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

Chapter 371, "The Legendary Manager," has been published.

One counter in the bookstore couldn't meet the readers' needs, so in the afternoon, the bookstore manager led people to put stacks of new books on the street, set up tables in front of them, and began "occupying the street for business".

The bustling sales scene attracted many onlookers. Reporters came over to interview the readers, who said they bought the books to learn about the hard work and dedication of scientists and soldiers, and to express their respect for these dedicated individuals.

"Comrades, today is National Day. Let's sing a song to express our respect to the scientists and soldiers!"

"it is good!"

"Let's sing the song 'The Motherland Will Not Forget' written by Comrade Liu Yimin."

Under the warm October sun, the readers queuing up were in high spirits. The TV station filmed the readers singing "The Motherland Will Not Forget" while they were queuing, and the footage was broadcast on CCTV that night.

In the evening, Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin sat on the sofa watching the news.

"Teacher Liu, how long do you think it will take to sell six million copies?" Zhu Lin asked curiously.

"I think if we have enough stock, it should last about three months. Because the busiest time is during these months, and coincidentally, we have plenty of stock during these months, so we can supply it indefinitely. After a few months, as new works are released, the discussion about the new works will gradually increase, while the discussion about the older works will decrease. After the first print run is sold out, there probably won't be any more large-scale printings."

Liu Yimin's analysis won Zhu Lin's approval, and Zhu Lin replied: "I think it's fine as long as it catches up with 'Triumph at Midnight' overall."

The National Day holiday lasted two days, and bookstores were packed with customers during those two days. On the first day of the holiday, some Xinhua bookstores in Beijing sold as many as 20,000 copies of the book "The Birth of a Nation".

After compiling newspapers from various regions and considering the first batch of book orders from each province, both People's Literature Publishing House and Commercial Press felt that printing six million copies in the first batch was still a bit too conservative.

People's Literature Publishing House and Commercial Press celebrated this success as if it were a major New Year's celebration.

Liu Yimin received royalties from People's Literature Publishing House and Commercial Press. The first printing of six million copies, plus the basic royalties and printing royalties, totaled forty-five thousand yuan.

Including the royalties from Harvest magazine and the reprint fees from newspapers and magazines across the country, "The Emergence of a New Generation" brought Liu Yimin a total income of 50,000 yuan.

Liu Yimin used some of his money to buy the standalone edition and some other books, which he sent to the Malan base. Some of the books were donated to the base and its middle school, and some were donated to the military. This part cost Liu Yimin five thousand yuan. The books were sent to Xinjiang Province through the distribution channels of People's Literature Publishing House.

"Yimin, if our country had a bestseller list, you would be in the top five this year," Wu Zuxiang said to Liu Yimin as he walked into the office with a newspaper in hand.

Liu Yimin asked with a smile, "Professor Wu, how was your National Day holiday?"

Did you have a good National Day holiday?

"Great, of course it's great! People are in high spirits when they have good news, and the same goes for the country when it has good news!"

Wu Zuxiang's head-shaking and swaying amused Zhu Guangqian and Liu Yimin.

As the pace of textbook compilation accelerates, Zhu Guangqian no longer feels as anxious.

"Yimin, I heard that Wang Meng invited you to be an editor of People's Literature and Art?" Wu Zuxiang asked curiously.

"How do you know?"

Zhu Guangqian said, "Professor Wu used to be the secretary of the Secretariat of the Writers Association and also served as an editorial board member of People's Literature. There is nothing about People's Literature that he is unaware of."

Wu Zuxiang quickly said, "That's all ancient history, but as for the relationship with People's Literature and Art, there is still some connection."

"Yes, Comrade Wang Meng contacted me, and I agreed!" Liu Yimin said with a smile.

"Good promise. This great ship of *People's Literature and Art* must always sail on the right path. You must play a good role on the editorial board. Back when I was an editorial board member, Cui Daoyi had just joined *People's Literature and Art*, and now he's about to become an editorial board member too. Time really flies!"

Wu Zuxiang looked at the fallen leaves outside and sighed.

"Don't talk about time in front of me. I've done the math, and it's only a few years left," Zhu Guangqian said, pointing to his full head of white hair as he laughed as he discussed life and death.

Zhu Guangqian was born in 1897 and is now 86 years old.

Wu Zuxiang said, "Birth is in order, but death is not necessarily arranged according to the order of birth."

"Alright, professors, let's not talk about life and death here. If Professor Yan hears this, he'll be restless in his office. You two are the treasures of our Chinese department!"

Wu Zuxiang and Zhu Guangqian didn't take it seriously. They talked to each other about what they hadn't done yet and how they should finish it while they were still healthy, lest it be too late when they couldn't move anymore.

Liu Yimin glanced at the graduate students who were eavesdropping, then tapped the table lightly with his finger, signaling them to hurry up and get back to their work.

As the two talked, Zhu Guangqian stopped compiling the book and began to record his unfinished tasks.

After Liu Yimin and Wu Zuxiang left, they posted a sign on the office door that read, "No unauthorized personnel allowed."

"Why do your characters look like they're imitating Yan Jiayan's?" Zhu Guangqian asked.

Liu Yimin laughed and said, "Who told him to have such a high-ranking official position!"

“That makes sense!” Zhu Guangqian said without hesitation.

As Yan Jiayan passed by the office door, he wondered when he had written those words, as he had no recollection of it at all.
So he came in and asked, "How's everyone's textbook compilation going?"

"Professor Yan, the first edition should be published by the end of November. At that time, the department will first form an internal review committee to review it," Liu Yimin said.

Yan Jiayan happily leaned over and said, "Great, great! Is the funding still sufficient?"

"Professor Yan, this is enough. However, the department will need to cover the expert review fees separately."

The department's internal expert review process is manageable; it can be done in one's spare time. However, for the textbooks to be printed and used, they still need to pass the review of the Ministry's Higher Education Textbook Review Committee.

The ministry invites experts from various universities to conduct reviews, which incurs a fee.

“No problem, we’ve come this far, the department will not hesitate to act decisively,” Yan Jia said solemnly.

"Alright, Jia Yan, there's nothing more for you to do. Go back to your office now!" Zhu Guangqian waved his hand and said.

"Okay, Professor Zhu!"

Yan Jiayan obediently walked out of the office, glancing at the note stuck on the door a few more times before leaving.

On October 15th, Liu Yimin entered People's Literature and Art magazine in a brand-new capacity. A banner celebrating the establishment of the new editorial committee was hanging at the entrance of People's Literature and Art magazine.

As soon as he arrived at the entrance of the People's Literature building, Jiang Zilong stood on the steps and greeted Liu Yimin.

"Comrade Zilong, why don't you go in?" Liu Yimin asked.

In late October, the weather had started to get cool, and Jiang Zilong had his gray scarf wrapped tightly around his neck.

"I heard from Editor Cui that you were coming right away, so I'll wait here for you to chat," Jiang Zilong said with a smile.

Liu Yimin glanced around, and seeing that he still had some time before raising his wrist, he said, "Shall we take a walk in the yard?"

"it is good!"

Today, People's Literature is formulating a new generation of editorial guidelines, which will affect the future publication and manuscript collection. Jiang Zilong is waiting for Liu Yimin here mainly to talk to him about the editorial board and exchange opinions in advance.

Liu Yimin joked, "Comrade Zilong, is it a pity that you didn't come to 'People's Literature' as deputy editor-in-chief?" "What's there to regret? It's work no matter where you are. But if I came to Yanjing, my whole family would come, making it much easier for the two of us to communicate."

Jiang Zilong had no regrets about not being transferred to People's Literature and Art. He was a leader in the Tianjin Writers Association, but that might not be the case in Beijing.

“Yimin, my story with People’s Literature and Art is more complicated than yours. It was the editors of People’s Literature and Art who did not give up on me and gave me a second life. So, I sincerely want People’s Literature and Art to do well.”

"Comrade Zilong, please speak frankly, I understand."

“In August, People’s Literature published a letter to its readers, saying that the magazine would no longer be just about literature. This is how I understand it: literary works should not only have literary value, but also pay attention to social progress, the future of the times and the fate of the masses.”

"Your understanding is correct. Literature and the people are inextricably linked. This is a broad view of literature, and I strongly agree with it. I am very opposed to some unrealistic writing."

The two chatted in the courtyard for about fifteen minutes, but as more and more people arrived, they had to go into the meeting room.

When Liu Yimin first met Chen Rong and the others, he looked around and noticed that Liu Yimin had the blackest hair.

Chen Rong said with a smile, "Comrade Liu Yimin, I have long admired your name. My son Liang Zuo and I both really like your works. He was a student in the Chinese Department in 77. We met you at school, but you may not have met him."

"Hello, Comrade Chen Rong, I've heard of Comrade Liang Zuo. He won the Youth Literature Award in 80. He's a very impressive senior."

Chen Rong said modestly, "I'm far inferior to you, and far inferior to the other students in the class of '77. Your senior, Chen Jiangong, is much better than him."

"Fellow writers, fellow editors, thank you all for attending the meeting!" Wang Meng strode into the meeting room and said, clapping her hands.

After exchanging greetings, everyone sat in the conference room to listen to Wang Meng's opening remarks, where she explained her ideas for running the magazine and the meaning of her "Letter to Readers".

"The main purpose today is to formulate the editorial policy for the next few years. Everyone, please speak freely. Comrade Cui Daoyi, you are a veteran editor, why don't you go first?" Wang Meng looked at Cui Daoyi, who was sitting at the end of the table.

Cui Daoyi opened his notebook and began to talk about his editing experience and opinions: "We editors are the gatekeepers. We let high-quality manuscripts in and reject low-quality ones. Of course, some manuscripts are of decent quality, but if they don't fit the editorial policy, we will definitely not accept them."

With the influx of foreign literary ideas into China, a large number of works with new themes and new writing styles are bound to emerge. This actually presents a challenge to the editorial work. How should we at *People's Literature and Art* approach these works? I think…

After Cui Daoyi finished speaking, the atmosphere in the room became lively.

Jiang Zilong proposed a contemporary realism, using his passionate heart to observe and integrate into the reform and opening up, which is also in line with his identity as a reform literature writer.

"Yimin, would you like to share your thoughts?" Wang Meng asked with a smile.

Liu Yimin said with a smile: "Actually, reform is about new things. The purpose of our reform of People's Literature is also to introduce new things. What will be new next? I think it will definitely be new themes and new writing styles. For example, Comrade Wang Meng currently prefers the stream-of-consciousness style, while in China, realism is the main approach."

The introduction of stream-of-consciousness or magical realism will impact domestic realist writing, leading to the emergence of our own 'new realism'. A diverse range of styles is beneficial. However, I believe that the fundamental principles of realism must be upheld; we shouldn't abandon realism in pursuit of stream-of-consciousness or magical realism.

We must uphold realism and the principle that literature serves the people while embracing diversity. We cannot simply pursue "novelty" at the expense of creating all sorts of nonsensical things.

After Liu Yimin finished speaking, Jiang Zilong immediately agreed: "Yimin is right. No matter which way we go, we must stay on the main road. As the national publication, People's Literature and Art should set an example."

“I agree. Literature should have a sense of responsibility, a sense of the times, and a sense of mission. We need to let our writers know that every word they write has a great impact,” Cui Daoyi said.

Wang Meng nodded in agreement, and then Chen Rong began to share her thoughts. Overall, the consensus was to uphold realism, while some requested that the magazine focus on encouraging new writing styles to revitalize the literary scene.

The editorial meeting lasted three hours, with a ten-minute break in the middle, and finally reached a new editorial policy—to adhere to the main editorial tone of realism and strengthen the connection between literature and the times, the country, and the people. On this basis, new themes will be incorporated, and a tolerant and inclusive approach will be adopted. Efforts will be intensified to discover and cultivate new authors.

After the meeting, Liu Yimin met with Zhu Wei (Mo Yan's editor), the top general transferred by Wang Meng.

"Comrade Liu Yimin, I worked at the China Youth Daily for a while, but unfortunately you only had eyes for Comrade Yu Jiajia. From now on, I will be working at People's Literature and Art. If there is anything I do wrong, I hope you will criticize and correct me." Zhu Wei said excitedly, holding Liu Yimin's hand.

"Editor Zhu, you editors are professionals, I'm an outsider and it's not appropriate for me to interfere, but I'm good at doing overall work."

After chatting for a while, Liu Yimin and Jiang Zilong went out to eat and talked about the conflict between the magazine and the editorial board.

"For magazines, the newer and more sensational the works, the more they can demonstrate their leading role in the literary world. Why do magazines like Harvest have such a high status? Because they can publish a lot of 'new' things, but are these things necessarily good? Not necessarily."

This is the contradiction between the editorial board and the actual operation of the magazine: what we consider "good" is different from what the magazine considers "good."

If we use the 'discussion level' of later generations as a benchmark, it becomes easier to understand that 'explosive' content generates more discussion than 'steady' content.

Jiang Zilong's words explain why some magazines were keen to publish 'avant-garde literature' works in the mid-1980s, and these literary works were full of "explosive" elements.

“A horse with reins is much better than a horse that has run free,” Liu Yimin said.

"Haha, that's an interesting analogy, Comrade Yimin, see you next time."

After finishing his meal, Jiang Zilong did not stay in Yanjing but took the train directly back to Tianjin.

After returning to his courtyard house and taking a nap, Liu Yimin went to the Beijing People's Art Theatre and formally handed over the script of "The Legendary Shopkeeper" to Cao Yu.

"It's done so quickly?" Cao Yu's eyes lit up immediately after receiving the script.

Liu Yimin said with a smile, "Teacher, you have to keep your word!"

Cao Yu breathed a sigh of relief. After reading the script, he found Su Min and Lin Zhaohua and asked them to direct "The Legendary Shopkeeper".

Su Min said excitedly, "I've been sharpening my knives for a long time. Yi Min, just hold on tight. The result will definitely be no weaker than 'The Flames of War in Beiping'. Although you and Zhao Hua have never worked together before, you can rest assured about Zhao Hua's professional skills. The two of us are no worse than Shan Zun and Tian Ye."

"Comrade Yimin, familiarity breeds contempt. We should cooperate more in the future. I'm from Tianjin, but I've lived in Beijing for decades. This old Beijing drama is best left to me and Director Su." Lin Zhaohua immediately assured Liu Yimin.

"Directors, Mr. Wan must trust you two to direct the play, and I trust you too. Let's look forward to your masterpiece!"

Stepping out of the office, Liu Yimin grabbed Su Min's hand and said, "Director Su, aren't you a true comrade?"

"Absolutely enough. I've been so bored lately that I'm practically bursting with energy. Look at my eyes, they're all red, especially when I see Lan Tianye walking around in front of me."

This isn't just a fever, it's definitely conjunctivitis!
So she took out the script and quickly flipped through it: "Yimin, you promised me you'd find a suitable role for me."

“Look, Yao Zesheng and Wang Defu are both suitable, and if all else fails, there’s Zhang Zuolin,” Liu Yimin said with a smile.

So Zhi patted Su Min and Lin Zhaohua on the hand, telling them to think about who they would be suitable to play.

"Yimin, the royalties for this script are still one thousand."

"it is good!"

"How's your next script coming along? It's almost November, and it'll be 1984 soon!" Yu Shizhi asked.

"Don't worry, the script is already being conceived, and it's in the same vein as 'The Legendary Shopkeeper.' Dean Yu, just you wait and see! It'll definitely impress you. The script for 'The Legendary Shopkeeper' paid a thousand, but this one can't be a thousand!" Liu Yimin said mysteriously.

So he said, "What nonsense are you spouting, kid? I'm not the dean yet. As long as the script is good, the script fee will increase accordingly. It should be in accordance with the principle of distribution according to work!"

"I'll be the vice dean soon, I've already heard from Shan Zun," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

So Yu waved his hand and said righteously, "Alas, whether it's the vice dean or anyone else, they are all serving their comrades."

On November 1, People's Literature and Art magazine officially published Liu Yimin's "The Legendary Shopkeeper," and its unique perspective quickly attracted readers' attention.

(End of this chapter)