A healing writer? No, it's a depressing writer!

Chapter 254: Entering the North American literary world! It's time to give you a little shock! The originator of the decadent literary genre!
The standard of this literary exchange meeting is very high. It’s not that the banquet hall is decorated grandly, but the writers and guests attending the meeting are all the leaders of the current Chinese literary world. Of course, they can also be understood as giants.

Here you can even see some characters that have been written into textbooks.

From Jia Pingwa, a representative of Northwest rural literature, to Liu Zhenyun, a neo-realist, to Su Tong, a pioneer neo-realist, to Cao Wenxuan, a representative writer of Chinese children's literature, and even Zheng Yuanjie, who is also known as the "Fairy Tale King" and has always been at odds with Cao Wenxuan, all are included.
The venue of this meeting was not in Chenghai, but in Suzhou, a city with rich historical heritage.

Suzhou government reception hall.

Tie Ning, Chairman of the China Writers Association, was sitting on the podium, explaining the latest situation to the guests who came to the scene:

"With the growing economic needs between countries, cultural exchanges between China and the West are imminent. As cultural leaders in the new era, we should be the vanguard and take the brunt of it."

In fact, Jiang Hai didn't care what the speaker on the stage was saying. There were only two thoughts in his mind:

Firstly, why was I asked to come here?

Second, what do I need to do?
In response to his two doubts, Professor Su Tong, who has been awarded many honors, is a lifelong honorary professor at Beijing Normal University and is also the chief writer of October. She answered his two questions one by one:

"First, the reason you were invited here is because the members of the presidium of the China Writers Association recognized your influence abroad as a writer."

"Secondly, since you have been invited here, what you need to do is naturally to write a book. Of course, this depends on your personal wishes. You can do it or not."

Compared with the youth literary gatherings I attended before, this writers exchange meeting.

Compared with the two, they are simply not in the same league.

All the writers invited here have a bunch of honorary titles and are the most outstanding in their respective fields.
In the circle of young writers, Jiang Hai is probably still a top figure, and he is looked at with envy wherever he goes:

"Is that Jiang Hai? He looks so young."

But in this kind of situation today, a plain-looking middle-aged man sitting on the sidelines would probably only sigh when he saw Jiang Hai passing by:
"The future life is to be feared."

Then, there was no follow-up
"Influence?" Jiang Hai was confused by Su Tong's words, "What influence can I have?"

"Why be so modest?" Su Tong glanced at Jiang Hai with a smile on her face, and then glanced at the people sitting around, "Don't look at these old guys here, their titles are more frightening than the other, but when it comes to being writers, their popularity abroad is -"

“But there are many people who can’t compare to you.”

The mainstream literature that is more recognized by the international community now is Western literature. Just as English is the international common language, the popularity of Western writers at the international level is indeed far behind that of Chinese writers.

On the one hand, due to the lack of understanding between Chinese and English, if you try to translate a Chinese poem into English, you will find that no matter how you try, you cannot translate the original artistic conception of the poem.

For example, the Song Dynasty poet Qin Guan used the beautiful verses to describe love in his poem "Magpie Bridge Fairy: Xianyun Nongqiao":

【When the golden wind and jade dew meet, it is better than countless things in the world. 】

Any Chinese who has received nine years of compulsory education should be able to feel the unique mood of love between lovers through the lines of poetry.
But whenever such classic poems are translated into English, the unique artistic conception contained in the poems will disappear in an instant.

A more advanced English scholar would translate it like this:
I always remember that day, when I met you I love you.

English scholars with a lower level of proficiency would directly say:
【You are beautiful, I want fuck you.】

Sometimes it is not that Chinese writers are unable to write literary works that have both depth and beauty, but that most literary works written in Chinese cannot be translated into English.

To be precise, most of them cannot be expressed accurately in English.

It is precisely because of this objective difference that the popularity of Chinese writers among foreign readers has been greatly reduced.

Many famous writers in China become unknown once they go abroad.
Although Jiang Hai has little experience, he is well-known and recognized as a writer by foreign readers.
This is something that many well-known domestic writers cannot match.

Regardless of other things, the book "No Longer Human" made Jiang Hai a god in Japan and became the originator of funeral literature, attracting a considerable number of book fans.

One book, "The Crucible", and another, "Hope", directly triggered changes in the entire Korean society.

A writer of this level.

Such a powerful influence.

Why can't you come to attend today's meeting?

"Western society, especially writers led by the United States, will start a six-month cultural exchange seminar with China." Su Tong sat next to Jiang Hai and told him the original intention of opening this conference. "At that time, Western writers will be able to publish literary works in our country without restrictions."

"Similarly, Chinese writers will not be subject to any restrictions when publishing their literary works in Western societies."

Literature is the best form of communicating social thoughts and expressing ideology.

Imagine this scene:

If the barriers to communication between countries are completely opened, Western writers can publish all their literary works in China without restrictions. As long as the domestic literary community cannot come up with countermeasures, the best-selling books on the market will all come from the West.
God knows to what extent the Chinese people will be infiltrated by culture?
This is also what the China Writers Association is worried about, and they have been trying to find a solution to it.

Cultural exchanges between countries should be a good thing, allowing readers to further understand the thoughts of writers from different countries and the lives of people on the other side of the ocean. However, if bilateral exchanges become one-sided.
His books on Western literature are very popular domestic.

On the other hand, there is no literary creation in China that can be used to counter the trend.
Isn't this embarrassing?
Where does this put the reputation of domestic intellectuals?
"This time, the Central Propaganda Department is completely anxious." The smile on Su Tong's face gradually disappeared, replaced by a faintly solemn expression. "Domestic literature itself is not easy to go viral. It's not just a problem of translation, but also the creative style of the major masters."

Nowadays, among the famous writers in China, let’s take the four major domestic literary awards, the Lao She Literature Award, the Mao Dun Literature Award, the Lu Xun Literature Award, and the Cao Yu Drama Literature Award as an example. Any work that can stand out in these four major literary awards is -

Most of them are imbued with a certain flavor of the times, which is the so-called local culture.

In the eyes of Chinese people, because they have experienced the times, everyone can read and understand the meaning that the author wants to express through words.

but
You let a foreigner try to understand China's contemporary characteristics and unique local culture.
Isn't this just a fantasy?

To put it bluntly, a considerable number of American people cannot even tell whether the capital of China is Beijing or Shanghai. Not to mention the history of foreign countries, a considerable number of them are not even very clear about the history of their own country.

To this day, there are still quite a few Americans who believe that the United States attacked Pearl Harbor during World War II.
If it is in this case.

Domestic writers still do not change their creative style, and still insist on focusing on local literature. Some works full of local elements are published on the other side of the ocean for foreign readers to read.

This is bound to cause discomfort.
"Foreign literature has natural advantages when it flows into the domestic market." Su Tong explained the pros and cons to Jiang Hai, "But it is very difficult for domestic literature to go beyond Asia and rush to North America."

"If a mature writer who has formed his own writing theory changes his writing style, there is a great risk of failure. However, if he does not change his writing style and stays in his comfort zone,

“Let alone breaking into North America, it’s even difficult to get out of Asia.”

She told Jiang Hai everything that had happened at the national level during this period. Su Tong looked sideways at Jiang Hai beside her:
"The situation is just like this, but compared to what others think, I want to know more."

"What do you think?"

There is no doubt that the next six months will be a showdown between the top writers of China and the United States. If a country wants to become a superpower, its literary level is also a manifestation of its soft power.

If Chinese literature loses in this invisible contest, there is no doubt that the world situation, at least in terms of literature, will remain the same.

Western literature stands at the top of the food chain.

Western literature is greater than East Asian literature. Japanese literature is the strongest in East Asian literature, followed by Chinese literature, and Indian literature is last.

Chinese literature will continue to be in the third tier of the world for a long time.

"How should I watch it?" Compared to Su Tong's worry, Jiang Hai seemed much more casual. He leaned lazily on the sofa behind him, "I will definitely watch it while lying down."

"Teacher Su Tong, please stop laughing at me. You celebrities are all at a loss. I am just a junior. What can I do?"

If the sky falls, there will be tall people to hold it up. Jiang Hai may be considered a first-tier writer in the domestic literary world, but he must carry the banner of "Leader of Chinese Literature"——

He is far from qualified.

Let's not talk about other things, just the chairmen of the Chinese Writers Association, Tie Ning, Jia Pingwa, and Liu Zhenyun.
Which of these famous people is not more famous than Jiang Hai?
From Northwest folk literature.

To the new realism genre.

To pioneer nonfiction
Each of these literary schools has its own representative figures and a considerable number of fanatical followers.
Just as Jiang Hai said, in terms of seniority in the domestic literary world, he is just a junior.

Even if he loses in this literary battle between China and the United States, it won't be his face that is lost.
"A hero's origin is not important. Literature is not something that should be judged by seniority." Su Tong smiled, took out a pack of lotus flowers from her pocket, and then took out a cigarette and passed it to Jiang Hai. "I see you've been sitting here listening for a long time, and you're tired. Why don't you go out and have a cigarette to relieve your fatigue?"

Jiang Hai took the cigarette from him with a smile:
"Okay, take one, then thank you Teacher Su for the cigarette."

You want to ask Jiang Hai if he has any other thoughts about this invisible literary competition?

Ideas, of course.

only.
It is true that we have the will but not the ability.

This kind of book promoted by official national departments represents the face of a country, and the quality of the literary works produced must be high enough.

Even if Jiang Hai's masterpiece "Xu Sanguan Selling Blood" was translated into English and sold in North America, it might not be able to sell well in the European and American markets due to differences in national conditions and the limitations of the subject matter of the work itself, let alone create any influence.
Even if Jiang Hai wanted to help, to be honest, he couldn't think of anything that could surpass "Xu Sanguan's Literary Notes" for the time being.
"I think you can continue with the path of sad literature, just like No Longer Human. I think this style of literature is quite interesting." Su Tong held a cigarette in her hand and chatted with Jiang Hai casually, "Decadent literature, sad literature, today's readers——"

“It seems like he really likes this.”

"I don't think there are any writers in North America who are good at this kind of subject matter? If you specialize in it, you might be able to create a brand new literary genre."

Hearing this, Jiang Hai smiled and looked a little helpless:

"Writing is a natural thing, and it is achieved by a good pen."

"You've already said that No Longer Human is the pinnacle of sad literature. If it's already the pinnacle, how can it be so easy to surpass it?"

As Jiang Hai chatted, he took a puff of cigarette and exhaled a thick cloud of mist from his mouth.

“But then again, who says there aren’t writers in North America who are good at decadent literature?”

"Have you forgotten Hemingway?"

“He is the originator of North American decadent literature and a representative figure among the writers of the ‘Lost Generation’ in North America.”

Jiang Hai was about to continue his story:
'The Sun Also Rises is a classic that has influenced the American literary world for half a century. It is with this book that Hemingway became a legend in the American literary world and the originator of American decadent literature. As for The Old Man and the Sea, it is a masterpiece that has influenced the world literary world! And For Whom the Bell Tolls is even more...'

Unexpectedly, Jiang Hai didn't even wait for him to finish his next words.

Su Tong looked at Jiang Hai with a confused look:

“Who is Hemingway?”

Who is Hemingway???
Jiang Hai was stunned by Su Tong's words.

this person
You don’t even know Hemingway???

Two seconds later, as if he had realized something, Jiang Hai looked at Su Tong tentatively and whispered two famous quotes from Hemingway that were famous throughout the world in his previous life:

"Man is not born to fail. A man can be destroyed but not defeated."

“True nobility is being better than your past self.”

When Jiang Hai shouted these two sentences.

Su Tong's eyes gradually changed from confusion at the beginning to contemplation:
"A person can be destroyed but not defeated?"

“This sentence makes a lot of sense.”

“Is this your new book?”

Su Tong's behavior further confirmed Jiang Hai's guess. He quickly took out his mobile phone and typed the three words "Hemingway" into the search bar. The search bar -

Empty, indicating that there is no such person.

"If Hemingway didn't exist in this world..." Looking at Su Tong's confused face, Jiang Hai's expression gradually changed from surprise at the beginning to calmness, and he sighed in his heart, "Then-"

“It’s time to give the North American literary world a little shock.”

Without paying attention to the doubtful looks from others, Jiang Hai threw away the cigarette butt in his hand and looked at Su Tong in front of him with a smile:
"Hemingway—"

"My good brother in my dream."

(End of this chapter)