Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 545 Chekhov's Sense of Crisis!
Outside of the UK, Good Words magazine has 15,000 subscribers in continental Europe.

These subscribers are mainly located in countries such as France, Germany, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, and Belgium, and even Russia sells thousands of copies every month.

Those who read "Good Words" are mostly intellectuals from their respective countries: scholars, writers, journalists, lawyers, doctors, etc.

And when these subscribers finished reading the latest issue of *Good Words* as usual, especially after *1984*—

Shock overwhelmed the entire European intellectual community!
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A café in the Latin Quarter, on the Left Bank, Paris.

At 10 a.m., the café was already full. But today it wasn't as noisy as usual; everyone was looking down, reading the booklets in their hands.

Occasionally, someone would look up, exchange a glance with their companion, and their eyes would be filled with disbelief.

A young student asked in a low voice, "Did this really come from a British magazine?"

The middle-aged man opposite him nodded: "Good Words, without a doubt, is Sorel's new work."

The student lowered his voice: "But this content... 'OLD LADY IS WATCHING YOU'—God, Sorel really dared to write that!"

The middle-aged man laughed: "What's even better is that it was printed by the British themselves. And the editor-in-chief... is his name Richard Everard?"
I'd never heard of him before, but he did something amazing!

"amazing?"

"Yes. In Europe, everyone knows what Britain is like—on the surface, it's all about the rule of law, freedom, and parliamentary democracy, but underneath it's all about surveillance, censorship, and thought oppression."

But no one has ever dared to weave it into a story like Sorel did, and to directly allude to Victoria herself.

He took a sip of coffee and continued, "Now look what's happened! The British themselves have printed this fable. That's tantamount to Britain admitting it—"

'Yes, that's exactly who we are, and we're not even bothering to hide it anymore.'

The student thought for a moment and then laughed: "Indeed. If this novel had been published in France first, the British could have said, 'That's a foreigner's slander.'"

But now that it's been published by the British magazine *Good Words*, there's no denying it!

Similar conversations took place in countless cafes, salons, and studies in Paris.

Le Figaro was the quickest to react. That afternoon, they published a special edition with a bold, eye-catching headline on the front page:

[Good Words Magazine Exposes Its Own Scandal: A Novel Unveils the Secrets of Imperial Rule]

The article writes:

Today, intellectuals across Europe have received a 'gift' from Britain—Lionel Sorel's latest novella, 1984.

This work depicts the British Empire in 1984, when it ruled the world and established a reign of terror that monitored people, rewrote history, and controlled thought.

The highest symbol of the empire was an 'Old Lady' who never appeared in person and only existed in slogans.

'OLD LADY IS WATCHING YOU'—this ubiquitous reminder has become the most important label of this empire.

What is shocking is not the novel itself—we are already familiar with Mr. Sorel's talent—but the way it was published.

This is not an underground publication, nor is it literature from exile; it is a regular supplement to a mainstream British literary magazine!
What does this mean? It means that a segment of the British intellectual community has grown tired of the hypocritical pretense and has decided to expose the true face of the empire to the public.

We should pay tribute to Good Words magazine, and even more so to its editor-in-chief, Richard Everard.

In today's increasingly strict censorship environment, it takes immense courage to publish such a work!

Mr. Everard, you are the conscience of European publishing!

On the same day, the commentary in the Aurora Daily was even more radical:
Britain is sick, sick for a long time! On the surface, it is a constitutional monarchy, a parliamentary democracy, and a country ruled by law, but in reality, it is using violence to plunder, oppress, and control the world.

Lionel Sorel simply used the form of a novel to completely expose the cancer on this earth!
But what is most surprising is that Good Words magazine actually agreed to publish this "1984" as a "special supplement".

Does this mean that some members of the British intellectual community have finally woken up and realized that the empire has reached its moral dead end?

Richard Everard, this little-known editor, did something braver than any British politician:
He showed the British people their true selves! Perhaps, this is the beginning of change.

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A bookstore on Unter den Linden in Berlin.

The bookstore owner, a middle-aged man with a large beard, stood behind the counter, waving a supplement to "Good Words" to several regular customers.
"Look! The British printed it themselves! I knew it! Those British people always brag about how free and civilized they are, but what's the result? It's all a facade!"

One customer whispered, "But this novel is fiction..."

The boss's eyes widened: "Fiction? The novel is fictional, but the principle is true! Surveillance, censorship, thought control—didn't Britain do that in Ireland?"

Doesn't India do this? They just packaged it as a 'civilizational mission'!

He patted 1984: "Now look what's happened, the French writers have stripped them naked. And the best part is, it's published in their own magazine!"
What do you call this? Exposing your own dirty laundry! Slapping yourself in the face!

The NDR, a newspaper personally controlled by Bismarck, published a meaningful commentary the following day:

Lionel Sorel's *1984* depicts an interesting scenario:

In the world of 1984, the British Empire ruled the globe, and at the heart of its power was an "Old Lady" who never showed her face.

This premise is ironic, but perhaps not entirely absurd. While the British monarch does not rule directly, he controls power through tradition, moral influence, and symbols.

In contrast, the German emperors exercised direct power and openly assumed the responsibility of making the nation great again.

Which approach is more honest? The reader can make their own judgment!
We must commend Richard Everard, editor-in-chief of *Good Words* magazine, for demonstrating the courage expected of a publisher!

It's obvious to anyone with eyes to see that this is a comparison between Britain's "hypocritical constitutional monarchy" and Germany's "honest absolute monarchy," while also taking the opportunity to stab Britain in the back.

It's important to understand that in this era, "authoritarianism" is not a derogatory term in the mainstream discourse of most European countries; it is only true in a few countries like France.

The satire in the Vienna-based Neue Liberté newspaper, however, was quite elegant:
Lionel Sorel has always been adept at blurring the lines between fiction and reality. Pirates of the Caribbean mocks the British Royal Navy, revealing its weakness; while 1984 directly exposes the hypocrisy of the British monarchy.

Interestingly, this short story was published in the British magazine, Good Words.

Editor-in-Chief Richard Everard seemed to be telling the world: "Yes, that's who we are, and we dare to admit it."

This courage is commendable. Under the tight surveillance system of British domestic affairs, Mr. Everard went against the tide and defended the honesty of knowledge.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Britain is Britain:

Even when engaging in self-criticism, they maintain an almost naive frankness!

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However, not all countries welcomed 1984.

Saint Petersburg, Winter Palace.

General Vikowski, the head of the Third Department, stood before Tsar Alexander III, holding a supplement to "Good Words".

"Your Majesty, this novel... is extremely dangerous."

Alexander III took the pamphlet, flipped through a few pages, and his brow furrowed more and more.

He muttered the slogan under his breath: "'OLD LADY IS WATCHING YOU'..."

Then he sneered, "This Frenchman knows a lot!"

General Vikowski said cautiously, "Your Majesty, the novel depicts the 'Ministry of Truth' distorting history and the 'Ministry of Friendship' suppressing dissent..."

These methods, in the eyes of some ignorant readers, might lead to…inappropriate associations.

Alexander III raised his eyes: "Association? Associating with what?"

Cold sweat beaded on the general's forehead: "Thinking back to...thinking back to..."

He dared not say any more, but he knew that the Tsar before him understood what he meant.

The Tsar did not force him to give an answer, but remained silent for a while before throwing the pamphlet on the table.

"Confiscate. All copies of this issue of 'Good Words' and this copy of '1984' that have flowed into Russia are confiscated."

Anyone found in possession of or distributing this novel will be prosecuted for 'inciting subversion'.

"Yes, Your Majesty! That punishment..."

"First-time offenders will be exiled to Siberia for five years. Second-time offenders will be exiled for ten years. Those who spread the virus will be exiled for twenty years."

Alexander III paused, then added, "Anyone who dares to discuss the contents of this book in public will be charged with treason."

"Yes!"

The order was sent by telegram to all provinces of Russia.

That afternoon, police in St. Petersburg and Moscow stormed into major bookstores, libraries, and university reading rooms.

"By order of the Third Bureau! All issues of 'Good Words' magazine and its supplements must be handed over! Violators will be severely punished!"

At Moscow State University, a student tried to argue: "This is a literary magazine! You can't..."

The police snatched the magazine from his hand: "What literary magazine! This is a banned publication! You, come with us!"

The student was dragged away. The other students hung their heads, angry but dared not speak out.

Similar scenes are playing out repeatedly in major Russian cities, with police going door-to-door to confiscate subscriptions based on lists provided by the post office.

In less than three days, about 1,200 copies of the magazine "Good Words" that had entered Russia were confiscated.

Only those books sold at bookstores and stalls were not confiscated, but most of them ended up underground, where they were sold for a hundred times more on the black market.

Moscow News—an official newspaper—published a brief statement:
It has been reported that recently, some illegal publications from overseas have entered our country under the guise of literary magazines. Their content is vulgar and reactionary, and seriously violates morality and the spirit of the empire.

The relevant departments have confiscated the items in accordance with the law. The public is urged to consciously resist this practice and not to distribute or possess it.

The name "1984" was not mentioned, nor was Lionel Sorel, nor even the magazine "Good Words." It was as if the event had never happened.

But underground, within a small circle of intellectuals, the novel was wildly circulated, discussed, and copied by hand.

"Have you heard? Lionel Sorel's new novel, 'The Queen of England,' is called 'Big Sister,' and it says the entire empire is under her watchful eye..."

"Really? The British magazine published it themselves?"

"It's true! I have a friend in Berlin who sent me a copy, and it's being passed around quietly now. Do you want to see it? You can only read it for one night; you have to pass it on to the next person tomorrow."

"Yes! Of course!"

……

In a room on Sadovaya-Kudlinskaya Street in Moscow, Chekhov stroked his copy of 1984 and whispered:
"Richard Everard? Is he also a follower of Mr. Sorel? He's incredibly brave!"

But didn't Mr. Sorel teach me to fight with 'deep, tenacious resilience'?

Chekhov felt genuine admiration for the editor-in-chief, but also a slight sense of crisis and jealousy.

In Britain, there were people even more radical than him who defended Mr. Lionel Sorel…

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