When you are desperate, you look at nice grandpa

 　　You may not have heard of Michael Rosen, but you must know the nice old man. In the widely circulated emoji, he clicked his tongue and made a crisp sound, and then said to the camera brightly: nice.

　　A week ago, a reporter from Nanfengchuang corresponded with Grandpa Nice.

　　"In China, I can be called nice grandpa. I feel both interesting and respected. What could be better than this?" He wrote in an email reply to Nanfengchuang.

　　Luo Sen told Nanfengchuang that he did not expect that the children's poetry video he created would become a meme on the Internet. Now when he is walking on the road, young people aged 17 or 18 often stop him and say in surprise: "You are the meme guy!" The nice segment was removed, while the popular Chinese version was kept.

　　Rosen said he had a bad cold a few weeks ago, though he said that was normal at the start of winter. It can be felt from the lines that Grandpa nice has regained his spirit.

　　People usually have little interest in the outside world, let alone ordinary people thousands of miles away. Through the opportunity of memes, it is wonderful to meet an optimistic, funny and energetic old British man, even if his background in life is not the same.

all kinds of love

　　Memes aside, Michael Rosen is also a name, one of the UK's most popular children's authors, and Wikipedia has a long profile on him.

　　More than ten years ago, Rosen wrote a poem for the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the NHS (UK National Health Service System) - "It's These Hands". In order to thank the medical and health workers, this poem was once again widely praised during the epidemic, and the poet Rosen suddenly became the "national treasure" of Britain. However, he did not immediately enjoy this honor. When the first round of the new crown virus hit Great Britain, Rosen was also infected. He was in a coma for most of April and May.

　　"I feel hypoxic, and there is not enough air in the room. I said: I can't breathe." Rosen fell ill in the spring of 2020. He felt hot and cold, shivering all over, and called the emergency center. After asking some questions, it was deemed unnecessary for him to go to the hospital. However, Rosen's health did not gradually improve, but worsened. His wife borrowed an oximeter from the doctor's neighbor. The data on the instrument showed that Rosen's blood oxygen saturation was only 58%.

　　Must be sent to hospital immediately.

　　The illness came like a mountain, and when Rosen was first admitted to the hospital, he put on an oxygen mask. At this time, he could still maintain a trace of consciousness, but it was difficult to type with his fingers. A few days later, the oxygen mask was switched to a ventilator, and he was completely unconscious and dragged into the intensive care unit.

"All Kinds of Love" contains prose poems written by Rosen during his hospitalization and recovery.

　　At that time, 42% of the patients who were in the intensive care unit like Rosen died of the new crown virus. No one knows if he will still open his eyes in a coma. His hospital bed, like the train to Hoggarts in Harry Potter or the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland, exists on the edge of two time-spaces, life at one end and death at the other.

　　Perhaps because "We're Going to Catch Bears" written by Rosen is a best-selling picture book popular in Europe and America, the identity of this children's poet has given him a special attention in the intensive care unit.

　　A volunteer who took care of Rosen in the ICU wrote in his notes: "I have a two-year-old daughter, and she often says, 'We are going to catch a bear'. When we need to let her walk on her own, she will say, 'Look, a A bear'. As soon as she heard that, she started running. So thank you very much, this is very helpful for our walk."

　　Rosen saw these long and short volunteer messages later, even though he was in a coma at the time It made him miss meeting with many people, but such a record still made him feel warm.

　　When the threat of the new crown virus was gradually far away from people, Rosen rewrote the experience of the illness and named it "All Kinds of Love", a warm and hopeful name.

　　"All Kinds of Love" contains prose poems written by Rosen during his hospitalization and recovery. Rather than writing about how to fight viruses, these poems are more like writing about how people face irresistible aging and death. A body that is no longer strong brings a strong sense of depression and powerlessness. At such a moment, people need it more than ever. Love and humor.

　　During that painful hospital experience, there were many sweet things for Rosen. The fur blankets and duvets sent by the family, the lovely face of his wife on the mobile phone video, and the music she carefully selected all helped Rosen. Get a good night's sleep.

　　After being discharged from the hospital, nurses, volunteers, and physical therapists are all helping Rosen regain control of his body, and he cannot quickly return to his previous life. But the recovery process is gratifying. From going to the toilet and drinking water every time it seems time-consuming and labor-intensive, to being able to pick up the teacup and make myself a cup of tea, everything is getting better.

　　Although Rosen's body has now recovered, the virus still left its mark on him. The virus coagulated part of the blood, causing capillaries to burst, causing him to lose most of his vision in his left eye, most of his hearing in his left ear, and occasional numbness in his toes.

　　But it's not just these bad things that have changed. After going to the gate of hell, Rosen has become more appreciative of beauty than before. Every corner, every light, and every small shelf in the house looks vivid and lovely, "all It's such a pure existence."

man chased by stories

　　Some British media described Rosen as humble and energetic, and his appearance was equally impressive. "Rosen is like BFG (a large firearm in a game), or a giant described by Quentin Blake, with long limbs, exaggerated ears, and rough lines."

　　Children's author, nice grandpa, these identities let him see Looks like a happy messenger. However, "Nice Grandpa" can be described as ill-fated. He is a person who is chased by various stories, and even has a bit of a legend.

　　In the 1940s, Rosen was born in a British Jewish family. His father, Harold, was a highly educated educator. His mother, Connie, first worked as a secretary for a left-wing newspaper in the UK and later became a primary school teacher. Both Harold and Connie are outstanding members of the Communist Party. When they come together, they are destined to be a family driven by faith.

　　As a child, Rosen's parents would take him on holidays in France and East Germany. This is a well-off Jewish family that can support the children to continue to explore their true interests.

　　Rosen has a brother named Brian who grew up to be a marine paleontologist and has a coral named after him. While studying, Rosen's interests kept changing, and his parents were all supportive. At the age of 12, Rosen told his parents that he liked acting. They crossed half of London and sent him to a leading film and television company in the industry; when he showed interest in biology, his parents decided that he would become a doctor in the future .

　　However, Rosen found that "sitting in the cafeteria arguing about the metabolism of the liver" was not what he really liked. He dropped out of a medical school and turned to Oxford University to study English. "Acting, writing, directing, and doing news", he spent three happy years there. It was also during this time that he met a new generation of British political activists and rekindled his passion for politics.

　　After graduation, Rosen joined the BBC and stayed there for three years.

　　In 1972, Rosen was abruptly asked to leave the BBC, at first for reasons he did not know, but later learned that the cause was that he had shown footage of British soldiers being tested for LSD, which angered the US embassy and his name was included in the list. MI5 blacklist.

　　Until then, Rosen hadn't imagined that he would turn to children's literature.

　　Rosen likes to write poetry, and after leaving the BBC, he wrote several poems about his childhood. He hopes to survive on words, but "an adult publishing house is not interested in them, a children's publishing house is fond of them". Rosen said: "That's how [creating children's literature] started. The children's book world welcomed me very well and kept asking me to write more, so I wrote a lot."

"Grandpa Nice" can be said to have a long-term fate. He is a person who is chased by various stories, and even has a bit of a legend.

　　He likes fragmented text, which may seem trivial at first reading, but this is his favorite style. Every time I write a simple poem, it is like creating a mosaic. When all the mosaics are stitched together, it becomes a colorful painting.

create for kids

　　When Rosen's first book of children's poetry was published, it received a lot of critical acclaim. An educator commented on him: "One of the first poets to draw closely on his own childhood experience and 'tell the truth' in the common language that children actually use." To

　　be a children's poet may require some talent, "must be interested in children Things have a feeling," Rosen said. Not everyone can create words that are loved by children. Although everyone has come from childhood, many people have forgotten the joy, bitterness, shyness and curiosity of those childhoods after they grow up.

　　Looking back on Rosen's creative career, we have to mention "We're Going to Catch Bears". On its 25th anniversary, the publisher of the everlasting bestseller organized an event where Rosen joined 1,500 children in reading lessons, a Guinness World Record-breaking number.

　　"We're going to catch a bear, and we're going to catch a big one. The weather is so good, there's nothing to be afraid of! Ouch, weeds! Tall and swaying weeds. You can't fly above them, and you can't penetrate below them. My God! Go ahead."

　　Even to grown-ups, "We're Going to Hunt a Bear" is an adorable story. On a sunny day, a family of five and a puppy decided to hunt a bear. They traveled through mountains and rivers, overcoming many difficulties along the way, and finally found a bear in the cave. However, when the bear ran towards them, they fled in fear. In the end, they fled home, hid in the bed, and said in unison: We will never hunt bears again.

　　Sometimes, children's picture books can also confront some dark topics, such as death.

　　In 1999, Rosen's 18-year-old son Eddie died of meningitis. At first, Rosen thought his son had just the common flu. This caused him great pain. "I loved him very, very much, but he died."

　　A few years later, Rosen and his old partner, the painter Quentin Blake, co-created the children's picture book "The Book of Sorrows". The book discusses Rosen's feelings about the loss, how he handles his grief, and misses the good times he had with his son.

Behind the nice grandpa expression pack is a person who has experienced the pain of bereavement and critical illness, but still feels "all kinds of love".

　　Regarding such a special theme, some British media commented: "The Book of Sorrows does not cover up the darkness, it does not pretend that pain and sorrow are easy to bear, but it shows that it is okay to feel bad sometimes."

　　"(Children's Writer ) have a certain sense of responsibility, and don’t write things that will make children feel hopeless.” Rosen told Nanfengfeng.

　　It can be said that this is not only the principle he abides by in his creation as a children's poet, but also his real life practice. In a past interview, Rosen mentioned that since Eddie's death, he has learned to do things to divert attention, "I try to build optimism every day" because "I don't see any point in despair ".

　　Most of Rosen's books are aimed at children, but there are also titles for adults, such as "Disappearing," an investigation into the fate of his Jewish relatives in World War II.

　　Rosen was an extremely prolific author, even if he himself has lost count, about two hundred books bear his name. He cherishes the writing itself very much. In the process of writing, Rosen often has moments of inspiration.

　　It is not difficult to see that most of the inspiration for Rosen's writing comes from his personal experience, and writing happens to be the process of releasing memory: "It gives the author an opportunity to mine memory, propose an imaginary world, play with words, test our Feeling, and reflecting on who we are and where we are in the world."

　　Even after devoting himself to professional writing, Rosen's original passion for politics has not diminished. His parents are very close to the labor circle, and Rosen himself is a well-known supporter of the Labor Party. In 2015, he strongly supported Corbyn in the Labor Party election and wrote poems for him with more than 20 writers; four years Later, Rosen continued to express his support for Corbyn in the British general election, seeing him as "a beacon of hope in the struggle against emerging far-right nationalism, xenophobia and racism in many democracies in the world".

　　If a Corbyn supporter is a label, Rosen is in reality a professor of children's literature at Goldsmiths, University of London, an ardent defender of progressive education in British state schools, a newspaper columnist, and a BBC Radio 4 word of mouth. mouth) host.

　　A person can have multiple identities, and his concern for the world can not only be concentrated in a certain field. Behind the nice grandpa expression pack is a person who has experienced the pain of bereavement and critical illness, but still feels "all kinds of love".

　　Asked about future plans, Rosen, 76, said he would continue to write.