Tokyo: The life of a literary giant begins with home self-defense!

Chapter 386: Banville's Invitation

Princess Takeda's wish to ride a horse was not fulfilled because a friend of Tatsukawa Toru visited that day.

Wearing a top hat and formal attire.

It was Banville, whom I had met a few times in Ireland.

"Banville?"

At the time, Longchuan Che's family was having dinner, and Longchuan Che was stunned when he opened the door.

It was clearly inappropriate for John Banville to be invited to the restaurant since the room was full of women, so Tatsukawa Che invited him to sit in a small reception room.

Oil paintings were displayed all around, and steaming black tea was placed in front of him.

"You guys chat, call me if you need anything."

The black tea was brought by the lady of the house. She nodded to Banville as a greeting, then closed the door, handing the space over to the two men.

"Long time no see, Longchuan."

Banville looked somewhat embarrassed, and Long Chuanche guessed it was because of the scandal that had occurred in his own country.

Ireland's pursuit of fairness led to the exclusion of creators from other countries, which had a devastating impact on Banville, who held strong national beliefs.

"Don't do that, Banville."

Longchuan Che seemed to sense the other person's unease.

"Dreiser said that life is not a flower that never changes. The Frank Prize is just a choice made by a few people, not the fault of your whole country."

Ireland's handling of the Frank Fiction Prize can be described as a lightning-fast and groveling approach.

Internally, literary critic Colm was dismissed for making inappropriate remarks.

The protagonist of this incident, Tatsuki Tatsukawa, was invited to become a visiting professor at Trinity College and an international friend of Ireland.

They've done everything they could, not even including the unannounced Frank Award for Fiction.

Seeing Long Chuanche's casual demeanor, Banville sighed heavily.

"Longchuan, I admire you very much, I really admire you."

Banville picked up the bone china plate under the lamplight and took a sip; the sweet aroma of fruit tea filled his mouth.

“I read your book, ‘The Ghost of Lexington,’ but I prefer your analysis of Irish culture at the exchange meeting a month ago to that literary novel that favors solitude.”

Tatsuki Tatsukawa once said that Ireland is a country of suffering.

This country suffered greatly under colonial rule and oppression, and countless literary works were born in its struggle to survive.

Joyce's Ulysses, George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and Superman.

Great literary works seem to always be associated with suffering and tragedy, as Banville said:

“You have a deep understanding of our country’s culture, and I want to make it up to you in a way.”

"compensate?"

Long Chuanche was stunned. In the end, this matter had nothing to do with Banville. In fact, if Long Chuanche hadn't exposed that video, the Frank Fiction Prize would have been his.

"It's not necessary."

Long Chuanche took a sip of tea, feeling somewhat guilty.

Banville was so honest that it made him feel guilty for taking things without giving anything in return.

“My teacher is a member of the Swedish Academy, and he talked to me a few days ago about the literary prize nominations he has.”

Swedish Academy of Arts and Letters

These two words, when linked together, almost have only one meaning.

"That's something we could consider."

Longchuan Che quickly swallowed back the previous sentence.

Honest people are good.

Seeing his own country make a mistake and eagerly trying to make amends, Tatsukawa Tetsu couldn't help but wish that the world were full of people like Banville.

Long Chuanche's expression changed as quickly as turning the pages of a book, while Banville smiled indifferently.

The Swedish literary prize is world-renowned and has been around for over a century.

No one will give up if they have the chance to compete.

“I would like to hear your thoughts on the snow scene in Dubliners.”

Tatsukawa Toru showed curiosity about the literary prize, but Banville did not continue the topic.

The man started talking about the famous Irish literary work, *Dubliners*. That snowfall, once considered to have permeated world literature.
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Since "Dubliners," all of James Joyce's short stories bear the mark.

This is what a famous literary critic said.

"Dubliners?"

Tatsukawa rubbed his fingers, knowing that Banville's "The Dead" was inspired by the snow scene at the end of "Dubliners".
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Snowflakes drifted gently down through the universe.
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It falls equally on all the living and the dead.

"On a snowy night in Dublin, Gabriel stood by the window, gazing at the snowflakes dancing in the air."

Longchuan Che fiddled with the buttons on his collar, wondering if this was Banville's test.

A test of whether he can take his place in the nomination.

"A vast expanse of white has fallen, the earth is truly clean." This is the ending of the classic Eastern novel "Dream of the Red Chamber."

"As Pan Jinlian heard Wu Song approaching on 'shattered jade,' she pondered her fate. This was the end for Wu Song, who killed his sister-in-law."

Snow always carries a special meaning in literature.

The vast white earth in "Dream of the Red Chamber" and the scattered jade fragments in "Jin Ping Mei".

Tatsuki Ryukawa uses Eastern literary works to analyze the snow scene in "Dubliners".

"You'll find that this ending of 'Dubliners' would fit perfectly into any other classic novel."

What is the ending of Dubliners?

Leaving aside the literal meaning, it refers to the fact that 'snowflakes' fall equally on everyone.

This universal gaze that transcends boundaries places the insignificance of individual life within the eternally cyclical dimension of space and time.

"The snow not only fell across the entire central plains of Ireland, but also reached Qinghe County and the Grand View Garden. The snow is not only a manifestation of equality, but also a kind of equal connectivity that Ireland needs."

Tatsuki Tatsuki has his own interpretation of "Dubliners," or rather, people who read a lot of books all have their own interpretations of "Dubliners."

Banville believed that the snow was a spiritual mirror of Western modernism, while Tatsukawa Tetsu believed that the snow was an embodiment of Zen.

"When falsehood is taken for truth, even truth becomes falsehood; this is a wisdom that transcends a binary opposition."

After Long Chuan finished speaking, he noticed that Banville was somewhat stunned.

He was silent for a moment, then said, "That's what I admire about you."

What are the distinctive literary characteristics of Tatsukawa Toru?

His ability lies in his capacity to set aside traditional conclusions and analyze existing literary works from his own perspective and vision.

From Dubliners to Ulysses.

Banville chatted quite a bit with the young man in front of him.

"Come to Ireland, Longchuan."

Banville's eyes gleamed as he looked at the young man in front of him.

"Irish literature is currently in decline in international culture, and your understanding of Irish literature exceeds my expectations."

What is literature?

It is a continuation of culture and a calling card of the times.

The Irish, whose cultural heritage has been nearly lost, are more able to recognize the help a writer who understands their own culture can provide.

Maintaining cultural independence is a spiritual need for a nation.

Banville extended his hand to Tatsukawa Tetsu.

“Your situation in your country isn’t very good, come to our country.”

There are many good horses, but it is difficult to find a good horse trainer.

Long Chuanche stared blankly at the outstretched hand in front of him.

Become Irish.

Having a Nobel Prize nomination means receiving more resources.

"You."

Long Chuanche smiled. Banville, who looked like he had thick eyebrows and big eyes, actually played the role of a government lobbyist.

At this moment, Long Chuanche was unaware that the news of Banville's invitation would reach China even faster than the award-winning novel by Frank.

and this.

It was also a turning point in the Japanese literary world, from the Kohei era to the Ryukawa era.

(End of this chapter)