Literary Master 1983

There's a problem with Chapter 277; contact Márquez.

Wang Meng is the head of the cultural department, but lately she has been busy with Yu Qie's reply to the other side of the strait, and is very worried about it, acting like Yu Qie's personal secretary.

I felt a little embarrassed by how I cut the leftover pieces.

He invited Yu Qie to get on the company bus, and then excitedly said:

“I know you haven’t been home for a long time! So I haven’t called you since you got home, but what we’re talking about now is whether many people can go home.”

Yu Qie immediately knew what he was talking about!

The ice-breaking journey between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait began with the opening of family visits for veterans, and only then did other exchanges begin. Actresses from Taiwan like Wang Zuxian and Brigitte Lin both came to the mainland during this period through family visits. Sure enough, Wang Meng said, "Let me briefly tell you what happened between us while you were away from the capital."

"First of all, your novel continues to circulate on the other side. It's already allowed to be read there, and it's recommended to read. I've heard that people in the middle and upper circles will even organize special trips to see it."

"Secondly, the Guangxi Film Studio produced a film called 'The Battle of Taierzhuang,' which depicted the Kuomintang's resistance against Japan. This film was very popular after it was exhibited in Hong Kong. Then, several people personally went to the Xinhua Society's branch in Hong Kong to ask for a copy of the film. They identified themselves."

Yu Qie asked, "Did we give it to them?"

"Of course I gave it to them."

At this moment, the comrades who looked like cadres next to Wang Meng explained: "We guess that the reason they openly asked for it is because they made a big joke when they tried to buy 'Lurking' last time, so they no longer hide it. We think this is a very positive sign."

Finally, Wang Meng said, "Thirdly, we have prepared to organize a group of people, ready to communicate at any time. You are of course of utmost importance. This is specifically to explain this matter to you."

Wow, I've become the leader.

Wait a minute, wasn't the movie "Taierzhuang" supposed to be released in Hong Kong in April or May?

The mainland China release date will be even later!
Yu asked Wang Meng what was going on, and Wang Meng laughed and said, "The film 'Taierzhuang' was completed last year. It was originally a very controversial film, so it was first screened in Hong Kong. But after you wrote the novel, people felt that it was not wrong to show the Kuomintang army's resistance against Japan in a positive light, so the film was released sooner."

This movie goes far beyond just a positive portrayal. The actor who plays the transport battalion commander is quite handsome, and his voice is powerful and resonant. In one scene, the commander delivers a speech while Japanese planes are circling overhead, and the soldiers below the stage are filled with righteous indignation and high spirits. However, in historical documentaries, these same men appear somewhat listless because the commander's accent is very difficult to understand, and they have been standing in the sun for hours.

At this moment, the comrade next to Wang Meng explained, "The current situation is that 'Lurking' has become a must-read novel for the elites and high-ranking officials over there, while 'Taierzhuang' is being shown to the general public. You are both very popular."

Yu Qie had guessed at the time that the group of people exchanging ideas might include actors and directors from "Taierzhuang," and sure enough, that was the case.

The car arrived at the cultural department's building. When the actors from "Taierzhuang" saw Wang Meng, they all looked serious and stood ramrod straight. Wang Meng waved her hand and said, "Don't be so polite... This is Yu Qie!"

The actors stared at Yu Qie again, and Yu Qie could only cup his hands in a gesture of respect.

At that time, the Film Bureau was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture, and the head of the Ministry of Culture was Wang Meng. Moreover, key positions in major film studios and the Film Bureau were often held by people with writer backgrounds, which gave writers an unprecedented influence on the film industry.

The cultural department's office building was located somewhere on Shatan Street. The western half belonged to the cultural department, while the eastern half housed the Red Flag magazine. These two occupied the main building. Behind it was a row of bungalows that served as offices for cadres and staff. Further inside was the 203 compound, which was entirely inhabited by staff members of the cultural department.

Then, the Film Bureau, the Film Research Institute, the Recording and Videography Institute... all these government agencies were crammed into Compound 203. It's clear that their status was currently quite low.

After waiting a while longer, everyone arrived. Wang Meng's secretary closed the door for him, and Wang Meng said:
"This is classified information. We may be going as representatives to exchange information in a few months..." Before she could finish speaking, the group from "Taierzhuang" was already dumbfounded! Wang Meng had to pause to let everyone accept the news before continuing:
"As for where the exchange will take place, it could be here, it could be there, or some other better region."

Afterwards, Wang Meng began to explain some precautions, repeatedly emphasizing that they should not stay in the area and must return safely. "Two years ago, the Beijing People's Art Theatre troupe toured Tokyo, Japan, performing 'Teahouse.' Before returning home, they generally expressed complaints and frustration. Some even missed their flights because they were trying to buy home appliances and secondhand coats. Don't let down the expectations of your country and people."

After that, other people came to provide training. At that time, I knew absolutely nothing about Taiwan, except for some outdated nonsense in textbooks. After they finished speaking, Yu Qie suddenly asked, "Where are you assigning me? Who will go with me?"

"University of Iowa, Liu Shahe, and others."

Damn it, it's the University of Iowa again.

Liu Shahe was the first editor-in-chief on the mainland to introduce Taiwanese poets, so he naturally had to have a spot. But the University of Iowa didn't know why Wang Meng insisted on going there.

It seems Wang Meng did indeed visit in history, and not only him, but also Guan Moye and others. Nie Hualing and her white husband turned this writing exchange into a brand!
"You think this is inappropriate?" Wang Meng sensed it.

Yu Qie said, “I have a way to get an academic invitation to the United States, but it can’t be the University of Iowa, and it can’t be Nie Hualing’s exchange program. I’ve read Nie Hualing’s articles and found that she is an anarchist who specifically calls on people with grievances to vent their resentment… In addition, this occasion should be more formal. Do you mean that the time and place of the exchange are decided by others? What if it’s not an exchange, but an attempt to trip you up?”

"Or, did Nie Hualing specifically recruit a few people to trip us up? Doing it that way would involve too many variables and too many people."

And importantly: Liu Shahe himself is a somewhat "foolish" and overly kind person. He believes whatever people tell him, and it would be troublesome if he were fooled into writing something.

Wang Meng was dumbfounded. He felt that Yu Qie's reasoning was a bit far-fetched, as if he were extremely hostile to others. But Yu Qie had never made a mistake in important matters, so he kept this in mind for the time being and later asked someone about it. What he asked surprised him quite a bit: Nie Hualing was a second-generation rich kid who had fled from the mainland to Taiwan, yet the organization she ran was not well-regarded even on the island of Taiwan.

Holy crap, what the hell are you made of?
A group of Soviet writers who longed for Soviet Russia were invited by Nie Hualing to write articles—naturally, not anything positive. Latin American writers were also called in and wrote novels criticizing the authorities… This exchange program seemed specifically designed to incite conflict, yet it never organized any novelists opposing the United States. The reason is simple: the program was funded by schools and foundations.

She cannot afford to offend her sugar daddy.

Wang Meng immediately became afraid: it was fine for a few people to go and gain some prestige, but if they messed things up at this critical juncture, he would become a traitor to the nation. Wang Meng then went to Yu Qie: "I believe you that you can be invited by the Americans, but at least a group of us need to go. What are you going to do?"

“If there’s a problem, ask Márquez,” Yu said.

“Gabriel García Márquez is a Nobel Prize-winning literary giant who lives a secluded life and has devoted half his life to investigating the massacre case… Do you think he can be swayed by a few words from you?”

Yu Qie couldn't help but burst into laughter: "You've mythologized these people too much. Just you wait and see."

In this situation, writing a letter was obviously too late, so Yu Qie made a transoceanic phone call, contacting the Nobel laureate through Márquez's brother, claiming to be a recipient of the Akutagawa Prize and planning to take a publicly funded trip to the United States with some relatives, hoping that he could provide assistance.

Yu Qie also mentioned that he has some new manuscripts he wants to publish in the United States, but he can't find the right channels. His novel publisher is indeed very influential in Japan, but not in Europe and America. His stories are excellent, and it would be a great pity if he didn't have a powerful publisher.

Generally speaking, in Europe and America, if Yu Qie's book does indeed become a bestseller, Márquez will receive a stipend.

Yu Qie was an Akutagawa Prize-winning writer, and at that time, some Japanese writers' works were already bestsellers in Europe and America. If he actually wrote something, it was very likely that he would make money from it.

Márquez readily agreed. "How would you like our assistance? Should the invitation be extended by our Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or by a top university? Or something else…?"

Why can't we have both?

"You're such a greedy person, Yu Qie. But, since you're my friend, I think I'll help you with this!"

"I look forward to meeting you."

"Me too."

Less than three days after hanging up the phone, the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs personally sent a letter inviting Mr. Yu, a renowned Asian writer, to visit the country.

On the map, Colombia is a very small country. It only established diplomatic relations with China in the early 80s, and the current government is a left-leaning one. Some of the truths about the massacres were uncovered and acknowledged under this government.

Their diplomatic liaison in China was a translator and writer (a classic talent channel for Latin American diplomats), who originally studied English and American literature in the United States and was named Gomez.

Gomez, a member of the royal family and owning a coffee factory, was a quintessential capitalist, yet he promoted left-wing culture everywhere and played a crucial role in establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries. That year, a delegation from our side visited Colombia, not expecting things to go so quickly. Unexpectedly, Gomez first invited everyone to the National Theatre to give speeches, moving the public, and then led them one by one to pay homage to powerful figures, from the parliament and the courts to the vice president and then the president… This whole process resulted in the signing of diplomatic relations.

How could someone like this invite writer Yu?

Isn't this much better than that damn "international cooperation and exchange program"?

Wang Meng was completely baffled and paced back and forth in the office: Why does everyone love Yu Qie? What is his relationship with Gomez?
Subsequently, a Spanish publisher sent letters to Boston University and Duke University in the United States, inviting "a group of prominent Chinese cultural figures to the United States for exchanges."

Boston University is one of the best schools in the US, on a completely different level from the University of Iowa. Duke University isn't as well-known, but its literature department is highly accomplished, and their basketball team is also excellent. At this point, the deal was finalized—an invitation was extended by a neutral third party, followed by a visit to a top-tier American university, surpassing Nie Hualing's proposed literary exchange in every aspect.

Wang Meng remained perplexed. He wasn't jealous, but he was practically going crazy: Why did the whole world seem to revolve around Yu Qieyi the moment he mentioned doing something, with everyone rushing to help him? Why was that?
But it was true, there was no falsehood. Yu Qie wrote another reply, explaining the situation to Yu Guangzhong and others on the other side of the strait: If this exchange could really happen, the United States is so big, we can exchange ideas anywhere.

Yu Guangzhong was stunned when he received the letter a week later: Brother, you're being so direct?
He specifically called the two universities to inquire and found that it was a sponsored event organized by Spanish booksellers. Upon further investigation, he discovered that it was a publicity campaign for the sale of Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez's new book, "Love in the Time of Cholera." This kind of thing is not unusual in the United States. What is unusual is that Yu Qieza has this kind of relationship with Márquez.

I would gladly go through fire and water for him, this Asian.

Yu Guangzhong was genuinely jealous. Within their Taiwanese writers' circle, only Li Ao had run his own newspaper and understood the publishing system well. Yu Guangzhong asked Li Ao, "How does that Yu Qie from the mainland know people everywhere? This event of his was actually initiated by Boston University..."

Li Ao understood immediately: "An exchange of benefits."

"What do you mean?"

"The extravagant lifestyles of these American university professors are provided by publishers. They satisfy the publishers' sales demands by recommending their exorbitantly priced professional books as textbooks or by cooperating with the publishers' book promotions. In return, the publishers also help them maintain their image by giving kickbacks. Márquez is a Nobel laureate; if he wanted someone to eat and drink for free, would he not allow it?"

"Then how does he have a connection with Márquez?"

“I don’t know either,” Li Ao said. “He’s popular in Japan, maybe he went to Japan to introduce mistresses to Márquez so he could have a good time with prostitutes.”

“Huh? You mean Marquez…” Yu Guangzhong felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

"You didn't know? When Márquez got rich, he kept mistresses. That's how Latin Americans are."

When Yu Guangzhong and Yu Qie exchanged letters, they always addressed each other as "my foolish elder brother" and "my foolish younger brother," terms used by peers. Yu Guangzhong was somewhat reluctant to do this in the past, which is understandable, as he was several decades older than Yu Qie.

In terms of honors, Yu Qie is a literary giant like Akutagawa, a prestigious title that overshadows 99% of Taiwanese writers. But that doesn't seem enough, because there are always some geniuses from small places who are great at writing novels but lack worldly experience and don't know how things work on the international stage.

However, Yu Qie was completely different.

(End of this chapter)