I am a literary giant in Europe

Chapter 439 Returning to China
In February, a major event occurred.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet's film "The Father Trapped in Time" has been selected for the Berlin Film Festival.

He ultimately won three awards: Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay, narrowly losing to German director F.A. Arkin's "Only the Brave".

At the awards ceremony, Genet expressed his gratitude to Liu Jin.

Thus began "Father's" year-long journey to win awards.

In mid-February, after the Berlin Film Festival, "Father" received seven Oscar nominations and ultimately won Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Anthony Hopkins also expressed his gratitude to Liu Jin!

……

However, it has nothing to do with Liu Jin.

He admitted that he had been slacking off!

When he first arrived in France, he would write very diligently.

But with the relief of financial pressure and the achievement of success... well, I guess you could call it success! Anyway, he became much lazier.

The Da Vinci Code has been in the works for three years.

At the previous pace, it could have been completed in a month at most.

But he procrastinated and only wrote half of it by the end of the month.

So much so that when he looked back and examined himself, he couldn't help but slap himself in the face.

That's too slow!

Attending classes is unavoidable.

But to be honest, the course load for graduate students isn't very heavy.

Director Michel Ranke didn't put any pressure on him, unlike other graduate students who had to work like slaves.

He does not need it.

Michelle's requirement for him was to keep writing.

but……

He went to audit courses in film and audiovisual studies, which took up a lot of his time.

He went to audit philosophy courses, which took up some more of his time.

Then, play football, play video games...

In short, a lot of energy was diverted, resulting in less than satisfactory progress on "The Da Vinci Code".

This also made Liu Jin wary.

After March, he stopped being distracted.

I began to concentrate on writing, and my writing speed improved again.

He didn't even care that "Father" won the Best European Film Award at the Goya Film Awards in Spain in March.

Everything was irrelevant to him; he was immersed in the story.

In mid-March, "The Eye of the Ferocious Beast" was released on America.

The reaction was absolutely explosive!

In particular, the opening speech by Defense Minister America regarding the Battle of Iwo Jima has been hailed by many as the most absurd and laughable story since the end of World War II. But precisely because of this, the novel attracted considerable attention upon its release.

After all, this was the Pulitzer Prize winner's first book in 2004.

This is something that has piqued the curiosity of many people!

The battle between Liu Jin and Guillaume in January, in particular, aroused the curiosity of many people.

However, "The Man Who Will Disappear" is still being translated and cannot be published in the short term.

So people turned their curiosity to this book, "The Eyes of the Ferocious Beasts".

The experiences of the three characters, including Mikami Yuya, have shocked many people.

Americans don't care about history outside their own country, but they are still full of curiosity about everyday life.

"Iris, are the stories in this book true?"

A reporter asked Mr. Zhang.

"Before World War II, did the Japanese really send a large number of prostitutes to Southeast Asia and donate the proceeds to the Japanese government?"

"Yes!"

Mr. Zhang's answer was resolute.

"If you don't believe me, you can go to Columbia University Library to look up the economic conditions of ordinary people before World War II... There is a lot of detailed information there."

"What a crazy country."

……

"Professor, is there any real-life counterpart to the story of Mikami's elegant wife committing suicide before he went to war?"

In a university classroom, someone asked the history teacher on the podium out of curiosity.

The white-haired professor replied, "Of course there is a prototype."

The inspiration for the character Mikami's elegant wife was Inoue Chiyoko, who committed suicide at home to encourage her husband to fight without any worries.

However, this happened in 1931.

At the time, the media gave Inoue Chiyoko extensive coverage, referring to her as a "Showa era heroine."

The relevant newspapers can be found in libraries... I can only say that the lives of this nation are not as idyllic as we imagine.

"..."

The plot was too tragic.

Aso Tamaru's suicide on the eve of the end of his basic training.

The Madness of Mikami's Elegant Wife.

The almost pathological distortion of Tamaru Aso's mother.

And the process of Mikami Yuu's transformation from a human to a beast as the Battle of Iwo Jima begins is chilling.

For nearly sixty years after the end of World War II, Little Life's cultural export to America was absolutely successful.

Japanese cuisine, ninjas, comics, games...

So much so that many Americans began to forget Pearl Harbor, the Philippines, the Battle of Midway, and the damage Little Life had inflicted on America. They became wildly enamored with Little Life culture... Even during the years when Little Life was loudly proclaiming its intention to buy America, Americans were filled with goodwill towards them.

But now...

The Americans discovered that the everyday life described in the book seemed quite different from the everyday life they knew.

It wasn't politeness, nor was it craftsmanship. It was madness, brutality, and distortion.

The first week of publication of "The Eye of the Ferocious Beast" had only average results.

Only a little over 8,000 copies were sold.

However, with recommendations from Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Toby Depp, and other friends of Liu Jin in Hollywood, coupled with the topical nature of the book's content, sales exploded in the third week, taking the top spot on the New York Times bestseller list.

Sales exceeded 200,000 copies.

It was only then that the Chinese Embassy in the United States became aware of the existence of this book.

So they began a frantic counterattack.

They live a very comfortable life!

They launched a counterattack in various newspapers and magazines, and at the same time, they rallied a large number of Chinese scholars studying in the United States to publish comments.

They were trying to use this method to prove that Liu Jin was lying.

However, Liu Jin's connections in America over the years haven't been wasted.

He also has connections in the film, entertainment, and cultural circles. So when Chinese scholars came forward to lie, some Western scholars unexpectedly sided with Liu Jin and attacked Xiao Rizi and the Chinese scholars' lies.

Iris Chang traveled extensively, recounting the atrocities committed during her childhood.

She is a native American and wrote the book "The Rape of Nanking," which exposed the atrocities committed by the people of Nanking.

As a result, many schools have invited her to give lectures.

And what about everyday life?
They then employed the power of money to launch a massive public opinion offensive.

Not long after, former president and former Democratic Party leader Jimmy Carter published an article.

He had served in the navy and had been in the Pacific Fleet, where he had been on duty in the Pacific Ocean. His ship, the HMS Pomfret, even docked in Chinese ports many times before 49, so he had a deep understanding of everyday life.

He believes that some plot points in "The Eye of the Ferocious Beast" are indeed absurd and laughable.

But many more stories are true and worthy of deep reflection.

For example, the brutality of Xiao Rizi, the madness of Xiao Rizi... He heard about it from veterans when he was serving in the military.

Now, with China becoming the world's second-largest economy, its ambitions are self-evident.

President Carter believed that we should not forget the madness of the eighty years of ordinary life.

While acknowledging the importance of everyday life, we must also be wary of its potential for unintended consequences.

Especially in some important areas, restrictions must be imposed.

……

The article's publication sparked even greater discussion.

Former Republican President George H.W. Bush, who is also the father of the current president, also published an article shortly afterward warning of the dangers of a small world.

The Elephant and Donkey parties are surprisingly aligned on some issues.

In some key areas, America must take the lead.

For example, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), semiconductors, computers...

In the words of America's political circles, if life is a beast, then we must put a bridle on it.

Of course, these are all things for later!

In any case, the publication of "The Eye of the Ferocious Beast" has indeed sparked a lot of discussion.

This also led to a surge in the book's sales.

Of course, it didn't replicate the popularity of "The Old Man and the Sea" from two years ago or the record of 764 million copies sold globally in 48 hours for "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" last year. However, according to assessments by Nielsen Book Survey and the AAP (Association of American Publishers), "The Eyes of the Beast" will sell no less than three million copies in the North American book market that year.

This is already an outstanding achievement!
However, this assessment was a prediction made before Presidents Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush made their comments…

But this is enough to make ordinary people feel overwhelmed.

……

Liu Jin was aware of the discussions surrounding "The Eye of the Ferocious Beast".

But he still didn't care.

He also wanted to see what America's political stance was towards everyday life.

In particular, after he finished writing "The Da Vinci Code", he received an email from America.

It was an email from Blumenthal.

In the email, he told Liu Jin: Do what you think is right, kid.

Don't worry!
Liu Jin received the email and breathed a sigh of relief.

He had no sympathy for most of his victims.

This was especially true of what happened in 2025.

However, it cannot be denied that not all victims are bad people; there are also some good people.

For example, Blumenthal, Eva, Emmanuel, and... the woman sitting next to him right now.

Juliette Binoche.

She was reclining in her chair reading a book, Liu Jin's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame".

The plane suddenly experienced turbulence.

She looked up at Liu Jin.

"Amos, I'm really curious, how did you manage to write such an authentically French novel?"

"Listen more, watch more, and observe more."

Liu Jin fastened his seatbelt and answered with a smile.

"Come on... You live in the 21st century, how can you observe life in the 18th century?"

"Read a book!"

Liu Jin took a sip of water and smiled, "I'm a good student."

Juliet gave him a charming eye roll.

To be honest, Juliette Binoche isn't exactly beautiful.

This is especially true for a lecherous old man like Liu Jin, who usually associates with actors, singers, or supermodels.

But you have to admit, she has an extraordinary charm.

She was beautiful even without makeup.

……

(End of this chapter)