Literary Master 1983

Chapter 17 Latin American Literature Research Expert
Liu Xinwu was the third person to see this research manuscript, and he quickly realized the value of the research.

What I say is meaningful and does not sound false.

But, damn, how did he know that?
At this time, Liu Xinwu had already begun studying the Dream of the Red Chamber, learned some methodologies, and also attempted research in the literary direction.

He knew better than anyone else the destructive power of Yu Qie's research.

To put it bluntly, the establishment of a master's status sometimes comes solely from a mediocre research paper and the demise of the previous master.

Taking the study of the Dream of the Red Chamber as an example, this study took the May Fourth Movement as the dividing line and went through two new and old stages in the two hundred years before and after. In the latter stage, the "textual research school" was dominant. The difficulty of the textual research school lies in the multi-party textual research, which requires detailed and reliable information to support it.

Hu Shi and his group, who founded the "Textual Research School" of Redology, rose to power by stepping on Cai Yuanpei's "Searching for Allegorical Meanings School". That year, Hu Shi worked as a teacher under Cai Yuanpei. That year, Hu Shi was 30 years old.

Cai Yuanpei did not make things difficult for Hu Shi, but instead implemented the principle of "freedom of thought and inclusiveness". When many people at that time spontaneously targeted and isolated Hu Shi, he distributed tea to these people, meaning that their stomachs were too dirty and they should drink some tea to clear their stomachs.

Now Yu Che has surpassed his predecessor by combining the work "One Hundred Years of Solitude" with the social history of Latin America, and the language is also beautiful.

There are very few people in China who understand Latin American literature, and among these people, even fewer also understand Latin American history. Once Yu Qie's research came out, it has proved his strength and level.

Liu Xinwu felt regretful because he did not have time to show an "inclusive" attitude and his objections were expressed too early.

I was just criticizing young people casually while playing cards - why did he write this?
[When half of Latin America entered modern civilization, cities, electric lights, astronauts, and pet dogs appeared in this tropical rainforest, and of course a large number of creators with literary literacy. However, their cultural identity flew forward together to the myths and legends that were more ancient in the tropical rainforest. This formed the social foundation for the outbreak of so-called magical realism.]

As he read deeper, Liu Xinwu broke out in a cold sweat.

Everything about it made sense, but the more it made sense, the more he realized that something was wrong.

【What we are discussing today is the realism that is unique to Latin America.】

[When we quote the term "magical realism" from the West, we also unconsciously become one of the others who discriminate against and seek novelty in Latin America's painful history, and once again push the restless souls of Latin America into endless loneliness.]

"Pushed into endless loneliness." Liu Xinwu murmured. "Who cares if I'm lonely?"

Could it be that when someone discusses the Latin American literature researcher Yu Che later, will they also talk about me who stands on the opposite side of him?
Am I the front wave that played a hindering role at a historical juncture?

The researcher's combination of intelligence and experience makes him willing to believe Yu Qi's research conclusions - today, the general public in China is still not very familiar with "One Hundred Years of Solitude", and the only thing that can be accessed in the whole of China is a chapter of this 260,000-word book.

Yu Che must know more about Latin American literature than most people - after he produced that great article.

Even if we don't call it magical realism, we can change its name to Latin American realism.

Even if we educate the public about the social roots of this creative aesthetic in Latin American literature, what good will that do?

Would it be possible to avoid the many deviations and misunderstandings that occurred later?
But Liu Xinwu didn't want to.

Because he had been technically defeated in the debate, his status was established in a series of unquestionable battles, just like when he wrote "Class Teacher" that year. Facing the backlash from public opinion, he showed an attitude of never backing down. Finally, he waited for a turning point, the status of the scar article was established, and he finally won a great victory.

The position of editor-in-chief of a literary magazine was obtained only after he won thoroughly enough and gained the right to speak.

Together with others, he has led the trend of literary creation in recent years.

Now learning magic realism is a bigger trend, a great trend that makes anyone feel submissive. He just wants to follow the trend and get some benefits. But is Yu Qie going to be the flag bearer of this trend? He regretted saying that, he regretted being too absolute, but there was no regret medicine to take.

If I had known earlier, I shouldn’t have played cards. Playing cards only interferes with things. If I hadn’t played cards, everything wouldn’t have been so passive.

Yu Qie is indeed talented, but his research is not without flaws.

At the end of this article, the "massacre involving three thousand people" was brought up. If Yu Qie guessed it right, he would have succeeded completely and the logic would have been closed.

If Yu Qie didn't guess correctly, at least he could use this to question the value of his previous research, pursue his case relentlessly, and portray himself as an imperfect researcher.

Only in this way would Liu Xinwu's previous denial of Yu Qie not seem so extreme: he was not completely right, and I was not completely wrong.

So Yu Qie got the opposite result from Liu Xinwu.

"You said that this article of mine cannot be published?" Yu Qi was shocked.

Liu Xinwu said: "People's Literature is an authoritative platform and cannot publish unverified conclusions... Nowadays, there are too few people who understand magical realism," Liu Xinwu paused, "or those who understand Latin American realism. Although your research manuscript contains some ideas, it will be kept secret for at least a few years. We have to wait and see which way the wind blows."

Yu Qi turned around and went to find Ma Shi Tu, who had a solution.

"He reviews manuscripts himself, so why would he let you publish on his platform? How about I find you a journal called Foreign Literature Studies? It was established two years ago by the Institute of Literature, and it mainly translates foreign classics and does some literary reviews. If you're not sure, you can also publish in Contemporary Literature and Art Exploration, which is a literary review magazine sponsored by our province. I suggest you publish in the latter one."

"Then I will submit my manuscript to Foreign Literature Studies."

Ma Shi Tu nodded. He said, "You still have a letter to write."

"What letter?"

"A letter to Márquez. Tell this Colombian that you know what he wrote is true, you know the painful history of Latin America, and that you and all your predictions are true. Ask him to support you and to help you. Send this letter together with the previous one."

Yu Qie asked: "Will it have any adverse effects if a private letter is sent using the name of a public institution?"

Yu Qie also wanted to say that it was you who told me not to send it before, and now it is you who encourages me to send it out.

Ma Shi Tu explained why:

"Yu Qie, after reading your research, I completely believe that you do have some research. Even if your final prediction is false, it does not affect the quality of your previous research. After Márquez won the Nobel Prize, countless people around the world wrote congratulatory messages and flattered him. He may have been tired of seeing them, but not many people understood him. The truth of the massacre is something he will never let go of in his life."

"Didn't you say that he is a stubborn person who never forgets things even after decades? I think you are also a stubborn person, and he will appreciate you."

Yu Qie finally said, "Mr. Ma, my Spanish is OK. I want to complete this letter independently. I am afraid someone will tamper with my original intention."

Ma Shi Tu waved his hand and said, "No problem. Professor Chen said you know 80% of Spanish. I think that means you know it all."

"Editor-in-Chief Liu hasn't approved my manuscript yet. Should I apply to him before I can publish this? He might make things difficult for me. And Professor Chen..."

"Yu Qie!" Ma Shi Tu said, "I have already asked you to send this letter. Do I still need to apply to them?"

(End of this chapter)