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

Chapter 576 Oscar Nomination

On the beach, everyone drank juice and watched Ma Shitu fight in the sea. Fearing something might go wrong, the Cuban side specially sent someone with a lifebuoy to follow him.

Ma Shitu was not young, but he was in good health and lived a long life, passing away in 2024 at the age of 110.

Qian Zhongshu and Cao Yu were filled with envy when they saw how energetic Ma Shitu was.

Qian Zhongshu said, "Sichuan Province is truly a nurturing place. Young people shouldn't go to Sichuan, and the old shouldn't leave Sichuan!"

Cao Yu rubbed his leg and shook his head enviously.

Marquez invited Liu Yimin to participate in a swimming competition, but Liu Yimin flexed his arm muscles and shook his head, saying, "Mr. Marquez, this is not a fair competition."

“Liu, that’s fair! You’ve already gone into the water once, and you’ve used up a lot of energy. Come on, I can’t wait.” Marquez stood up and showed off his muscles, his white hair and beard looking rather comical.

Liu Yimin swam around in the water and easily left Márquez behind. When he returned, he slowed down and went back to shore with Márquez.

"Liu, your swimming skills are very good. Who taught you?" Marquez asked curiously.

"My wife!"

Marquez gave a meaningful smile: "Making you, a young man, and your wife leave for more than half a month is also a kind of 'punishment'!"

"Hahaha!" Liu Yimin laughed a few times, but did not reply.

By noon, the Havana sun was scorching hot. They returned to the city center and strolled through the streets of Havana, which were crowded with makeshift houses everywhere.

"Resources are too scarce here," Liu Yimin said, shaking his head.

Wang Zengqi said, "Many hutongs in Yenching are like this."

“There is still a difference. Cuba is small and its resources are too limited.” Liu Yimin looked at some of the houses, which could be classified as dilapidated. Some Cubans recognized them and gave them a thumbs up.

Liu Yimin's works have not been officially published in Cuba, but some pirated copies can be found in bookstores.

“See, Mr. Márquez, piracy is like a virus; there’s no way to truly eradicate it,” Liu Yimin said.

Marquez glanced at Zhao Zhongnan, who immediately said, "Mr. Marquez, after your book is published in China, we will definitely ask the relevant departments to intensify their crackdown on pirated books. Rest assured, you will have a readership in China that far exceeds that of any other country."

Zhao Zhongnan has already signed publishing contracts with José and others, but Márquez has yet to respond.

Zhao Zhongnan reiterated, “Once we sign a contract with you, we will hold an exhibition of Latin American writers’ works in China and publish a collection of Latin American literary works. I believe that with the efforts of our publishing house, we will be able to further enhance the reputation of Latin American literature in China.”

After hesitating for a moment, Márquez said, "I agree to publish it in mainland China, but my assistant Carmen will have to sign the contract for you."

"No problem!" Zhao Zhongnan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Upon hearing that Márquez had agreed to publish the book, Cao Yu, Qian Zhongshu, and others smiled with delight: "Mr. Márquez, I believe you will be welcomed by readers in China."

They arrived in Chinatown and finally found a Chinese restaurant where they ate a bowl of authentic Hunan cuisine.

Gabriel García Márquez praised the Hunan cuisine, saying, "It would be even better if it weren't so spicy."

"People can't eat spicy food as much as they get older." Cao Yu barely ate any vegetables, mostly rice.

Marquez, not wanting to be outdone, said, "No, it's that the Chinese can eat too much spicy food."

The restaurant owner knew they were from China and were all well-known figures, so he brought out some treasured items to treat them. He then sat around them with his wife and children, constantly asking about news from China.

"What generation of Chinese descent are you?" Liu Yimin asked curiously.

“I’m a third-generation Chinese speaker, and my Chinese is already terrible. I guess by the time my children grow up, they won’t be able to speak Chinese at all,” the restaurant owner said.

Ah Cheng asked curiously, "Don't the Chinese people in Chinatown use Chinese on a daily basis?"

"There are very few people in Chinatown now. When there were hundreds of thousands of Chinese people in Cuba, they didn't speak Spanish on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the number of people is decreasing, and the Chinese are like a drop of water, constantly disappearing into the ocean. People rarely use it on a daily basis, and even if they learn it, they can't speak it fluently because they don't speak it often."

The restaurant owner also decided not to stay in Cuba any longer; he wanted to earn more money before flying to Canada with his family.

Liu Yimin and others told them the news from back home, and the Chinese people passing by crowded into the restaurant to hear the news.

"The country is currently undergoing reform and opening up, and the economy is developing rapidly. If you have the opportunity, you can all go back and take a look," Liu Yimin said.

Before leaving, they took a group photo with the Chinese community in Chinatown.

The following morning, Liu Yimin and his group boarded their departing flight as they gazed at Havana shrouded in morning mist.

The Cuban side held a farewell party, and officials from the cultural department said "Goodbye" in Chinese!
The plane first flew to Mexico City, then transferred to another flight north. Márquez happened to be landing in Mexico City, so they could chat for a while longer.

Marquez shook hands with Liu Yimin and the others, saying that after a period of rest, he would definitely go to China to keep the appointment, and that they should keep in touch by letter during the time that came.

“Liu, now that we’ve started, we can’t easily say it’s over. When PEN International was first established, it was just a few writers who formed it spontaneously.” Márquez was afraid that Liu Yimin would forget about this after returning to his country.

Liu Yimin said, "Mr. Marquez, I will keep in touch with you. I hope to quickly establish the organization's rules and regulations and membership fee standards. I will convey my opinions in the form of a letter."

“Great!” Marquez said happily.

Márquez regretted that he was unable to invite Liu Yimin and others to his home in Mexico. Before parting, Márquez gave each member of the Chinese delegation a yellow rose.

“Yellow roses are a symbol of good luck and hope for me, and now I pass on this good luck to my Chinese colleagues. Thank you for coming as invited and for making important contributions to the exchange between Chinese and Latin American literature,” Márquez said sincerely.

Cao Yu shook hands with Márquez and said, "Mr. Márquez, it is an honor for Chinese writers to communicate with a writer like you. I believe that the Chinese literary community will establish a deep friendship with you, and the Chinese literary community looks forward to your return visit!"

As the plane took off again, the members of the Chinese writers' delegation looked down at Mexico, their tired faces breaking into joy—they were finally going home.

Not long after boarding the plane, the members of the delegation all dozed off and didn't wake up until the plane landed at San Francisco Airport, when they were disturbed by the sounds of other passengers getting up and getting their luggage.

As we stepped out of San Francisco Airport, vehicles from the consulate and the China Publishing House drove up, and a dense swarm of American reporters buzzed around us like impatient flies.

Liu Yimin spotted He Fengshan's daughter, He Manli, in the crowd, and he stopped in his tracks, even though he hadn't planned to give an interview.

"Mr. Liu Yimin, what kind of content will be discussed during the exchange activities between writers from the mainland and those from the island?" He Manli asked excitedly. "Our initial intention is to exchange traditional culture, and the content we will discuss will also be traditional culture. In addition, we will also explore the trends in literary development in both regions, as well as future trends in literary development, and explore the possibility of literary cooperation."

"Mr. Liu Yimin, what impact do you think this event will have on cross-strait exchanges?"

"Exchanges are conducive to promoting mutual understanding and building consensus on Chinese culture. Culture is the root of a nation, and I believe these writers also want to be immersed in Chinese culture."

"Mr. Liu Yimin, one last question: how would you evaluate this trip to Latin America? What kind of person do you think Mr. Márquez was?"

"This trip to Latin America was a complete success. Mr. Márquez is a world-class writer with a charismatic personality and a strong sense of justice. All members of the delegation benefited greatly from exchanging ideas with him."

After finishing his speech, Liu Yimin immediately turned and left without any hesitation. This made the other reporters feel that Liu Yimin was showing favoritism, as he refused to grant them any interviews.

After getting on the bus, Niki Noyce looked at Liu Yimin with admiration and silently gave him a thumbs up: "Liu, I don't know if Márquez is charismatic, but you are definitely a charismatic writer."

“Ms. Niki, isn’t it inappropriate for you to praise me as soon as we meet?” Liu Yimin said.

"Liu, you actually thought of establishing a new international literary organization. This is a very bold decision."

"Ms. Nikki, don't you think having more literary organizations is a good thing?"

“That’s a good thing, Liu, I support you. When you are established, China Book and Periodical Press will help you with some of the funding,” Niki said generously.

"Really?"

"It's true, absolutely true!"

Liu Yimin joked, "There's no CIA money in this, is there?"

"Hahaha, it's all profits from the China Publishing House. But I have one condition!"

Liu Yimin remained silent; he already knew what conditions Niki was referring to.

Cao Yu asked, "What are the conditions?"

“Liu will stay in San Francisco for a few days and attend a few more reader meet-and-greets,” Nikki said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Niki said, "Dean Wan, it's not just me who doesn't want Liu to leave; Director Frank is also waiting for him." The Chinese writers' delegation only stayed in San Francisco for two days.

"wait for me?"

"The Oscars are about to be announced, and Frank has a good chance this year. The Oscar nominations have already been released, and 'The Redemption of a Slave' has been nominated. 'Hachi: A Dog' was submitted to the Chinese film catalog, but it didn't receive a nomination. Liu, it's a pity," Niki said regretfully.

"normal."

Oscar voting is done in two stages. The first stage is the nomination ballot. After the nomination list is announced, voters can mail in their final ballots, and the Oscar winners are announced live.

Sure enough, as soon as they arrived at the hotel, Frank called eagerly to invite Liu Yimin to the Oscars ceremony that would be held soon.

"Liu, there's a high probability this time. And the filming of 'Green Book' is almost finished. I've already discussed the final release method with the investors, whether it's a direct public release or a premiere at a famous film festival."

Compared to the Oscars, Liu Yimin is more concerned about the filming progress of "Green Book," since that's real money at stake.

Liu Yimin told Frank to come see him tomorrow, and Frank chuckled, "Liu, I can't wait to see you!"

"Frank, I'm really tired. I have things to do today. See you tomorrow. I need to get a good night's sleep," Liu Yimin said.

"Alright then, Liu, I hope you have a warm evening." Frank hung up the phone regretfully.

The consulate sent them several newspapers, which were specially left for them by the consulate. The articles in them reported on the island writers' attitudes toward the invitation from the mainland.

Liu Yimin had been worried about this matter as well; it would be awkward if no one came after he invited them.

In the newspaper, Li Ao held up an invitation and stood in front of the Executive Yuan on the island: "Even if I have to go back to jail, I, Li Ao, will go to the mainland to participate in the exchange meeting!"

[This is a rare opportunity for literary exchange in decades, and we should cherish it and let literature return to the path of traditional Chinese literature. We must not engage in island literature; island literature is simply TD literature.] These are the original words of island writer Chen Yingzhen.

Most writers expressed their support, while some writers were more flexible, expressing their desire to come to the mainland for exchanges but unwilling to offend the authorities for fear of being punished.

Cao Yu suddenly said, "Professor Qian Mu has also spoken out? With Professor Qian speaking out, Jiang Da will definitely have to consider his attitude."

Qian Zhongshu eagerly took the newspaper, and Cao Yu joked, "It has to be someone from the same family, Zhongshu, look how impatient you are."

"It seems there won't be any problems with holding it on time," Liu Yimin said.

Consul Zhao said, "Although there has been no official statement yet, according to our sources, the island is likely to agree but not explicitly say so. The international literary community has also taken a supportive stance on this exchange between the mainland and the island. PEN International held a special press conference to support the literary exchange activities."

"That's good." Liu Yimin nodded.

PEN International has its own executive body, and it can operate independently even when the president is not present.

After Consul Zhao told them the news, he took them out for a hot pot meal. The delegation members were like they hadn't eaten for half a month, frantically stuffing food into their mouths.

Ma Shitu finished eating and shook his head, saying, "Sichuan hot pot is still the best. This hot pot is too bland!"

"Now that he's full, he's starting to curse!" Qian Zhongshu joked.

Ma Shitu quickly said, "I'm not cursing. To be honest, even so, being able to eat this in America is already a blessing."

Niki wasn't used to hot pot at first, but after a few bites, she became addicted.

After everyone had eaten their fill, they immediately felt sleepy, so Niki and Consul Zhao told them to get some rest.

Cao Yu looked at the skyscrapers of San Francisco: "San Francisco is the same as before, nothing has changed."

"Jiabao, go to sleep now and take a nap. In the afternoon, we'll go visit the Asian Art Museum."

(End of this chapter)