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

Chapter 405, "The Stage," was published.

Inside the Writers' Association, Zhang Guangnian was about to leave work when Wang Meng cornered him in his office.

Zhang Guangnian asked curiously, "Comrade Wang Meng, didn't you just leave?"

Wang Meng said with a smile, "There's a draft I'm having trouble deciding on, so I'd like you to take a look."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Guangnian didn't move. Instead, he waved his hand and said, "You're the editor-in-chief of People's Literature now. You can discuss it with your colleagues in the editorial department. Besides, there are editorial board members in the editorial department. Just convene an editorial board meeting to discuss it together."

Wang Meng was turned away, but she didn't leave. She continued relentlessly, saying, "Comrade Zhang, you have been the editor-in-chief of 'People's Literature' for many years, and you must have your own standards for judging manuscripts. Besides, 'People's Literature' is a secondary unit under the Writers' Association, which is right under your jurisdiction."

Furthermore, the author of this article is none other than Yimin.

Upon hearing Wang Meng's words, Zhang Guangnian's unmoved expression vanished. He put his briefcase back on his desk, took the manuscript from Wang Meng, put on his reading glasses, and began to read it carefully.

Wang Meng sat quietly on the sofa, feeling a strange mix of emotions.

Zhang Guangnian read very slowly, especially at the beginning when he was a little confused and didn't know why it was so hard to grasp, even though it was obviously easy to grasp!

The absurd narrative unfolds slowly. When Zhang Guangnian sees Commander Hong holding a gun and demanding that the lyrics be changed, he understands. After reading it, he doesn't speak first, but instead asks Wang Meng what she thinks.

"I really like the style and meaning of the article, but it's easy for people to use it against me. Another article of mine insulted many people, even the readers, and I'm afraid I won't be able to handle that later," Wang Meng said with a wry smile.

Zhang Guangnian pondered for a moment and said, "You've given me a difficult problem, but I think these worries are a bit unnecessary. Do the phenomena mentioned above exist? I think we all know they definitely do."

Comrade Wang Meng, in fact, the higher authorities have realized the inadequacy of their management of the arts and literature sector and are intentionally reducing interference from administrative orders and reforming the management system of the Writers' Association. Everyone talks about reform and opening up, and I think we should also make some changes. In this light, it doesn't seem abrupt at all; on the contrary, it seems quite timely.

In addition, Zhang Guangnian also discussed other areas of criticism, believing that the literary and artistic circles, like Jin Xiaotian, the lead actor in "The Stage," also suffer from a mismatch between moral character and artistic talent.

"The literary and artistic circles have become more and more vibrant in the past two years, but what about writers? Have they picked up any bad habits? I think so. Does the overwhelming praise from readers make writers enjoy the feeling of being the center of attention? Could it lead to writer worship and unhealthy relationships between men and women?"

I think we need to pay attention to this issue. As writers reach a higher level of expertise, they also need to set higher standards for their personal lives. It's crucial to handle the relationship between writers and readers correctly. Do readers like the work or the writer as a person?

After listening, Wang Meng nodded in agreement: "On university campuses, young poets and writers command great influence, and the same is true in society. These intricate relationships should serve as a warning."

Seeing Zhang Guangnian's agreement, Wang Meng felt much more relaxed. But after leaving the Writers' Association, she went straight to the homes of other leaders of the Writers' Association or well-known writers in the literary world to discuss the work.

Feng Mu of the Literary Gazette also saw Wang Meng's manuscript in advance and, like Zhang Guangnian, agreed with its publication.

Seeing that Wang Meng was still hesitant, Feng Mu said in an encouraging tone, "If your People's Literature and Art doesn't dare to publish it, our Literature and Art Daily is willing to publish it. We are just worried about not having any of Comrade Yimin's manuscripts, and you, on the contrary, don't cherish them."

"Comrade Feng Mu, if I didn't cherish this opportunity, would I be running around Beijing all this time? I've worn my lips out from talking so much these past two days," Wang Meng retorted.

Feng Mu asked, "Are you going to send it or not?"

"It's going to be approved. Overall, the vast majority of comrades support it." After making the decision, Wang Meng leaned back on the sofa with a sense of relief.

Feng Mu poured him a cup of tea to moisten his throat. After Wang Meng finished the tea, he made a request to Feng Mu: "Comrade Feng Mu, you've read the manuscript. Since you've read it, you have to pay some taxes. I can't let you read it for free."

"What? You want to charge me money?" Feng Mu said with a sneer.

"It's not about taking your money, it's about getting you to cooperate. We publish the article, you post some comments, so that those who want to exploit this situation can't do anything about it, how about that?"

Feng Mu hesitated for a moment, then agreed to Wang Meng's request.

As Wang Meng walked out of the Literary Gazette, he hummed a little tune and returned to People's Literature and Art. He hadn't been to People's Literature and Art for two days, and the editors all focused their attention on him.

Wang Meng walked up to Cui Daoyi with her chest puffed out, slammed the manuscript on the table, and said readily, "Edit it immediately and publish it next month. Don't remove any extra manuscripts; just print this one."

Upon hearing Wang Meng's words, Cui Daoyi happily said, "I'll call Yimin right now and tell him the good news."

Wang Meng assigned several more tasks in the editorial department and then returned to her office.

Xu Yi and several other editors swarmed around Cui Daoyi, eager to see what this manuscript, which had kept Wang Meng running around for two days, actually contained.

Cui Daoyi called Liu Yimin several times but couldn't reach him. At that moment, Liu Yimin was lecturing to second-year students.

Back in the Chinese Department of Jingyuan Fifth Courtyard, Liu Yimin returned Cui Daoyi's call.

"As long as it can be sent, that's fine," Liu Yimin said casually.

Hearing Liu Yimin's calm tone, Cui Daoyi said again, "Comrade Wang Meng really ran around for two days, and his lips have become thin from talking so much. But the result is good, and the Wenyi Bao will publish a commentary later."

Liu Yimin's heart skipped a beat: "Would they try to scam me?"

These literary figures love to use any topic as an excuse to make a point.

"Probably not!" Cui Daoyi was also a little unsure, so he assured Liu Yimin that he would ask Wang Meng and the two of them would discuss the direction of the comments.

"Okay, senior brother, thank you for your hard work!" Liu Yimin said with a smile.

"Oh, not at all. You've been so supportive of me; it's only fair that you reciprocate my sincerity!"

After hanging up the phone, Liu Yimin went to the office of the Institute of Literature and Art and found that all four of them were slacking off.

Upon seeing Liu Yimin arrive, they all pretended to be busy.

Liu Yimin coughed and chuckled, "Stop pretending to be busy. There's nothing much going on right now, so taking a break wouldn't hurt. The department promised to install telephones in the offices, haven't they been installed yet?"

"Not yet, but the post office has already come to check, and it should be installed in the next couple of days."

"How's the project summary coming along, everyone in the groups?"

"We're compiling the data now, and it'll take the professors a while to come up with research topics," Yan Zhen said.

"Row!"

The Ministry of Culture initially allocated 10,000 yuan for office expenses and basic research funding. The remaining funds will be allocated based on the budget prepared for each research project application.

The Institute of Literature and Art has just been established, so it's difficult to determine the funding standard for the first year. However, Xia Yan has already promised to increase the institute's funding.

Back in his office, Wu Zuxiang smiled and told Liu Yimin about his research on UNESCO, explaining that cultural heritage applications are divided into two categories: "tangible cultural heritage and intangible cultural heritage."

“I think our Great Wall can apply for cultural heritage status, as can the Forbidden City and others. We have so many cultural relics that we need to consult the archaeology department to sort them out in a short time,” Wang Yao said.

Wu Zuxiang said, "There's no need to be so clear. After all, besides explaining what should be applied for, the main thing we need to do is explain to the country the necessity of applying. Let's list a general range, and the relevant departments can just fit it into that range."

Liu Yimin praised the two professors for their high level of enthusiasm for research, and Wu Zuxiang said, "Now that we are aware of this, we must protect it."

While chatting with several professors, Lan Tianye, a director from the Beijing People's Art Theatre, appeared at the office door, smiling and saying that he wanted to talk to Liu Yimin about something.

Liu Yimin led him to a private office. Lan Tianye looked around the office and smiled, "Your research institute really has excellent facilities."

"Director Lan, what do you need me for?" Liu Yimin asked.

Lan Tianye handed the manuscript to Liu Yimin from his bag. It had the title "Beloved" written on it, along with information on how the script should be arranged and questions about directing.

"You really want to direct 'The Favourite'?"

"There's no script, so I have to put in the effort myself. These days everyone's talking about innovative plays, right? Things that are hard to express can be expressed using a stream of consciousness approach. We can piece together the fragmented storyline bit by bit and stretch the content into a coherent whole."

Lan Tianye shared his ideas with Liu Yimin, and then said enticingly, "If we can import foreign scripts and stage Western plays, and if 'Beloved' is well-received, foreigners might want to import our scripts too. That would be a huge success!"

“If foreigners were to direct it, it might be successful, Director Lan. My concern is that it might go unnoticed in China, which is different from ‘Green Book’,” Liu Yimin cautioned.

Lan Tianye said eagerly, "Why not give it a try? Besides, some foreign plays don't get very good feedback in China, and they're not all that great."

“Okay, Director Lan, since you want to give it a try, let’s give it a try,” Liu Yimin said with a smile.

Lan Tianye stood up excitedly and said, "Okay!" At noon, Liu Yimin took Lan Tianye back to the Overseas Chinese Apartment. Lan Tianye hugged Liu Yu and laughed, "Little Yu, when will you call me Grandmaster?"

Zhu Lin wasn't surprised to hear that Lan Tianye wanted to rehearse "Beloved," as she already knew about Lan Tianye's idea before she even took a vacation.

"Teacher Lan, I believe in you. No matter what kind of script it is, you will definitely be able to put it into a great production!" Zhu Lin said, and then used the play "The Visit" as an example.

Lan Tianye said with emotion, "Look, it's still my students who trust me."

"Haha, Director Lan, there's a hidden meaning in your words!" Liu Yimin laughed.

During the meal, Lan Tianye brought up the matter of Zhu Lin going back to work. He calculated the time and realized that Zhu Lin's maternity leave would end in late June.

Zhu Lin looked at the two children, and Yang Xiuyun said, "There's a mother at home. There are only two children. I can manage. I'm just worried that the children will go hungry."

"There's always a way," Liu Yimin said. There was still some time before he had to go to work, and he needed to make a trip to Yanjing before then.

The awards ceremonies for the Hundred Flowers Awards and the Golden Rooster Awards will be held in Jinan in early June.

"When you go to Jinan to receive the award, you can go with Lao Yu."

So, his performance in "Qiu Jin" last year actually earned him the Best Supporting Actor award.

"Director Lan, once the drama awards ceremony starts, you'll probably be there soon too," Liu Yimin said.

Lan Tianye pondered for a moment: "It's a long way off. Shan Zun and Xia Chun are both veteran directors! If we win before them, it would seem like there's something wrong with the award selection process."

In the afternoon, Lan Tianye took Liu Yimin to the Beijing People's Art Theatre to see an innovative play that used many "stream of consciousness" narrative techniques.

“Most people probably won’t understand this!” Liu Yimin asked with a smile.

Lan Tianye nodded: "It's true that I can't understand it. I believe you can definitely write a stream-of-consciousness play that the audience can understand."

"As you said, it should be used sparingly to represent dreams or past events, and not too often," Liu Yimin said.

After the two finished talking, they left the rehearsal room. Su Min, seeing them, curiously asked what they wanted to rehearse. Lan Tianye told Su Min about his plan and invited him to join.

Su Min hesitated for a moment before saying, "I'll join. I'm just idling around anyway."

Liu Yimin went to see Cao Yu. Ouyang Shanzun was sitting in Cao Yu's office. When he saw Liu Yimin, he happily pressed him down onto the sofa and told him the good news.

"The first restaurant in the world has already been performed 50 times in two months. I think it will reach 100 performances this year. It is the fastest play to reach 100 performances so far."

When Liu Yimin came in, Ouyang Shanzun was reporting the good news to Cao Yu.

Cao Yu said to Ouyang Shanzun, "Shanzun, don't be too happy. We should make each one more exciting than the last."

Ouyang Shanzun chuckled sheepishly: "That's not easy. After all, our Beijing People's Art Theatre's scripts can't all be more exciting than the last!"

Cao Yu didn't bring up that again, but instead asked Liu Yimin what he had come for today. Liu Yimin told Cao Yu about Lan Tianye's idea, and Cao Yu didn't object: "If Tianye wants to give it a try, then let him try!"

Ouyang Shanzun interjected, "Maybe it really is. Yimin, how many copies of the standalone edition of 'Beloved' have sold?"

"It's only just started selling, and I estimate it's only sold a little over 200,000 copies so far!"

“Not bad, a million copies is easily achievable,” said Ouyang Shanzun.

After Ouyang Shanzun walked out of Cao Yu's office, Cao Yu said, "When will you take Xiaoyu and Xiaolin to Muxidi for a visit? Speaking of which, I, your grandmaster, have hardly met the children yet. Your grandmaster's wife would also like to meet them."

"Okay." Liu Yimin then told Cao Yu about his book, "The Stage."

After listening to Liu Yimin's explanation, Cao Yu laughed and scolded, "You might as well wait for People's Literature and Art to come out and let me read it myself. It's already made my stomach rumble."

"Let me tell you first, it's only a few days until it's published." Liu Yimin chuckled.

"I'll see after it's published in People's Literature and Art. If this satirical style is good, it might become a new form of theatrical expression on the stage and attract more audiences."

At the end of the month, the weather was very hot. Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin brought their two children to Muxidi. The moment the door opened, Li Yuru took Liu Lin from Liu Yimin's arms.

Liu Lin stared at Li Yuru with both eyes. At first, he didn't cry or make a fuss, but after a while, his mouth started to droop. Li Yuru held him and comforted him in the living room. Suddenly, she felt a warm sensation on her body and subconsciously called out, "Old Wan, come and hold him, little Liu Lin peed."

Liu Yimin quickly took it, and Li Yuru patted Liu Lin's butt before turning around and going back to change her clothes.

Cao Yu chuckled and took out a towel to wipe the little guy's bottom clean before taking him and holding him in his arms.

"The little guy has gained quite a bit of weight in the past month or so!" Cao Yu said, feeling the weight on his arm.

Li Yuru came out of the bedroom: "The little guy is quite energetic, that's how he greets his master's wife!"

She then took out two pairs of knitted baby shoes from the cabinet and let the two little ones try them on to see if they fit.

“Master’s wife, Linlin has knitted a lot,” Liu Yimin said.

“This is different, it was woven by the sorceress,” Li Yuru said happily.

After dinner, Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin chatted at Cao Yu's house for a while before returning to the Overseas Chinese Apartment.

Yang Xiuyun sat in the living room watching TV and waiting for the two to return. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw them come back.

As Liu Yimin felt the temperature in the living room, he thought to himself that he needed to install an air conditioner in Yang Xiuyun's room, otherwise she would be too hot to sleep at night in June.

"Teacher Liu, how about we skip the award ceremony? It's inconvenient to bring these two little ones along."

Lying in bed, Zhu Lin suddenly said.

Liu Yimin turned to look at Zhu Lin: "You gave up the first time, so don't give up this time. There will be a way to have the best of both worlds."

Receiving the award doesn't take up too much time; the main time is spent on the social engagements before and afterward, which they can simply skip.

On June 1st, People's Literature and Art officially published the novel, and the cover of the novel, "The Stage," attracted attention with the words "another absurdist work following 'Mr. Donkey.'"

On the same day, the Wenyi Bao (Literary Gazette) published a commentary entitled "True Feelings Amidst Laughter and Scorn," which focused on analyzing the artistic value of the play. The commentary argued that "The Stage" further developed the absurd style and, through the combination of humorous narration and absurdity, created a classic work that kept the audience laughing.

Most readers laughed non-stop after reading it, finding it even funnier than "Mr. Donkey".

While laymen might find it amusing, many expert commentators were far from idle, scrutinizing the issues with a magnifying glass.

The joint publication of the Wenyi Bao and Renmin Wenyi magazines meant that many people's opinions did not have the opportunity to be expressed.

The writer Zhang Xianliang read "The Stage" several times in a row. Finally, he put "The Stage" on the table and began to think about it seriously, his eyes fixed on the passage about the sixth concubine.

After a long silence, he muttered, "It feels like they're pointing a finger at me and insulting me!"

At the same time, the office door was knocked open, and a colleague brought him a copy of "People's Literature" and shared his views.

"Who does the character 'General Hong' in his novel refer to? Who does 'Sixth Concubine' refer to? And who does 'Jin Xiaotian' refer to?"

Seeing the other party's barrage of questions, Zhang Xianliang gave an awkward smile: "Jin Xiaotian probably isn't referring to me. You know, we're true love!"

"."

P.S.: Chen Peisi's film "The Stage" will be released tomorrow. I grew up watching Chen Peisi's sketches, and I hope he achieves great success.

I watched some clips, and I felt that the film adapted from the play "The Stage" did not escape the style of the stage play; it still retains the performance style of the stage play at its core.

Thank you to the generous donor, Teddy, for the 1500-point donation!

(End of this chapter)