I am a literary giant in Europe

Chapter 285 Leisurely
Time seemed to have truly stood still!

I get up early in the morning and go for a run along the path with Lao Zhong and Xu Songsheng.

Practicing the Rejuvenation Stance while facing the rising sun.

Then Lao Zhong dragged him away and gave him a good beating.

Old Zhong finally relented and taught Liu Jin some fighting techniques.

It is also due to his continuous boxing practice and fitness routine over the past two years.

Nourished by the tiger bone wine, Liu Jin's physical condition improved every day... Old Zhong felt that there was still hope for him.

In the beginning, it was Old Zhong who taught.

Later, Xu Songsheng also joined in.

He was very grateful to Liu Jin.

Because after arriving in France, he could sense that Leslie's mental state had improved significantly.

After hearing that Liu Jin had been attacked, Xu Songsheng gave Liu Jin two daggers and taught him dagger fighting techniques.

Liu Jin is not French and does not have a gun license.

He has a gun, but he can't carry it openly.

But the dagger is fine.

It's convenient to carry around and discreet.

"What if the other party is armed?"

"Run as far as you can, run as fast as you can."

Xu Songsheng replied with a smile.

"So, within seven paces, the gun is fast; beyond seven paces, the gun is both accurate and fast?"

"Haha, that's about right."

Old Zhong, who was listening nearby, also breathed a sigh of relief.

He was afraid that after Liu Jin learned this dagger fighting technique, his confidence would inflate. He might even dare to charge forward if someone actually had a gun.

This applies to both Hollywood movies and Hong Kong action films.

But in reality, you'd know that it's basically suicide.

……

I practice for two hours every day. After returning home, I draw comics in the morning and write in the study, on the terrace, or in the small living room in the afternoon.

It's a real handwritten piece.

I don't write much each day, just four to five thousand words.

The original text of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" is Victor Hugo's original French text, totaling 350,000 words.

Liu Jin spent two years preparing the story outline.

It is estimated to be around 350,000 to 400,000 words.

At his speed, it will take at least one hundred days, three months.

It's July now, and Liu Jin plans to finish by the end of October, and then properly plan his writing schedule for next year.

Notre Dame Cathedral, it's so familiar!
I've read the novel and watched the movie.

The movie version has definitely undergone some optimizations and adjustments.

Some of the lines have become widely known.

There are more than ten Chinese translations, each with its own unique features.

Liu Jin's favorite translations are those by Li Yumin, Chen Jingrong, Guan Zhenhu, and Pan Lizhen.

Being a translator is not a simple title.

A translator who can be called a "master" possesses literary skills that are unmatched by ordinary people.

For example, Fu Lei, the translator whom Liu Jin admires most, was definitely a master who was well-versed in both Chinese and Western learning.

There are various translations of Balzac and Roman Romain Rolland's works on the market, but in terms of quality, Fu Lei is definitely the first choice.

Unfortunately, Mr. Fu Lei did not translate Victor Hugo's works.

Otherwise, Liu Jin would definitely have chosen Fu Lei's translation as a reference.

Among Hugo's translations, Liu Jin highly recommends Chen Jingrong's translation published by People's Literature Publishing House.

Of course, this is not to say that the other three translations are bad, but Mr. Chen Jingrong's work is more literary. For example, Ms. Pan Lizhen's translation is very vivid, but from the perspective of the original work, it is slightly inferior to Mr. Chen Jingrong's.

The above are my personal opinions.

The level of these four translators is beyond my ability to assess with my rudimentary French skills.

It's just a personal preference...

Whenever Liu Jin was writing, the old lady would secretly sit next to him.

She would hold a Chinese translation of The Count of Monte Cristo that she found in Chinatown and quietly read it.

He would glance at Liu Jin every now and then, his eyes filled with affection.

Liu Jin was almost out of water, so she quietly went over and refilled his water bottle, then returned to the sofa to continue reading.

Sometimes, Alizee would come over too.

She's been reading Liu Jin's Pirates of the Caribbean book lately.

The Old Man and the Sea were too profound for her to comprehend.

She had seen Life Is Beautiful once and felt very sad.

As for the furnace, it was too dark for her to focus on...

Liu Jin knew of their existence, but he didn't pay them any attention.

Every time he picks up a pen to write, he feels as if he has returned to Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, back to that era.

Immersive experience!
This is probably one of the key factors that allowed him to be reborn. When writing, he easily empathizes with the characters in his works.

It's just very hard!

This is also the main reason why he slowed down.

I'm very tired, both mentally and physically.

I only ever had this feeling when I was writing "The Old Man and the Sea" and "Life Is Beautiful".

Other works...

Empathy does exist, but it is rare.

He felt he was writing very slowly.

But in Leslie Cheung's eyes, this guy was simply a writing monster.

Leslie Cheung was nearly fifty years old and had met many writers. But none of them could write as effortlessly as Liu Jin, as if they didn't need to think before they picked up a pen.

It felt as if all the words were already imprinted in his mind.

"Vivian, is your uncle such a good writer?"

He sat on the lawn, basking in the sunshine and sea breeze, feeling exceptionally relaxed.

After a few days, he and Qianqian became familiar with each other.

They've taken photos together, ridden bikes together, and become quite close.

Qianqian shook her head. "I don't know... When my uncle was in China, actually... I didn't even know that his French and English were so good, and he could also speak Spanish. I know he can speak Japanese, since he studied abroad there."

As for his writing skills, I've never seen them before.

My mom used to tease my uncle, saying his writing was terrible. She said that in elementary school, he described his Chinese teacher as a burly woman. She was under thirty... My mom and grandma even asked him to revise it, but he always changed it back.

Hehe, but I know that he liked to read leisure books when he was a child.

Martial arts novels, and romance novels too. Grandpa didn't approve, but Grandma was very supportive when she was alive. Whenever Uncle bought some books, Grandma would secretly hide them in a box or under the bed, afraid Grandpa would see them.

The old lady Qianqian mentioned is Liu Jin's grandmother.

In front of her idol, she didn't hesitate to reveal everything about her uncle.

Even Leslie Cheung couldn't help but laugh!
……

Liu Jin spends two hours drawing comics and three hours writing novels every day.

Then, it's time to empty your mind.

He often went to the beach alone, sat on the sand, and stared blankly at the sea.

It started with him.

Later, Leslie Cheung joined, then Chung Hsiao came along, and then Alizée joined.

Perhaps because they were both singers, Leslie Cheung and Alizee had a good relationship.

He taught Alizee to dance and also taught her vocal techniques.

You might say that Leslie Cheung sang Chinese songs, and the pronunciation of Chinese is completely different from that of English and French.

But in fact, Leslie Cheung's English was very good.

He went to England alone in 1969 to study. After completing his high school education, he was admitted to the University of Leeds.

He released an English album, which Liu Jin listened to and thought was great!
Moreover, he started singing in 1977 and has been singing for 26 years.

Putting everything else aside, in terms of experience, he is more than qualified to be Alizee's teacher.

And Liu Jin wouldn't stop him.

In his opinion, Alizee's technique and singing level were really average.

Her success was due more to luck and talent than anything else!

In fact, Alizee has never had professional training; she has always relied on her talent.

Later on, his talent waned, and coupled with a lack of resources and works, he gradually faded out of the music scene.

It’s different now!

She was admitted to a professional music academy.

The Toulouse Conservatory of Music enjoys a good reputation in Europe, with its eight departments producing many outstanding talents.

From this perspective, Alizee's shortcomings in professionalism will be compensated for.

As for the future, Liu Jin dared not make any further predictions!
……

A week has passed.

Liu Jin's schedule has been adjusted once again.

He no longer wrote every day, but under the old lady's pressure, he wrote for five days and rested for two days.

After all, seeing him hunched over his desk writing or drawing comics all day long, the old lady felt very sorry for him!

Since she wasn't by Liu Jin's side and couldn't control him, it was fine.

Now that she's here, she naturally has to persuade Liu Jin.

Liu Jin didn't want the old lady to feel bad, so he agreed.

It's just a matter of slowing down... Anyway, he's not in a hurry to grab the copyright for this book, he can just write it slowly!

He has no other writing plans for the second half of the year, only this one book, so why should he tire himself out?

He would spend his extra time taking walks with the old lady.

Seeing the increasing smiles on the old lady's face, Liu Jin felt particularly happy.

He writes so diligently, isn't it all in the hope that the old lady will be happier?

It seems he did it!
……

(End of this chapter)