Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 316 An Invitation from St. Petersburg!
Two days later, in the afternoon, a letter bearing the wax seal of the Comédie-Française was delivered to 117 Boulevard Saint-Germain.

Lionel opened the letter and saw that it was an invitation from Émile Perrin to "make sure to come and have a chat," and couldn't help but smile.

When Lionel sat down on the sofa in the dean's office again, he noticed that Emil Perrin's eye bags were more prominent than before.

Emil Perrin cut straight to the point without any pleasantries: “I’ve thought about it carefully, Lionel, very carefully, it’s kept me up for several nights.”

The vision you've described is wonderful, but the risks are enormous—yes, the old fogies on the arts committee will roar, and the budget will give the accountant a heart attack…

However, I agree!

Lionel remained silent, simply waiting for what would happen next.

Emil Perrin stared intently at Lionel: "However, I have a few conditions, or rather, requests, that I hope you will grant."

Lionel nodded. "Please go ahead."

Emil Perrin breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "First, I need to know what kind of story 'Thunderstorm' is actually about."

I can't gamble the reputation of the comedy theater on a vague 'technological revolution'; I need the story itself to convince me.

Lionel smiled and replied, "That makes perfect sense."

Emil Perrin continued, "Secondly, the rehearsals for 'Thunderstorm' and the theater renovations will take time, and it won't be completed until at least spring. The losses will be enormous."

So I hope you can submit another script to me before October this year, a... a script that's big enough to be a box office hit like "The Choir."

Lionel thought for a moment: "Yes, maybe it's a comedy."

Émile Perrin looked satisfied: "Comedy is good, I originally wanted it to be a comedy!"

But then his expression turned serious: "Third, you must be personally involved in the transformation of the theater, because only you know best the 'modern theater' effect you want."

I can't let money go to waste without getting what I want.

Lionel readily agreed: "It's my duty. However, Director, all the renovation costs must be borne by the Comedy Theatre."

Emil Perrin could almost hear the treasury's wailing, but he finally gritted his teeth and nodded: "...Of course!"

At this point, Lionel began to tell the story of "Thunderstorm": "This story concerns an incestuous secret, a conflict between two classes, and the destruction of an entire family..."

It takes place in a capitalist family in Paris who climbed into high society through marriage…

Lionel sketched out the outline of the entire story with concise language, especially emphasizing the key role of the thunderstorm in highlighting the characters' psychology and driving the plot.

Lionel waved his arms as if he were Zeus: "Lightning is not only the light that illuminates the stage, but also the sword that pierces the soul of the characters."

Émile Perrin listened intently; the story possessed a powerful, moving quality, especially when combined with the sound and light effects emphasized by Lionel.

He nodded: "Lionel, I must admit, your ability to 'talk the talk' is second to none in all of Paris..."

An agreement was finally reached between the two parties!

Back in his study, Lionel immediately sat down at his typewriter and began to work.

Time was of the essence; Thunderstorm had to be performed in the spring to maximize its impact.

His first thought was of the "Yablochkov candle" mentioned by Nikola Tesla.

It was learned that this "candle" had achieved brief success at exhibitions in London and Paris, but its production was later transferred back to Russia.

Lionel obtained Pavel Yablochkov's contact information in St. Petersburg through the Paris postal system.

He drafted a telegram inviting the inventor to provide his "electric candles" for the renovation of the Comédie-Française, and expressed his desire for a "custom-made" one. After sending the telegram, he also wrote a short letter to Nikola Tesla, inviting him to his home for a chat.

------

Although the young Serbian engineer was somewhat puzzled after receiving the letter, he did not refuse Lionel's invitation and arrived as promised.

Lionel didn't stand on ceremony; he directly invited him to his study and spread out a simple sketch of a comedy theater stage on the desk.

“Mr. Tesla, I am prepared to collaborate with the Comédie-Française to completely overhaul its stage lighting system.”

He explained his ideas to Nikola Tesla:

High-powered arc lamps were used to simulate the intense lightning effects needed in the drama;

In the foreground of the stage and in specific areas, adjustable-brightness incandescent lights are used for supplementary lighting and to create atmosphere;
Most importantly, a control system is needed that can precisely control the on/off state of these lights and adjust the intensity of the arc lamps.

Nikola Tesla listened carefully, his brow furrowing slightly: "Mr. Sorel, this is a huge project, not just as simple as installing a few lights."

It requires a generator that can stably supply a large current, and it also requires the design of complex circuits. The most difficult part is the controller... Arc lamps are especially difficult to control precisely.

I'm...very interested in it, but...but why me? Our company has many experienced engineers..."

Lionel looked Tesla in the eye: "I need people who truly understand and love it. Some engineers just treat a light bulb as a commodity."

But when you worked at my house last time, what I saw was your passion for electricity itself, which is the spirit that a revolution needs.

So I'd like to hear your opinion first. Of course, installing so many lights will definitely require strong support from the Edison Electric Light Company.

But I hope you'll be on the engineering team I'm involved in.

Nikola Tesla paused for a moment, then a look of emotion crossed his face.

He paused for a moment, then said firmly to Lionel, "If you really decide to move forward with this project, Mr. Sorel, I... I'm willing to give it my all."

I can try designing new solutions for the control circuit, and the stability issues also need to be calculated in detail... This is very interesting!

……

After seeing Nikola Tesla off, Lionel breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Although Tesla is still very young, he is already a top-notch power engineer.

He did some research and learned that before coming to Paris, Tesla was the chief electrician of the Budapest telephone exchange and had improved many of the devices.

Lionel did not believe that there were any engineers at the Edison Electric Light Company in Paris who were of a higher caliber than him.

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Two days later, a telegram from St. Petersburg was delivered to Lionel.

The telegram was in French, concise and direct, and came from Pavel Yablochkov.

He expressed interest in Lionel's proposal, but said Lionel would need to travel to St. Petersburg for a face-to-face meeting.

The inventor was disappointed by the French people's short-lived enthusiasm for new things, so he was quite cautious.

Lionel, clutching the telegram, paced back and forth in his study, perplexed.

(End of this chapter)