Writer 1978: I Need to Give the Literary World a Lesson

Chapter 339 Dropping an Atomic Bomb on Western Literature
On March 10, 1983, the editorial committee for the textbook "An Introduction to Western Modern Literary Thought" of the Chinese Department of Yenching University was officially established.

Liu Yimin served as the director of the editorial board, Yang Hui and Zhu Guangqian served as deputy directors, and the remaining graduate students participated in the project as contributors.

The editorial board had just been established when five thousand in funding was quickly allocated. Originally, three thousand was to be given first, but with Yang Hui and Zhu Guangqian joining, the initial funding increased accordingly.

Each participating graduate student received a subsidy of 50 cents per day, totaling 15 yuan per month. Yang Hui and Zhu Guangqian refused, but Liu Yimin still paid them 30 yuan per month.

Liu Yimin sat in the middle, with Yang Hui and Zhu Guangqian on either side, listening quietly to him speak.

"Comrades, textbooks are crucial to education, even influencing students' thinking. Professor Yang and Professor Zhu have both compiled textbooks and know their importance. None of you graduate students, including myself, have. We must recognize their importance, lest we end up being criticized by our students."

Our editorial policy is to compile a textbook on Western modern literary thought suitable for socialist literary education, adhering to the principle of "making foreign things serve China," absorbing the essence and discarding the dross.

Liu Yimin certainly didn't want to end up compiling a textbook that was completely biased towards foreign countries. The current pro-foreign sentiment is already serious, and if students read it, they will want to go abroad even more.

Therefore, it is very important to adhere to the editorial policy, which is to make textbooks suitable for our country and for students.

Yang Hui and Zhu Guangqian nodded in agreement, agreeing with this point.

"Our eight graduate students will first be divided into four groups of two to collect information on the United States, Britain, France, and Germany. After that, we will study Italy, Greece, and Soviet Russia, and we will also list Latin American literature separately."

Soviet literature has been studied domestically for a long time, so this is readily available and doesn't require much effort.

Russia is such a strange place, producing so many literary giants in modern times!

Then Zhu Guangqian and Yang Hui gave speeches, and the first editorial committee meeting finally came to an end. Everyone began to devote themselves to the book editing work.

Starting today, this will be Liu Yimin's office. Graduate students will come here to work or to the library to find materials as soon as their courses are over.

Yang Hui was solely responsible for Latin American literature, while Zhu Guangqian and Liu Yimin were responsible for organizing and classifying the materials and meticulously analyzing them to uncover their underlying connections.

Yang Hui was the busiest among them. As if he knew his days were numbered, he often sat alone in his office organizing documents.

Liu Yimin then obtained another graduate student from Professor Sun Yushi and placed him under Yang Hui to work for him.

"Professor Yang, you need to take care of your health."

After the students left, Liu Yimin sat down next to Yang Hui and said, "The first time I met Yang Hui, he was an arrogant little old man. Later, he followed Lan Tianye to my dormitory. Although he was older then, he was in good spirits."

“Yimin, you are still young, you don’t understand. This may be the last thing I can leave behind.” Yang Hui sighed and commented on himself: “Half a life of vigor, half a life of loneliness. Looking back, I realize that my days are numbered.”

"Professor Yang, please don't say that. You need to rest well so you can do more things!"

"In another half month, I'll be 84. I wonder if anyone in the Chinese department will remember me in a few years!" Yang Hui sighed.

Liu Yimin replied, "Professor Yang, the burning of Zhao's House back then left the students of Yenching University with a fiery spirit of resistance. As the head of the Chinese Department, you reformed the educational philosophy. The idea that 'the Chinese Department does not train' writers will become more and more deeply rooted in people's hearts."

"Haha, the burning of Zhao's house didn't seem like such a big deal back then. I just went when someone called me. But the more time passed, the more amazing it seemed. It's a pity that this short guy from Northeast China can never jump into Zhao's house again!"

Next, to save Yang Hui from having to walk so far, everyone would hold meetings at Yang Hui's home.

Yang Hui's wife, Yao Dong, quietly poured tea for everyone. After finishing, she retreated to the courtyard outside the villa and began pruning the flowers and plants. Yang Hui's wife loved flowers, and they were everywhere in the courtyard.

Spring has arrived in March, and everyone is chatting animatedly in the living room while the flowers outside are in full bloom!
Liu Yimin received another letter from Yu Hua, this time containing the manuscript. Liu Yimin thought to himself, "This guy is really persistent."

The letter respectfully stated that Liu Yimin was truly amazing; last year, after reading the novel, he suggested that Liu Yimin publish it in a local magazine, and it actually came to fruition.

Because of this, Yu Hua was extremely proud in front of his father, and spread the magazine out in front of his father, saying, "Dad, look, there's a Yu Hua in this magazine too!"

"Same name?"

"Dad, this is me. What do you mean by 'same name'? You still don't understand literature. Dad, Comrade Liu Yimin told me to submit my work to a local magazine, and it actually got published. Tell me, what kind of person is this? How can he have such a sharp eye?"

“Who could he be? A great writer. Didn’t you see what the newspaper said? An upright and kind young writer, whose blood always bursts with passionate light!” Yu’s father picked up the newspaper and handed it to Yu Hua, letting him read it himself.

"Hey, the newspapers are all just making things up. I want to know what he's really like. When I go to Yanjing later, I'll bring him some Haiyan rice wine and tea to visit him!" Yu Hua felt that since the other person had helped him so much, it would be a bit stingy to just bring rice wine; he also needed to bring tea.

"Okay, take your tools too, just in case he has a bad tooth, you can help him pull it out!"

Yu Hua: "."

"Forget it, Dad, you don't understand literature!"

After Yu Hua published his first article, he felt that he had taken a big step closer to entering the cultural center, but it was still not enough.

So I wrote another one, and after I finished it, I sent it to Liu Yimin in a letter so he could take a look (and calculate) which magazine it would be suitable for publication.

"This is like having your fortune told!" After reading it, Liu Yimin wrote down his advice again.

[Slight improvement; suitable for submission to provincial or higher-level journals!]

After finishing writing the letter, I placed it on the table, intending to mail it back on my way to work tomorrow.

"Teacher Liu, what do you think of the turtle I bought? It's so plump!" Zhu Lin said to Liu Yimin as soon as he opened the door after getting off work.

Seeing that Liu Yimin didn't speak, he picked up the turtle and ran to the study, wandering around for a while, and deliberately shook it a couple of times.

"Your student, I have to criticize you a bit. Everything should be left to its own devices. As the saying goes, 'The flowers you plant with care may not bloom, while the willows you plant without intention may thrive!'" Liu Yimin said.

Zhu Lin stared at Liu Yimin for a moment, then raised his chin and left the study, leaving behind only a laugh: "Teacher Liu, I want it all, whether it's intentional or not!"

Early in the morning, Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin rode their motorcycles towards the Beijing People's Art Theatre. According to Liu Yimin's promise to Cao Yu, he had to let Cao Yu read the manuscript today.

Last night, Zhu Lin even relayed a message from Cao Yu.

“Teacher Liu, Miller has been rehearsing very quickly lately. Director Lan and I have been watching him rehearse, and I estimate the premiere will be quite soon,” Zhu Lin said, facing the wind.

Liu Yimin said, "So what if it's fast! This is a mature script, it doesn't need to be polished while rehearsing like you guys used to, it will naturally be faster!" "I'm afraid he'll get cocky again, smoking a big pipe during rehearsals, people who don't know him will think he's MacArthur!" Zhu Lin laughed.

"Haha, you should learn rehearsals from him. Miller is quite skilled. He used to work part-time while writing scripts and even worked as a repairman, but he wasn't good at it and almost gave up."

"I know that there's always something to learn from others, and I'm studying very hard. I think I can become a director soon!"

"Hahaha, not just a director, but a great director, the great director Zhu Lin!"

When he arrived at the Beijing People's Art Theatre, Cao Yu hadn't arrived yet, but Liu Yimin was waiting for him outside his office. As Lan Tianye passed by, he asked with a smile if there was any script available.

"No, absolutely not this time!"

After Lan Tianye left, Su Min lingered over to ask how the army's rehearsals of "The Acacia Tree in the Minefield" were going.

Liu Yimin slapped his forehead: "Director Su, I really don't know. It's been almost a month, so it's probably finalized by now. The last time I spoke with Commander Wei was at the beginning of the month."

Director Su, why don't you just call the drama troupe and ask?

"Alright, I'll ask. Jiabao has already made it clear that I'll be directing this play. This time, I'm determined to show Lao Lan what I think of the big-scene scenes I've put together!"

After Su Min finished speaking, he straightened his chest, looking somewhat ambitious.

When Cao Yu saw Liu Yimin at the office door, his eyes lit up immediately: "Yimin, come into the office quickly!"

Su Min said, "Yi Min is not a member of our People's Art Theatre, but he is more like one. I think it would be good to find him an office so he can sit here and write scripts whenever he has free time."

"Old Su, I can't chat with you anymore, you go ahead and get busy!" Cao Yu said with a smile, and hurriedly pushed Liu Yimin into the house.

Su Min wondered if there was another good manuscript. Judging from Jia Bao Gong's eagerness, it must be a good one.

It's a shame; I should have been shameless and squeezed in just as the door was closing!
"Yimin, let me see the manuscript quickly!" Cao Yu said impatiently.

Liu Yimin took the manuscript out of his bag and handed it to Cao Yu, then picked up the kettle to fetch hot water.

Just as they stepped outside, Su Min, who was still there, saw Liu Yimin and immediately put his arm around him, saying, "Yimin, you're fetching water yourself?"

"Director Su, this thermos won't move by itself unless I fetch the water myself!"

Su Min took the thermos from Liu Yimin: "It left by itself!"

"."

While getting water, Liu Yimin said to Su Min, "Director Su, what I just showed Teacher Wan was a novel!"

"Yimin, I'm not that materialistic. I was just helping you get some water. Don't overthink it. But since you brought it up, what novel is it?"

Liu Yimin glanced at Su Min speechlessly: "Director Su, this is a novel that cannot be adapted into a script, and the stage cannot present its effect. You shouldn't bother, 'The Acacia Tree in the Minefield' will keep you busy for a while!"

Liu Yimin waved to Su Min and walked into Cao Yu's office alone, carrying the thermos.

Cao Yu pretended not to notice him and continued to frown as he looked at the manuscript, his pen scribbling on the blank paper as he organized the story's plot.

Liu Yimin sipped his tea, bored, while waiting for Cao Yu to finish reading the first half of his writing.

"I'm starting to suspect this is a ghost story!" Cao Yu said to Liu Yimin.

"That's magical reality, teacher. But I think ghost stories like 'Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio' also have a touch of magic and supernatural phenomena, only the narrative style is still linear. Magical realism is a non-linear narrative realism."

What is the name of this novel?

"I want to call it 'Beloved'!"

"A good title. Compared to 'Green Book,' it portrays racial discrimination even more brutally. I believe it can better expose this shameful history of the United States, treating people as tools and livestock. They owe a terrible debt to Black people!"

"What's owed will be repaid!" Liu Yimin said.

"Tell me what happens next in the story!"

"it is good!"

The novel *Beloved* tells a true story that occurred before the liberation of African Americans. A black slave named Seth escaped from a farm to escape her slavery. However, she was pursued by the slave owners. To free her child from slavery, she suppressed her grief and killed her daughter.

Nine years before Lincoln freed the slaves, eighteen years later, the vengeful spirit of the murdered "Beloved" returned to the small town where Seth lived.

Harboring hatred for her mother, she transforms into a young girl and personally destroys her mother Seth's stable life. She seeks love while simultaneously venting her hatred.

To make up for what she owed her daughter, Seth drove away Paul D., who had seduced her mother's boyfriend.

After her life was destroyed, Seth went completely insane...

Finally, the eccentric youngest daughter, Denise, sought help to unite the Black community in a collective exorcism ritual, at which point Beloved vanished completely.

The novel exposes the cruelty of this racial oppression, highlighting the inability to simultaneously obtain maternal love and freedom. Furthermore, the latter half calls for the Black community to unite and strive for freedom.

Lincoln emancipated the first Black people; now that the Black people are going to emancipate the second time, let's unite!
The story begins with Sethe, who has settled down and is living in number 124, when a well-dressed woman walks through the water for a day and a night to reach number 124. Sethe sees that this woman looks exactly like her dead child, even her name and the scar on her neck are identical.

Seth treats her like a daughter, and the story begins from there. Past and present intertwine, various painful memories and realities slowly unfold, and the absurd narrative style delves into the characters' inner worlds.
After the exorcism was completed, Paul D returned, held Seth's hand, and said, "You are the most precious one," and "We need a tomorrow."

This is a magical realist work with far-reaching influence. It is often compared to another Eastern magical realist work, namely "Big Breasts and Wide Hips".

"Great!" Cao Yu slapped his thigh and shouted "Great!" He could already imagine what the Black man was thinking when he saw the last sentence, "We need a tomorrow," and what kind of tomorrow that meant.

“Although it’s not finished, I’m sure it’s like dropping an atomic bomb on Western literature! Let’s go find Miller and let him appreciate this novel of extremely high artistic value. Let’s see what he can say then!” Cao Yu walked briskly toward the rehearsal room, and Liu Yimin hurriedly followed.

(End of this chapter)