I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 233: Disrupting the British Literary World and Dickens as a Plaything
Due to its long-standing liberal tradition, inter-party struggles, and other reasons, Britain at this time was, in a sense, one of the places in Europe with relatively free speech, even compared to the United States, which had already adopted a republican system.

Just as Dickens was outraged by slavery in America when he traveled there in 1842, he felt it was his duty to protest against this barbaric practice and he did so, but he was met with sharp criticism from the Americans for it.

In his view, even the most conservative British people can talk about reform as they please, but in the democratic United States, freedom of speech does not exist.

The UK's censorship system also differs significantly from that of other European countries. While most other European countries conduct rigorous reviews before publication, the UK primarily relies on post-publication penalties.

Simply put, you can post whatever you want, but if it causes serious consequences, such as inciting public hatred against the government, you will be prosecuted on other charges.

So theoretically, Mikhail could have been a huge success in Britain, with any kind of work being released. At worst, he would have been expelled from Britain or taken away prematurely, and that would have been the end of his career.

Therefore, when Mikhail saw such comments in the newspaper, his magic resistance was now extremely high, so he didn't take the criticism seriously at all. However, as Mikhail saw more and more comments, he was surprised to find that there seemed to be quite a few critics praising his Christmas book.

"The story of the genius Mikhail continues, and although this is the first time his English work has been published, it has undoubtedly reached a very high level. Both novels have exquisite structures, and the dramatic twists at the end are truly unforgettable."

This way of handling the ending seems unprecedented in English novels, so how should we name it now?

"It's hard to believe that this Christmas book is actually written by a foreigner, and the author of the first and second stories is the same person! Every family should read the first story; it will help more people understand what love is and what a sincere and kind heart is."

As for the second story, it's undeniable that he had some understanding of British society, but we can reasonably suspect that he wasn't satirizing Britain, but rather using the satire of Britain to satirize the dark side of Russian society.

Upon seeing this, Mikhail was left with the question: "???"

So you're going to try and shift the blame elsewhere, huh?!

But apart from Great Britain, which other country could come up with such a thing?
Mikhail read the newspaper rather casually, but unbeknownst to him, a series of events and even agitation had already begun to unfold in the British literary world because of his Christmas book.

In short, Mikhail's arrival in London without visiting anyone was seen by some as not a friendly gesture, but rather as an act of arrogance. This led to discussions within various circles of the British literary world, with some commenting:

"Does he think that his fame in France will bring him a warm welcome in England? He is sorely mistaken! English literature is not as simple as he imagines, and after all, he is just a Russian!"

"French writers are far too incompetent to allow a foreign writer to ride on their necks! British writers would never be so humiliated!"

In this mood, when they learned that Mikhail's new work was actually written in English, their main reaction was undoubtedly skepticism. But no matter how much they questioned and rejected it, there was only one core criterion: the quality of Mikhail's work.

How are the quality of the short stories "The Gift of the Magi" and "The Cop and the Anthem"?

They are all short novels, and you can judge their quality after just one reading. Most importantly, the so-called "O. Henry ending" will definitely bring a very unexpected and shocking reading experience when you read it for the first time.

As a result, British writers fell silent almost immediately after reading these two short stories, and most of them couldn't help but ask themselves the same question: "Could I write such short stories?"

When the answer leans towards no, many British writers do indeed lose their composure.
If a young Russian can produce such a work on his first attempt at writing in English, what have these British writers been doing all these years? Wasting their time?

And then again, is this really reasonable?
Whether it was reasonable or not, Mikhail had played a rather uncomplicated hand, but the British writers looked left and right and were momentarily at a loss as to who to ask to suppress him.
It can only be said that Mikhail's two short stories were a bit overkill. Meanwhile, compared to the star-studded Paris of the same period, the British literary scene had a decent lineup, but it didn't seem to have any particularly outstanding figures, especially in the field of short stories.

After a brief period of silence, many in the British literary world had to reconsider how they should treat Mikhail. They had initially thought he was just some foreigner, but who knew he spoke with such authentic Oxford accent! Perhaps even more authentic than some of the locals!
Therefore, whether to absorb or continue to reject becomes a question worth considering.

The same was true for British commentators. Since Mikhail was new to the country, most commentators remained conservative, as evidenced by reports published in The Times and many other newspapers.

However, at the same time, some critics with cultural refinement and integrity broke through some external considerations and prejudices and focused directly on the works themselves. As a result, given the quality of these two novels, their evaluations could not be low.

Among these critics, whether due to future competition with Dickens or at the behest of others, some went so far as to publish sensational articles in the newspapers, not only comparing Mikhail's Christmas books with Dickens's, but even offering direct commentary:
"The nonsense spouted by a prematurely aged genius is clearly inferior to that of a young foreigner!"

The subtext is simply that Dickens, you're no longer good enough and don't deserve your reputation and status in England. Come down to earth!
Although such voices were so faint as to be negligible, and without Dickens needing to respond at all, his friends and other critics began to object to this "absurd argument."

To be honest, Dickens wouldn't have felt good seeing such comments. After all, how could someone as famous as him suddenly be compared to a newcomer?
After learning about the turmoil in London's cultural scene through the newspapers, Mikhail thought for a while and then decided to officially begin his social activities in London. As for his first stop, it was naturally his teacher Dickens, whom he knew very well.

Thus, Mikhail sent a letter through an intermediary expressing his desire to visit Dickens, who did not refuse and quickly agreed.

And so, on this ordinary day, Mikhail was preparing to go to Dickens's house.

On his way to Dickens's house, Mikhail also visited his publisher, Eliot, as per a letter he had received. Eliot had clearly summoned Mikhail to deliver some good news, and shortly after arriving, Mikhail heard Eliot's excited voice: "Mr. Mikhail, thanks to word-of-mouth and newspaper reviews these past few days, the daily sales of your Christmas book have not only not decreased, but have steadily increased! People even outside of London want to read it!"

I estimate your book will be reprinted soon.

"That's it."

Mikhail didn't react much to the news, simply waving his hand casually and saying, "Okay, I understand. I'll leave some things to you. I'll be going now."

Publisher Elliott: "?"

How could he not be surprised at all that his first time writing in English could generate such sales and a positive response?

He truly lives up to his reputation as Mr. Mikhail, who has made a name for himself in both Russia and France.
While publisher Elliott was secretly alarmed, Mikhail had already packed up and left.

During the rest of the journey, Mikhail did briefly recall Dickens' life and his personality during this period.

In short, Dickens' family was originally fairly well-off. His father was a low-level clerk in the Navy Quartermaster Department with an average income and eight children.

Although his family was not well-off, they at least maintained a semblance of a decent life. Unfortunately, when Dickens was ten years old, their family's debts exploded, his father was imprisoned, and Dickens had to do everything he could to make a living.

At the age of eleven, he became an apprentice at a shop that produced black shoe polish. He worked in the basement, and soon he became very skilled. The boss thought he could be used as a living advertisement to perform for passersby, so he placed him in the shop window. Boys and girls from the neighborhood would run over, munching on jam and bread while pressing their noses against the glass to watch him work.

These humiliating days left a permanent scar on his heart, so much so that he was almost unwilling to talk about it with anyone afterward. It was precisely these memories that became his source of creative material, and made him unconsciously pay attention to the fate of British children and even laborers.

Another thing that profoundly affected his life was that he was cruelly manipulated by a bad woman when he was eighteen.

At that time, Dickens was penniless, and the object of his affection was the daughter of a small banker. Although the banker's daughter had no intention of getting married, she enjoyed flirting with men. Since Dickens was the most talented among the young people around her, she gave him certain signals.

And just like that, Xiao Chunan's Dickens was hooked, and the pursuit lasted for three years.

The banker's daughter clearly knew what was going on: a fling was fine, but marriage was not. So after her trip to Paris, her attitude towards Dickens quickly turned cold. But Dickens was unwilling to give up easily and was still pleading to meet with her again.

The banker's daughter finally agreed, so when Dickens met her, he disregarded his pride and began to plead desperately, but this still could not change the final outcome.

Byron, the "Old London Casanova," was also played by women in his youth, and so he spent the rest of his life inflicting the pain he suffered on other women. Although Dickens was not as wicked as Byron, this emotional experience still deeply affected him.

The first potential impact is that he unconsciously developed a bad habit of despising women and liking idealized beauties. In short, he likes abstract, idealized women and believes that what he can't have is always the best.

Secondly, the most direct impact was that Dickens, in order to prove his charm and for other reasons, married his wife despite their incompatible personalities. The two young, passionate, and ambitious people eventually did so.

The end result was that he and his wife had many conflicts after marriage, but due to social realities, divorce and separation were obviously not easy in England at that time. Meanwhile, he also fell in love with his sister-in-law Mary, and after Mary's death, he fell in love with another sister-in-law, Georgina. In a sense, Dickens was quite devoted.
It can only be said that Dickens was a decent man overall, and he always spoke out and worked hard for the lower classes in Britain as an activist. However, his private life is questionable. As for the truth, perhaps only they themselves know.

While Mikhail was secretly shaking his head at the marriage system of the time, on the other side, Dickens had his family make preparations well in advance to welcome a new guest who was about to arrive.

Despite trying his best to ignore the recent controversies and commentaries in the newspapers, Dickens couldn't resist flipping through one and immediately felt a surge of irritation upon seeing some rather unpleasant comments.
However, Dickens did not harbor much ill will towards the young Russian man. After all, his writing was indeed very good, and it had a good effect when Dickens read it to his family. The reason he was annoyed was probably more due to his somewhat fragile heart as a writer.

In this situation, when Mikhail sent a letter expressing his desire to visit, Dickens had many thoughts running through his mind, but he had no reason to refuse.

On that very day, Dickens, who would become the uncrowned king of British literature during this period, soon saw a tall figure, followed by an undeniable young man who walked straight towards him. Dickens then smiled and announced his name:

"Mikhail Romanovich Raskolnikov, Mr. Dickens, good afternoon."

Hearing the long string of gibberish names, though somewhat complicated, Dickens memorized them and then gave his own name: "Charles Dickens."

When he saw Mikhail's outstretched hand, he did not hesitate for long.

And so soon, their hands were clasped tightly together.

(End of this chapter)