1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 357 Synthesis, a best-selling novel that has swept the world!

"Americans prefer to use checks and rarely carry more than ten dollars in cash."

At ten o'clock the next morning, Jiang Xian, along with several staff members employed by the "Writing Project" and a dozen other writers, deposited the check they received from Nie Hualing into the bank.

Then I go to the supermarket with my checkbook and buy about a week's worth of food and drinks.

Ru Zhijuan was surprised. "I'm not used to buying things this way."

"What's there to be unaccustomed to?"

Jiang Xian joked, "You need to give tickets when you buy things in China, and you also need to give tickets when you buy things here, but they are checks."

"Hahaha."

After a brief tour of Iowa City, Jiang Xian gradually gained a deeper understanding of this city.

Iowa is a small city centered around a university, with a small population of just over 60,000 people.

However, there are many supermarkets here, selling everything. I took a look and found that eggs and chickens are the cheapest.

A dozen of the largest eggs cost only 86 cents, while slightly smaller ones cost about 70 cents.

"Oh, who can understand these prices?"

Ru Zhijuan said to Jiang Xian, "A clean, white and tender chicken only costs a little over one US dollar, but a piece of tofu costs sixty cents?!"

"The prices of vegetarian dishes are so high as meat prices. How disgusting!" Jiang Xian criticized.

After returning from shopping, it was already past one in the afternoon, so the staff of the "Writing Project" simply took them to McDonald's to eat hamburgers.

This naturally made Ru Zhijuan and Wang Anyi feel strange.

After all, the chicken we eat hasn't been introduced to China yet, and Chinese people have basically no idea what a hamburger is.

But after eating, whether it was Jiang Xian, Ru Zhijuan or Wang Anyi, they all agreed that it was "unpalatable."

Little-known fact: McDonald's and KFC in the United States are the worst in the world.

One of the reasons is that the meat in American hamburgers is not chicken thighs, but chicken breasts.

Americans, with their unconventional ideas, believe that red meat is not as healthy as white meat and contains more fat, so the price of chicken breasts in supermarkets is generally higher than that of chicken legs and wings.

As for chicken heads, chicken necks, chicken butts, chicken gizzards, etc., for them, are these for eating? They are not for human consumption at all. Chicken legs and chicken wings are already the limit for humans.

"At least it's cheaper." Jiang Xian comforted himself.

A hamburger costs only one dollar and fifty cents.

But then I started to worry about money again.

Although hamburgers are cheap, if Zhu Lin and Rao Yuemei, who are used to eating Chinese food, were to eat hamburgers for every meal, it would probably be the end of them.

"Jiang Xian, are you used to the food?" Chen Yingzhen asked with a smile.

"good."

Jiang Xian is well-informed and has eaten all kinds of good food. A meal at McDonald's is nothing more than eating two tasteless burgers.

And there's no need to worry about intestinal illness caused by salmonella.

Americans have weak resistance to bacteria that can cause intestinal diseases, such as Salmonella, so when it comes to raw chicken, which is a high-risk variety for Salmonella, they would rather cook it too hot than undercooked.

If the taste is a little worse, at most we can just sell less.

If you get sick from eating too much, all your work for the whole year will have been in vain.

"Do you have time this afternoon? I want to talk to you about Latin American magical realism literature." Chen Yingzhen asked.

"afternoon?"

Jiang Xian originally planned to write a novel in the afternoon.

He is now completely focused on the novel in his mind.

"Teacher Chen, why don't you come over to my place, have some tea, and chat?"

"Okay."

Chen Yingzhen readily agreed and went back to the "Mayflower" apartment with Jiang Xian.

"Jiang Xian, you should have read the novel One Hundred Years of Solitude. What do you think of this work?"

Jiang Xian immediately realized that the novel Chen Yingzhen was talking about was Marquez's "One Hundred Years of Solitude".

There is currently no completely unified translation for "One Hundred Years of Solitude", and there are many different names for it in Chinese.

"A stunning work, a magnum opus." Jiang Xian answered without any hesitation.

Although his answer was brief, the evaluation he gave was quite high.

Chen Yingzhen was not surprised by Jiang Xian's answer. After all, this was a literary novel that had just won the Nobel Prize and was a literary classic recognized by the world.

"Jiang Xian, I have read your novels. From your creations, I can see that you are very capable in magical realism. You are able to blend Latin American magical realism, stream of consciousness, and carnivalesque language into one, and finally create a brilliant and magnificent novel world with strange and novel feelings, free and unrestrained imagination, and vast and unrestrained language."

"Teacher Chen, do you have anything to say?" Jiang Xian felt a little embarrassed and simply asked directly.

Chen Yingzhen smiled and said, "Jiang Xian, we talked about the status of Chinese literature the other day. I have read your Red Sorghum and The Last Hun. Although these novels are wonderful, it may be difficult for them to conquer foreign readers.

Cultural exchange must be gradual.

Foreigners cannot understand the emotions in "Red Sorghum" and "The Last Hun" due to the limitations of cultural communication in China.

The reason why we participated in this writing project is for cultural exchange.

I was thinking, since magical realism novels are so popular nowadays and you have a talent for writing in this area, why don’t you dig deeper and write a magical realism novel that contains Chinese culture and can be understood by foreigners.”

Hearing this, Jiang Xian's face showed a hint of surprise.

Teacher Chen, don’t you think the same as I do?

He was very confident. Not only did he have such an article in his mind, he had even written a little bit.

But his face still looked troubled.

"Teacher Chen, it's not easy to write a work like that."

"I know."

Chen Yingzhen said, "It is definitely not easy to write. I am afraid that ordinary writers would not dare to touch such works in their lifetime. But after reading your novel, I feel that you are different. In today's Chinese literary world, I am afraid that you are the only one who can handle such works. Apart from you, I can hardly think of anyone else, not even me."

Jiang Xian couldn't stand Chen Yingzhen's flattery, so he quickly said modestly:
"Teacher Chen, you're welcome."

Chen Yingzhen said, "I am not being polite. I cherish this cultural exchange opportunity very much. I hope to take this opportunity to let more readers around the world see and understand how excellent the development of Chinese literature is. It is not lagging behind those countries such as France and Britain. This requires some Chinese writers to expand their international influence."

"."

Chen Yingzhen wants to create a literary star from China in world literature.

However, domestic writers’ works are basically soft and realistic, and it is difficult to break out of this framework. So Chen Yingzhen took a fancy to Jiang Xian, thinking that he was good at writing magical realism literature and was a rare talent in the domestic literary world, and encouraged him to challenge himself in this direction.

Because if Jiang Xian doesn't do it, then there's really no one else who can do it.

“I know it is difficult to create such a work. It is a huge challenge for any writer. It requires full dedication for a long time without distraction. The time and effort consumed are immeasurable.

But if it succeeds, it will be a great thing for Chinese literary world.

Jiang Xian, if you want to write a novel like this, I think you are the best person in the domestic literary world!" Chen Yingzhen said.

"Teacher Chen, I understand what you said, but I am also powerless." Jiang Xian smiled bitterly.

Jiang Xian had no complaints about making contributions to the country and to cultural dissemination.

But he still wants to get some benefits.

We can't just let the cows plow the land without letting them eat grass, right?
"That's all I'm saying. I hope you don't waste the rest of your time in Iowa."

Chen Yingzhen said, "Of course, if you can really write it, and if it is good, I will definitely invite those literary critics I know internationally to build momentum for your novel and enhance its prestige, so as not to let the gold go to waste."

"That's what you said!" Jiang Xian became happy.

There was no other way. He had to adapt to the local customs. Since he was in the United States, living in a capitalist society, the marketing of a novel was crucial to its success and sales.

Best-selling books in the United States cannot be separated from marketing.

If Chen Yingzhen was willing to use his connections to help promote Jiang Xian's novel, it would definitely be a big help to him and could be considered a favor.

"Okay, don't worry, I will work hard in this direction." Jiang Xian said.

He was quite confident in his heart.

Isn’t it just about writing a magical realism novel that has both Chinese culture and is appealing to foreigners?

That’s what he wrote!
Although the novel is still in its infancy, Jiang Xian is full of confidence in it.

It has a lot of magical realism!

It turns the impossible into the possible and pushes the imagination of literature to another new frontier. It is fantastic, bizarre, naive, realistic and profound, blending strange stories, fables and moral stories together.

Chen Yingzhen drank a few glasses of water and then said goodbye.

Jiang Xian went to check on Zhu Lin for a while, and then went back to the studio, took out a stack of manuscript paper on the table, and continued writing.

".
Why do people migrate? What makes them leave their homes, everything they know, to go to a completely unknown place beyond the horizon? Why go through a pile of procedures as high as Mount Everest, making you feel like a beggar? Why go into this foreign jungle where everything is so new, strange and difficult?
The answer is the same all over the world:

People migrate in the hope of living a better life.

The early 20th century was a turbulent time in China. I drew this conclusion from the deep wrinkles on my father's forehead when he read the newspaper and from the fragments of words he said when he talked to my mother or others.

"

Jiang Xian didn't write very fast, he wrote line after line of Chinese characters on the grid paper of Renwen Press.

If he had to copy directly, he would choose to copy the English manuscript directly.

Unfortunately, he was not copying the novel in his mind.

Instead, its content was significantly revised.

So I could only write the Chinese manuscript first, and then ask someone to translate this novel which was inspired by the two themes "Tiger" and "Sea".

"【Tiger】+【Sea】=The novel "Life of Pi"!"

You all know “Life of Pi”, right?
This novel is a best-selling novel that has swept the world in later generations:

A writer who was looking for inspiration accidentally learned the legendary story of Pi——

"Pai's father runs a zoo. Due to his special living environment, young Pi has his own views on faith and human nature.

When he was 17, Pi's parents decided to immigrate to Canada in pursuit of a better life.

When the ship encountered a storm that was strong enough to swallow it, Pai miraculously survived and was eventually reborn on a wrecked hull with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker after drifting in the Pacific Ocean for 227 days.

In 2012, Chinese director Ang Lee adapted the novel into a movie.

A movie invested and produced by Americans, shot by Chinese, and telling Indian stories.

With an investment of only 5000 million U.S. dollars, which is the same as the investment of "Hot and Bone", after its release, it grossed 6.09 million U.S. dollars worldwide, becoming Ang Lee's highest-grossing film.

Moreover, the film achieved remarkable results at the Oscars that year, winning the Best Director Award, Best Original Score Award, Best Visual Effects Award and Best Cinematography Award, winning four Oscars in one fell swoop.

Countless people have rated it as one of Ang Lee's three best films.

So Jiang Xian is full of confidence in this novel.

The novel "Life of Pi" definitely conforms to the aesthetics and tastes of foreigners.

However, in Jiang Xian’s story, the era and background have to change.

The original work is a story about India and Canada, but Jiang Xian wants to change it to China and the United States.

This modification is not easy.

The original author Yann Martel spent a lot of space to introduce Indian culture in an in-depth manner. After reading the novel "Life of Pi", many readers will become curious and yearn for the mysterious India.

If Jiang Xian wants to keep the quality of this novel, he needs to use the same words and level to write about the mystery and charm of Chinese culture.

"My contribution is so huge!" Jiang Xiangai got mad. He threw his pen on the table and pulled his hair violently.

If he was just a plagiarist, he wouldn't have to worry about this. He could just copy and publish it.

It's a pity that he is unwilling to do such a thing.

By that time the novel had been published, became a bestseller, and been read by readers, but the novel was all about promoting Indian culture.

That's so disgusting.

Since you are writing, you should write about the culture of your own country.

What is written about Ah San's magic?
Write about a lizard with delicate features?

Writing motorcycle exhaust pipe afraid to cool down?

Ho, tui!

We are a great country, can’t we write more than India?

Besides, Jiang Xian is not Indian. He wrote about India in such detail and also wrote a lot of things about faith. Wouldn't his superiors be suspicious of his background after he returns to China?
So no matter what, the background of Jiang Xian's novel must be changed.

Fortunately, he was not idle when he was in China.

Although I haven't started writing yet, I have basically sorted out the outline of the story, the background setting is almost complete, and a large number of historical events have been mixed in, which further enhances the authenticity of this non-fiction novel.

(End of this chapter)