I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 217 Hundreds of Performances and Mikhail's Translation Career

A spectre is haunting Europe—the spectre of communism. All the powers of old Europe—pope and tsar, Metternich and Guizot, French radicals and German police—have united in a sacred siege against this spectre.

Which opposition party isn't denounced as the Communist Party by its ruling enemies? And which opposition party doesn't use the accusation of communism to retaliate against more progressive opposition parties and its own reactionary enemies?

Two conclusions can be drawn from this fact:
Communism has been recognized as a force by all powers in Europe;
Now is the time for the Communist Party to publicly state its views, its purposes, and its intentions to the world, and to use its own manifesto to refute the myths surrounding the specter of communism.

For this purpose, Communists from various countries met in London and drafted the following declaration, which was published in English, French, German, Italian, Flemish and Danish.

—The Communist Party Manifesto

Generally speaking, for playwrights who have already made a name for themselves in Paris, their connections there mean that, at least on the day of the premiere and the following day, the newspapers are filled with rave reviews of their new plays.

Therefore, although Fernando had discovered the article praising the young Russian man's "La Traviata" earlier, he soon saw many more articles praising the play's premiere at the Comédie-Française, even those far surpassing it in terms of the intensity of praise and the sycophancy of the language.
"Mr. Franz's new play, 'The Count in the Distance,' has elevated French theater to a new level! His genius is on full display in this play, and I was moved to tears several times while watching it."

"Mr. Franz's play reminds me of Mr. Hugo's earlier failed play, and I must say, some things are already obvious; Mr. Franz has gone much further than Mr. Hugo."

In contrast, articles praising Mikhail's new play are much more down-to-earth and objective:

"The plot and structure of this new drama are quite ingenious, but some of its weaknesses cannot be ignored. It is overly immersed in mundane romance and fails to unfold a broader panorama."

"A surprisingly good performance, but its scope was rather narrow, and it seemed to have already planned its target audience. I believe that for most audience members, ladies will have a better experience, while some gentlemen may find it somewhat boring."

Of course, there are certainly many articles that simply praise Mikhail's new play, but only a madman would dare to compare the work of such a new playwright from abroad with that of Mr. Hugo.

Therefore, judging solely from the news reports, the premiere of "The Count of the Distant Place" at the Comédie-Française was a resounding success. But then again, which of the two is truly more valuable? Others may not know, but does Fernando certainly not?

He paid someone to read and write many of the articles he wrote!

Upon realizing that the young man's play might actually be quite good, Fernando, who had a certain reputation in the French theater world, panicked.

Normally, no matter how well this young man writes, it has nothing to do with him. But the problem is that he decided to schedule the premiere of "The Count in the Distance" on the same day as Mikhail's!

If this young Russian play turns out to be more popular, then wouldn't "The Count in the Distance" and the Comédie-Française become stepping stones for a new playwright and a third-rate theater?!

Especially considering the high level of media attention these two plays are receiving, anyone who follows theater will likely notice them and compare them. Therefore, Fernando now truly has a reason not to lose.
Thinking about the consequences of being suppressed, Fernando stared blankly for a long time after reading the newspaper, and immediately prepared to contact some people to take some countermeasures.

Although he hadn't taken this matter seriously for a while, treating it like casually swatting a fly, now he was really going to resort to some less-than-honorable tactics.
So, in the days that followed, as public opinion escalated, Parisian newspapers suddenly saw a surge in articles like this:

"How are we supposed to explain to our wives and children that the bedroom and deathbed of a kept woman could become a stage for public amusement? This play is a blatant provocation against respectable society; it glorifies the sordid trade in flesh and romanticizes a dissolute lifestyle."

"The author tries to make us believe that a woman of the night possesses a nobler soul than all of us. But would anyone truly accept such a thing? This play offends not only society, but every respectable gentleman and lady."

If you were to ask whether these articles had any effect, the answer would certainly be yes. At least Mr. Fred, an ordinary middle-class man in Paris, believed these articles in the newspapers so much that he didn't even consider the play when he decided to go to see it. In fact, when he heard about the play from others, he would offer some moral advice.

After deciding to go to the theater, Fred, following the advice of a newspaper he trusted, chose "The Count in the Distance," which had recently been highly praised.

After all, it's said that this is a work that surpasses Mr. Hugo's plays, so how could this play be bad?
And so, Fred went to watch the show with great enthusiasm, but after watching it, even if he wasn't completely disappointed, Fred still felt that the show had left almost no deep impression on him.

But since the money had already been spent, Fred could only console himself that perhaps his skill level wasn't high enough to appreciate how exquisite the performance truly was.

As he walked out of the Comédie-Française, he suddenly heard what sounded like someone hawking tickets:
Tickets for the latest performance of "La Traviata" are available! Don't miss out!

Fred: "?"

This isn't far from the Comédie-Française, is it? How dare they sell tickets in such a location?
And what does this mean? Is it trying to compete with the new play at the Comédie-Française?

I really don't know where it got its confidence from.

Fred, who scoffed at this, couldn't help but shake his head. But before he could take another step forward, he heard another sentence:
"Free tickets! Sponsored and distributed by Countess Rosalie! Please..."

Fred: "!"

I really have to take a look at this.
After all, even if Fred was just an ordinary middle-class person in Paris these days, the cost of going to the theater was still a considerable expense for him. And since he loved watching performances, how could he possibly miss out on such a good opportunity?
Thinking of this, Fred hurriedly turned around and then excitedly rushed into the crowd.

Of course, what he loved was the free theater ticket, not the play "La Traviata".

So when he got the free tickets, he was happy for a while, but soon he looked at the tickets in his hand with some disdain and even pretended to spit on them.

But in the end, he appeared at the Montmartre Theatre as scheduled for the performance.

To his great surprise, this play, which sometimes appeared to be utterly depraved and obscene in the newspapers, actually had such a large audience!
The number of people seated was even greater than that of the film "The Count of the Distant Land"!
How can this be?

Just as Fred began to wonder if the people in the audience had also come because it was free, the performance had already officially begun. And after the performance ended, as Fred looked at the women in the audience who were crying and screaming, his feelings were extremely complicated.

Even though he doesn't watch many dramas about romance, why does he feel this one is better than "The Earl of the Distant Land"?
If "The Count of the Distant Land" has already surpassed Mr. Hugo's plays, then what about this young playwright who is only twenty-one years old?

Could he be far greater than Mr. Hugo?

Fred felt genuinely lost for a moment.
Undoubtedly, publicity is crucial to the success of a new play, and if the publicity is done well enough, then the rest is simply up to the audience to decide.

Regarding the recent public opinion trends in the newspapers, Chen Ran believes that Fernando, as a local strongman in Paris, is able to stir up even more trouble, and even seems to be suppressing positive news about "La Traviata".

However, since Mikhail had already considered this point, and he now had a certain base of support in Paris, he could fight back even if he couldn't win, not to mention that he had a group of wealthy ladies who spent a lot of money to support him.
In short, the hype is definitely there, so what is the most crucial factor in determining the outcome?

That is the number of performances!

This is also the only true indicator of whether a play is successful.

Initially, there weren't many such articles in the newspapers, but after quite some time had passed, a report suddenly appeared in a Parisian newspaper:
"Some time has passed since the premiere of 'La Traviata,' and in less than a month, it has been performed more than 20 times, with every performance packed to capacity, and a very long schedule awaits it."

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it will be performed at least a hundred times in major theaters across Paris! This is the choice of Parisian audiences! And speaking of which, we can't help but ask, how many performances has *The Count in the Distance* already had? How many more performances will it have?

Fernando, who saw the report: "."

Fernando certainly knew the questions raised in this report, but he would never have revealed such information even if you killed him.

Incidentally, to understand his opponent's psychology, Fernando also went to see "La Traviata". After watching it, he pondered for a while, and then, as if remembering something, he suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.

Given the current situation, what should I do next?
Is there still a chance to salvage the situation? Is there still room for redemption?
Just as Fernando was sweating profusely, not long afterward, many newspapers published enthusiastic articles:

"Without a doubt, the French theater world has welcomed another genius! His very first play has received such widespread acclaim."

"He was a refined poet, and he also proved to be a genius playwright! Had he been born in France, would he have had the opportunity to enter the French Academy and become an immortal?"

"If Mr. Mikhail had been born in France, what would his position be in the French literary world today?"

"Even though he is a foreigner, the French literary world has now had to admit one thing: this gentleman has truly left his mark on Paris!"

As mentioned before, playwrights held an exceptionally high position in Parisian cultural circles during this period.

Therefore, compared to his novels, Mikhail's success in drama naturally caused a great stir.

People in the Parisian literary world began to re-examine this Russian writer, and some even began to question who the real Frenchman was.
Parisian high society is paying increasing attention to this Russian writer, and some people are even asking around to find out about the young Russian man's life in Russia.

If they want to find someone to gather information, then the person they find must be someone from the Russian upper class. As a result, Mikhail will probably be unable to keep a low profile in Russian high society.

Meanwhile, many Parisians have gradually accepted Mikhail's existence and have chosen to embrace him with enthusiasm.

"Let him stay in Paris permanently! Only Paris can provide him with a broader stage!"

“His work has become indispensable to me! So let him be a French writer through and through! He absolutely has the ability, and only French truly suits him!”

As these issues continued to escalate, Mikhail chose to keep a low profile to some extent.

First of all, there are just too many performances. If Mikhail had to go to every single one, he would be exhausted.

Secondly, the sheer number of Parisian socialites seeking out Mikhail lately is alarming. Mikhail is genuinely afraid that if he goes out too much, he might suddenly be grabbed and instantly submerged.
Of course, during this period of choosing to lay low, Mikhail did not remain idle. Instead, he read with great interest many books available only in Paris, such as philosophy books, reference books, science books, and many books that promoted certain political doctrines.

Some books are a bit dangerous, but some books are truly valuable, and this applies to specific aspects of production and daily life as well.

Mikhail began to consider translating these things, or rather, he had had this idea for a while, but he had spent more time studying various languages ​​in depth. Now that he had reached a good level, translating some useful books and bringing them back was a good choice.

Translation can indeed play a vital role in certain special periods, and can even be the beginning of a nation's awakening.

Although Mikhail was just an ordinary person and could do very little, he could still translate some books and distribute them to certain places.

Therefore, Mikhail had a relatively long-term goal in translation: to translate some substantial books for intellectuals and the general public in various countries. Of course, this really had to be done under a pseudonym; otherwise, Mikhail might inadvertently become a wanted criminal in Russia, China, and other countries.
Frankly speaking, such actions may not have any impact on history. The power of an individual is ultimately too limited in the face of history. But in any case, it's better to do something, even if it's just a little bit.

In addition to this long-term goal, Mikhail is currently preparing enthusiastically for a short-term goal: to translate the GC Manifesto, which will be published in London in 1848.

If all goes well, Mikhail should return to Russia after witnessing and completing this task.
(End of this chapter)