Chapter 570 Leisurely National Day
It has been a month since Fang Minghua received this novel.
It has been translated into Chinese as "The Fragrance of Strange Mountains", which is a very poetic name in ancient China.
Li Li also sent a letter along with the letter, which is mainly an introduction to the author Robert Olen Butler, so that we can better understand the writing background of this novel.
Fang Minghua read it carefully.
It feels like a novel of the same type as "The Yanjing Man in New York", but in terms of depth of content, it is much more profound than the latter.
Most American Vietnam War literature is Americans’ reflections on the war, but this novel is an anomaly, describing the story of the Vietnamese.
Through the individual struggle in the conflict and confrontation between the two cultures, the cultural differences between Vietnam and the United States are reflected, reflections on the Vietnam War and the sadness of separation in the world.
Fang Minghua thinks the writing is quite good.
But think about it, the people in this country described by the author are quite hateful.
After experiencing so much suffering in war, they later turned their guns on the people who had selflessly helped them, only to be tortured again.
So there is a good saying: Poor people must be hateful.
Forget it, let’s let literature be literature.
This is the first work received from the United States since the call for essays was launched.
The subject matter is novel and the writing angle is unique. In the delicate words, you can feel the sleepy climate of tropical countries. The air is thick and soft, mixed with the fragrance wafting from the emerald mountains.
Fang Minghua felt that it was really possible to win the prize.
What he didn’t know was that historically, this novel won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature in the United States.
In addition to receiving manuscripts from the United States, the judges' office also received works from Japanese writers, an essay "A Trip to Prodrome Priory" by the very famous Haruki Murakami.
According to the introduction in the letter from the publisher, this is an article from Haruki Murakami's essay collection "Rainy Days and Hot Days". The entire essay collection records what Haruki Murakami saw, heard and heard during his travels in Greece and Turkey. With this in mind, the author presents the cultural landscape of Greece and Turkey from a unique perspective.
Haruki Murakami’s writing style is nothing to say. Fang Minghua just feels that it is a pity that the book "Norwegian Wood" that was not written by him has been published and translated into Chinese. Otherwise, even if he cannot win the award, there should be no problem in being shortlisted.
Later, more and more winning works were sent from foreign countries, but most of them were works by Chinese living abroad.
Yan Geling's novel "Girl Xiaoyu", Zhang Ailing's collection of essays "Grass Oven Cake", Bei Dao's essay "Visitors from Poland".
That very famous poem:
At that time we had dreams
About literature
About love
About traveling across the world
Now we drink late at night
Clinking glasses
It’s the sound of broken dreams
It comes from this essay.
Two months have passed, and it’s October in the blink of an eye. As of the end of September, Zhang Yanqian counted that among the essays received, there were 37 novels, 68 novellas, and 154 short stories. There are 89 essays and 38 poems (collections). There will definitely be more submissions later, but Fang Minghua estimates that the climax has passed.
But these millions of words of works are enough for the members of the reading class to put in some effort in reading every day, especially Fang Minghua, who occasionally has to attend classes at Western University.
A hard life.
It’s the National Day holiday now, and it’s rare to have a few days off.
Today, the courtyard of Fang Minghua's family was extremely lively. Except for the two children, a large group of people stayed here.
It turned out that the chrysanthemums in the flower bed in the corner of the small courtyard were in bloom, reddish, white, and deep yellow. They were really beautiful, so a group of literati clamored to appreciate the chrysanthemums.
Lu Yao, Chen Zhongshi, Jia Pingwa, Bai Miao, and Wang Yu, and Li Hongying and Wang Zi are also here. Anyway, they have nothing to do now.
Isn’t there a poem that says: The autumn wind is bleak over the Double Ninth Festival, and the yellow chrysanthemums are blooming and the wine is fragrant.
It’s not enough to just admire the chrysanthemums, you also have to drink wine. Just drinking is not enough, you also need to eat vegetables.
Fang Minghua’s house is full of vegetables and meat, but the problem is that these old Qin people can eat and drink, but they are all amateurs in cooking.
Li Hongying volunteered to be the chef. She is from Chongqing and has been cooking since she was a child.
But how could she, a girl, be so busy?
Simply, Fang Minghua invited his mother, who lived at his sister's house, over. The old man has nothing to do with cooking, but he also likes the excitement and wants to visit his two precious grandchildren, so he came here.
Mom Zhang Fenglan is in charge of cooking, Li Hongying is helping in the kitchen, Wang Zi plays with the two children, and Fang Minghua and the others are drinking tea and chatting in the small courtyard.
The weather is nice today, the autumn air is crisp, and it is indeed a good day to relax.
No literature talk today.
After chatting for a while, Jia Pingwa insisted on going to the calligraphy and painting exhibition hall on the third floor, and Fang Minghua had no choice but to agree.
If it weren’t for the good relationship this time, he would usually decline.
Everyone followed them up to the third floor. When Fang Minghua opened the door, everyone was amazed, especially people like Bai Miao and Wang Yu who had never been in before. They were even more stunned. This is simply an exhibition hall in a museum.
As the saying goes, insiders can only watch things and outsiders can only watch the excitement.
The older writers in the 1980s all have a common characteristic. In addition to writing, they are also particularly interested in calligraphy and painting, especially calligraphy. Zhang Xianliang from Ningxia, Feng Jicai from Tianjin, Gao Jianqun from Qin Province, Jia Pingwa, Chen Zhongshi, etc. have all practiced calligraphy and have studied calligraphy quite a lot.
So as soon as I went up and looked at the paintings and calligraphy, I started to judge them.
"Hey, I heard that some wealthy people in Hong Kong and Taiwan specialize in collecting paintings and calligraphy by famous people, especially the paintings of the deceased Xu Beihong, Zhang Daqian, and Qi Baishi. I heard that they have been sold for hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong dollars." It was Jia who spoke. Pingwa.
Among this group of people, he was the most interested in this thing.
Others were shocked when they heard this.
One painting costs more than 100,000 yuan, and it’s still Hong Kong dollars!
Only Fang Minghua smiled and said nothing.
A hundred thousand, isn’t that a bit conservative?
"Hey, Minghua, didn't you go to Xiangjiang some time ago? Didn't you plan to sell a few paintings? Make some Hong Kong dollars?" Jia Pingwa asked again.
“I really didn’t know that a painting could be sold for so much money.” Fang Minghua looked like he didn’t know anything.
“I have said before that these things are not for sale. I just have nothing to do to see for myself. If it is true as Pingwa said, a painting is so valuable. In a few years, the Chinese Literature Award will have no money to pay bonuses. I Just go sell a few."
Fang Minghua said half-jokingly and half-seriously.
Unexpectedly, everyone showed contempt.
Are you still short of money? !
As the saying goes, there is no first in literature and no second in martial arts, but you, the richest among literati, are definitely the first!
"Come down and eat." Li Hongying shouted loudly in her Sichuan dialect downstairs.
“Go, go, go down to eat!” Fang Minghua urged everyone and quickly closed the door of the exhibition hall.
The dining table is placed in the middle of the yard. Everyone washes their hands and sits casually. The dishes include traditional dishes from Qin Province and Sichuan cuisine - Mapo tofu and couple's lung slices, which are cooked by Li Hongying.
The wine is Chenggu Tequ. Fang Minghua usually drinks this when entertaining guests. It is affordable and tastes good.
While there was a scene in Fang Minghua’s home, Song Tangtang, thousands of miles away, was preparing to participate in a TV talk show.
New York, CBS headquarters building.
(End of this chapter)