I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 18 Reaction
"Who is this gentleman? I don't think I've ever seen his name before."

"I've never heard of him, but he must be a very talented writer. Otherwise, how could he deserve such a high reputation as Vissarion?"

"No, no, no, this seems to be a complete newcomer. Look at this sentence: Although it is only his first creation, there is no doubt that he has demonstrated the mystery of artistry and the truth of art!"

"'His appearance took over the banner of the 'naturalism' that had gradually matured from Gogol, and to a certain extent went even further than Gogol!' He actually compared an unknown person with Gogol!"

“I see in this article the same passion that Vissarion had in his comments on Gogol.”

.........

Due to their previous habits, most of the young people who bought the book immediately turned to the commentary section on social hot topics in the "Chronicle of the Motherland" magazine.

Today, Russian literary magazines basically have two parts. The first half consists of novels, poems and dramas, and the second half consists of some review articles or polemical articles.

What needs to be noted about the second half is that it will contain a lot of jargon deliberately used to avoid censorship.

Either an abbreviation or a reference.

Just like in later generations, when you talk about the Qing Dynasty, you are not necessarily just talking about the Qing Dynasty, and when you talk about the United States, you are not necessarily just talking about the United States.
As for debates, sometimes they are rational discussions, but once both sides get angry, they are likely to turn into pure war of words.

At the same time, you can also see someone publicly attacking someone else, while others are more timid and choose to express their opinions anonymously.

Belinsky's article undoubtedly appears in the second half.

In accordance with Belinsky's previous style, he often criticized certain social realities and made certain artistic views and summaries while providing literary reviews.

But this time, there were more interpretations of the two novels "Vanka" and "Miserableness" as well as praise and affirmation of the author. It is rare for any critic to treat the work of a newcomer so seriously, let alone Belinsky, who is now at the peak of his career in the commentary world!
At this moment, on Nevsky Prospect in St. Petersburg, on the street corners of Varysoy Island, outside the windows of Kolipino, and even in front of major bookstores on Tverskaya Street in Moscow, many young people first looked at each other, and then had a heated discussion for a while.

When the discussion finally died down, some of them took the literary magazines they had bought home, some walked towards school with their friends, and some walked in groups of three or four to a nearby coffee shop, ready to find a warm and bright place to read seriously.

But more young people could no longer suppress their curiosity and began to read eagerly in the slightly dim sky, ready to see how a newcomer to the literary world could gain the appreciation of Belinsky, the most famous critic today.

You know, as the cultural and economic center of Russia, St. Petersburg and even Moscow have never lacked writers and poets who want to make a name for themselves, but is it so easy to be a writer or poet?

Even someone like Nekrasov who was doing relatively well still had to do all sorts of odd jobs to make a living.

So how does this newcomer write?
The first ones to sense something was wrong were the yawning and bored secret police, because they didn't know when the noisy young people suddenly became quiet and didn't make any sound.

When they looked up in surprise, they saw only young faces that were lost in thought and even looked a little painful.

Among these people, Vladimir was the first to finish watching. After finishing, the thin young man first felt an inexplicable sadness, and his whole body was shrouded in an indescribable emotion, and then he felt an extreme anger.

This anger contained many complex emotions: sympathy for people, anger at reality, and more importantly, a question: Why is this happening? After seeing his companions gradually finish reading, Vladimir couldn't help but speak to them first:
“I seemed to be seeing a reality that had been ignored before.”

As soon as Vladimir's first words came out, a chain reaction immediately occurred, and the discussion suddenly broke out among these young people:
"A perspective never seen before! A poor child, a poor coachman, to whom can they confide their troubles?"

"Oh my God! Who can still live a good life in today's Russia?!"

"A profound observation of reality, the most concise expression and the most turbulent emotions! This worthy gentleman did not express any ideological tendencies in his novel, but as Vissarion commented, he has told the reader everything he wanted to say!"

"Two very moving novels. Is it possible to write novels like this? I've never seen such a technique before! But you won't notice it at first, until you think about it and feel the skill behind it."

"'He observes the world from the bottom'! There is no more accurate description."

“I prefer the metaphor of the surgeon. The words are like a scalpel, cutting through the heaviest part of Russia!”

.........

The same scene is happening in various places in St. Petersburg and Moscow at this moment. After all, it doesn’t take too much time to read these two short stories, so the reaction comes quickly and is strong enough.

Some people marvel at the technique of these two novels, their extreme conciseness, accuracy, and the surging emotions hidden in the darkness. Such novels cannot be found even in Pushkin and Gogol!

Some people are surprised at the choice of subject matter in these two novels, which actually put the children of serfs and the humble coachman into the sacred literature.

Some people felt the heaviness of reality through the content of the novel, and were once again aroused by the inexplicable emotions in their hearts.

What should Russia do to become a better country? Is it waiting for the gift of Tsar Nicholas?
As St. Petersburg and Moscow gradually became noisy, the secret police, who were originally curious about why these young people suddenly became so silent, now looked as ugly as if they had eaten a fly.

Although they didn't know what was published in these magazines, the words spoken by the young people had undoubtedly made these secret police smell something sensitive.

A sense of having to strike hard and decisively at the behest of the great Tsar Nicholas.

Even if the current situation is not serious, God knows whether there will be any other developments in the future.

As soon as the superiors give a signal, the people below will be busy like dogs.

Therefore, among these secret police, some had grim expressions, always feeling that they might have to deal with more troubles in the future, while others passively remembered the name Mikhail after the young people repeated it over and over again.

Of course, there was a very small number of secret police who were curious about the text in the magazine, but at such a moment, they certainly could not step forward and join these young people.

(End of this chapter)