turn out to be what the town suspected? Julian Barnes writes so shyly that we only read that Anders practiced over and over again to tell the story of Mats Israelson well enough to captivate Barbero; we only read that a lot of Years later, Barbero thought silently that it would be the cruelest punishment in the world for a girl from his family to marry a boy from Anders' family; we only read that after being terminally ill and admitted to Fallon's hospital, Anders used a The letter invited Barbero to Fallon. His original intention was to fulfill the promise made decades ago, but Barbero discovered with disgust that Anders was a sawmill boss who often had sawdust in his hair. She is "just another woman who believes they are different" - it turns out that love at first sight, like a helpless marriage, cannot withstand the sweep of time. Regardless of the sadness Anders felt when he failed to fulfill his promise to take her to "visit Falun", he asked Barbero to go home immediately after seeing him. The most brutal stroke in "The Story of Ersson", that is to say, the concern between Anders and Barbero that lasted for decades and went beyond the relationship of ordinary friends, written by Julian Barnes, that's it It was understated and specious all the way, but it was this kind of writing that made me think about Anders and Barbero for a long time, because their joys and sorrows are actually the ending of all love, that is, all love will die in marriage. However, it was only when Anders was on the verge of death that he saw clearly what love was. Julian Barnes' gentle knife was really cruel.

There is no novel in the collection called "Lemon Table", but this collection of novels by Julian Barnes is called "Lemon Table". I was confused about the length of reading a book and finally found it in the collection. The last article of "Silence" reads, "For the Chinese, lemons symbolize death." I am Chinese, but I have never heard of this kind of saying? Fortunately, I have never heard of it, otherwise, the process of reading "Lemon Table" would be even more heartbreaking.