I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 228 Departure with the Brontë Sisters

A social atmosphere should be fostered where poverty, stemming from a lack of self-reliance, is seen as a disgrace, however cruel it may seem to the individual. Such a stimulus appears absolutely necessary for promoting the well-being of all humanity.
If some people are completely incapable of supporting themselves and their families, yet marry and start families simply because they can expect charity from the parish, then these people have been tempted by improper means. They will not only bring misfortune to themselves and their families and make them unable to support themselves, but they will also unknowingly harm all other members of the same class.

A labor camp inmate who gets married because he cannot support his family is, in some respects, the enemy of all his fellow laborers.

—Malthus (Note: The British Poor Law of 1834 was based on this idea)

Because Mikhail wanted to publish a Christmas book on Christmas Day, December 25th, he could no longer delay by the end of November.

After dealing with matters such as the theater, the tailor shop, and the guests who came to visit him, Mikhail began packing his bags for London.

It's worth mentioning that, in terms of theater, "La Traviata" continues to be performed in Paris, and it is very likely that it will soon leave Paris and go to more and more distant places.

In this situation, Marguerite seemed to have forgotten her previous life and devoted herself to one performance after another. At the same time, she undoubtedly became the most dazzling newcomer in the Paris theater scene, and many theaters have extended invitations to her to play leading roles in other plays.

Her life has entered a new phase.

As for visiting guests, Mikhail recently took some time to chat with Pasteur, who was studying at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris. Apart from some trivial matters of daily life, Mikhail also casually mentioned some seemingly unbelievable "wild ideas".

Although Mikhail, a liberal arts student, only had a basic level of scientific knowledge at the compulsory education level, Pasteur, after conducting some scientific experiments, still couldn't hide his astonishment and said to Mikhail:

“Mr. Mikhail, you should devote yourself to the field of science. It’s as if you see through the appearance to the essence! It would be a loss to the scientific community if you didn’t become a scientist!”

Mikhail: “.”

That's just bragging. If I actually made a move, I'd be exposed.
Therefore, Mikhail could only humbly wave his hand and say, "Everyone has different areas of expertise. I only have a simple conjecture in this regard. Besides, my writing and your research are both serving the people!"

"I will never forget your words, 'Serve the people.'"

Pasteur nodded thoughtfully, but still maintained his initial opinion: "But I still stand by my previous view."

Mikhail: “?”

What if all the scientists I meet afterward think like you?
Perhaps in future generations, a hotly debated question will emerge: "What would have happened if Mikhail had devoted himself to the field of science?"

After a brief moment of contemplation, Mikhail shook his head and then chatted with Pasteur about many other things.

In addition, in Parisian cultural circles, since Mikhail did not hide the fact that he was going to England, even though the Parisian cultural circles had been criticizing Mikhail quite a bit during this period, both newcomers and veterans of the Parisian cultural circles subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief after learning the news.

It's finally time to leave.
If he continues to develop like this in Paris, what will become of him?

Look at what he's been doing lately! He's practically trying to disrupt the order of the Parisian cultural scene!

It was upon learning that Mikhail would be staying in England for an extended period that many in the Parisian cultural scene softened their attitude towards him. After all, as long as Mikhail wasn't determined to defy the existing literary trends, many things were open to discussion.

Meanwhile, Mikhail made no secret of his desire to write a series of works in English in England.

When the news spread, the Parisian literary world was initially shocked and agitated, but soon some voices emerged saying:

"If he can write so well in French, then what's so special about writing in English?"

"That being said, can he really write well when he's using a new language for literary creation? Besides, Russians have a long tradition of learning French, so it's not surprising that they have a high level of French proficiency. But when did Russians become interested in English?"

"You can't create good works using an inferior language like English!"

"So you want him to stay in Paris and continue creating?"

"Let him go! If he stays any longer, he might really start to climb over people's heads!"

Strictly speaking, Mikhail's success did indeed embarrass many in the Parisian cultural scene. After all, France, as the cultural center of the European world, has always been regarded as the capital of art, fashion, and thought in Europe, and it carries with it a sense of "authority" and "progress," representing the latest trends.

Now, it turns out that a Russian wants to start a new art trend in Paris.
People like that should probably go as far away as possible.

Among these voices, Balzac's perspective is quite unique. Around one of his meetings with Mikhail, Balzac, upon learning of this matter, remarked with a hint of jealousy:
“Mikhail, wouldn’t that mean you could sign a contract with a local London publisher? And if your English novels sell well, wouldn’t you be able to receive royalties from two countries? You weren’t satisfied with making money in Russia, you wanted to make money in France, and now you want to make money in England!”

To this, Mikhail could only shrug and comfort his teacher Balzac, saying, "I may not succeed in England. It's just an attempt. I might have to leave before long."

Balzac: "."

You'd better be
Although Balzac was not optimistic about Mikhail's trip to England, he decided to keep an eye on Mikhail's news in England for the next period of time.

Although he currently has a good impression of the young Mikhail, to be honest, Balzac would feel more warm inside than if Mikhail had failed.
Moreover, it's much easier to make money by partnering with me in business than by writing novels!

And so, as various events unfolded and time passed, the day soon arrived when Mikhail was to depart for England. Mikhail's first official stop in Paris was the tailor shop of the old tailor Olivier, and on the day Mikhail left Paris, he returned to the old tailor Olivier's shop, only this time at a different address.

For Olivier, this period of life was like a dream. First, he received several well-paid orders one after another. Then, Mr. Mikhail, who frequently appeared in the newspapers, invited him to work in a new tailor shop, with a salary that was extremely generous to Olivier.

After weighing the pros and cons, Olivier ultimately chose to trust the gentle yet powerful gentleman, and this time, he clearly made the right bet. The strange clothes that the gentleman had asked him to make were actually becoming more and more popular, and people from all walks of life seemed to be interested in buying them.

Nobles sought fashion, merchants sought respectability and comfort, and some eccentric artists sought to demonstrate their support for Mr. Mikhail.
Of course, to cater to different groups of people, the materials and prices must be differentiated.

For Olivier, the biggest change was undoubtedly the economic one. It can be said that he has recovered most of his previous losses in the past few months, and his family, which was on the verge of breaking apart, has suddenly ushered in a bright future.

Therefore, when Mikhail asked Olivier to make a somewhat peculiar set of clothes again, Olivier agreed almost without hesitation, and today was the day for Mikhail to inspect them.

Seeing Mikhail nod in satisfaction, Olivier undoubtedly breathed a sigh of relief. Mikhail, after placing the clothes in the suitcase, smiled and said to Olivier:
"I'll be staying in the UK for a while, and I'll be leaving a lot of things at the shop to you."

"This is what I should do."

Olivier nodded quickly, while also kindly reminding him, "By the way, Mr. Mikhail, if you were to wear this outfit in England, it might be a bit too thin. I suggest you wear some layers underneath or wear something else."

"Thank you for reminding me."

As winter approaches, Mikhail has certainly felt the change in temperature, but that doesn't stop him from taking the opportunity to do some cosplay in the UK.

After packing everything up, Mikhail quickly said goodbye to his sister, mother, and other friends, and then boarded the carriage with his belongings.

As the carriage traveled further and further away, when Mikhail looked back at Paris, Paris had become a distant star, and in front of Mikhail lay an empire known as the "empire on which the sun never sets."

While Mikhail was lost in thought, far away in England, a publisher named Eliot was preparing for something with a mixture of anxiety and excitement.

He was excited because he was about to publish a work by a young author who had already made a name for himself in France, but anxious because the new work was written in English, rather than being a translation of his best-selling works.

Is this young writer trying to experience failure in England by abandoning his original strengths and writing something entirely new?

His desire to publish Christmas books like those of Mr. Dickens is an even more inexplicable choice. Does he think he is already comparable to Mr. Dickens? And if there are Christmas books by Mr. Dickens, why would the public buy his works?
Despite the many doubts, the author was already famous, even in Britain, and the business had a considerable following. So, Eliot felt that overall it was a pretty good deal, just not as lucrative as he thought.

In addition, there was something else that puzzled Eliot: the young writer had recently written to him asking if he had received submissions from three blood-related poets.

Faced with this rather strange question, Eliot thought for a long time before finally recalling the collection of poems by Kohler Bell, Ellis Bell and Acton Bell that he had recently received.

After giving this reply with some hesitation, the other party wrote back, and in the letter, they devoted a lot of space to praising the poems of these three unknown poets.

Elliott: "?"

Why would these three unknown individuals attract the attention of this already famous young man?
Could it be that they actually know each other?

Did he write this letter to ask me to look after them?
After pondering it for a while, Elliott felt that he had probably discovered the truth.

He already thought the poetry collection was pretty good, but since the three poets were completely unknown, Eliot was recently hesitating between agreeing to publish it and disagreeing with its publication. Alternatively, he could let the three of them self-publish it, so that the publisher wouldn't have to bear too much risk.

But when Mikhail's letter arrived, Eliot felt he should give the young writer face, so just a few days earlier he had sent his reply to the three poets.

On that same day, Charlotte Brontë received a reply.

Having failed so many times recently, Charlotte Brontë had little hope for this reply. But after opening the letter and glancing at it briefly, she froze on the spot.

By the time she finally came to her senses, tears of excitement were streaming down her face. She then hurriedly called out to her sisters, "Anne, Emily! Come quick, look at the publisher's reply!"

Yes, this collection of poems, sent to publishers, was a collaborative effort by the three sisters.

In short, Charlotte recently stumbled upon her sister Emily's poetry and thought it was exceptionally well-written. Since her other sister, Anne, also wrote quite well, Charlotte thought the three sisters could publish a collection of poems together.

However, due to societal prejudice against women, she sent the letter using three male aliases.

At that moment, when Charlotte called her sisters out and showed them the letter, all three of them blushed with excitement, even Emily Brontë, who usually seemed introverted and aloof.

However, soon, all three of them involuntarily looked at the end of the letter:

"Please give my regards to Mr. Mikhail."

Then, quite puzzled, they asked together, "Who is Mr. Mikhail?"

(End of this chapter)