Back to 80: My literary life.

Chapter 825 824 "Hello, Comrade James!"

It started raining again.

This is the weather in the UK, it rains all the time.

Holding an umbrella, walking in the old town of Edinburgh, which is full of medieval castles and buildings, Fang Minghua wandered inside, giving people a sense of poetic melancholy and loneliness.

To be honest, Fang Minghua didn't like it very much.

It feels a bit fresh at first, but after a while it will make people feel very depressed. The dry and hot sunshine in Xijing City makes people feel comfortable.

The next day, the Edinburgh International Book Festival was held in a temporary tent set up in Charlotte Square. Unlike some other book festivals, this one was quite casual. Not only writers and readers came here, but also many celebrities and politicians.

But the book festival treats celebrities like ordinary people. Paparazzi and photographers have to put away their cameras, and bodyguards have to keep more than five steps away from celebrities.

It didn't rain today and the sun came out in Edinburgh, which is rare.

Under Lucy's guidance, Fang Minghua attended a keynote speech, mainly talking about the writing process of the book "Railway Spikes" and some of his experiences.

However, the readers in the audience seemed to be more interested in Harry Potter - there was no way around it, the book was too popular in the UK, and the daily lives of the children and the architecture of the magic school in the book were simply representative of Britain.

In fact, he had expected this a long time ago, because the original author of the book wrote it in Edinburgh.

Fang Minghua didn't care. However, the staff at Heinemann Publishing House where Lucy worked were somewhat depressed.

Although both "Railroad Spike" and "Harry Potter" series are works by Fang Minghua, the problem is that the latter is published by Langman Publishing Group!

Isn't this just giving dowry to others?

After the speech, there was a book signing event, and soon a long line formed in front of Fang Minghua's autograph table.

Readers brought newly purchased or well-read novels to ask Fang Minghua to sign them.

They are all from the book "The Road Spike".

Fang Minghua understood that it was probably because the staff of the publishing house repeatedly stated that only "Railway Spike" could be signed by the author.

Fang Minghua couldn't say anything about the publishing house's rights.

After signing for a while, there was no longer a line in front of him. Fang Minghua took a breath and picked up the coffee cup.
Fang Minghua suddenly saw a few girls standing not far away and looking at this side. Fang Minghua recognized them as the female high school students he met on the train.

The girl with freckles on her nose looked at him shyly, holding a book in her hand.

Fang Minghua understood immediately.

Harry Potter fan.

This book is very popular among middle school students both in Europe and the United States as well as in China.

So he smiled and waved, and the girl hesitated and came over.

"Are you Mr. Minghua, the author of the Harry Potter novel?" the girl asked quietly.

"Yes, do you want an autograph?" Fang Minghua asked.

"Thank you." The girl immediately became happy and handed her the four books she was holding in front of her chest.

They were the first four Harry Potter books that had been published, some of which had their corners curled slightly due to frequent reading.

Fang Minghua immediately picked up the pen and signed his name on each book. After thinking for a while, he wrote a line of ancient poetry on the first book:

"Abdominal poetry and gas from China"

The dragons and phoenixes are flying and dancing. Of course, it is written in Chinese.

"Thank you." The girl was very happy and waved to her companions, and the other girls also ran over.

Fang Minghua signed one by one.

Lucy, who was standing nearby, saw all this and her mouth twitched but she said nothing.

"Thank you." The girls left happily.

Looking at the girls' backs, Fang Minghua picked up the coffee cup and smiled.

The book signing contract lasted for two days, and the rest was Fang Minghua's free time. That afternoon he met James Cole.

"Hi, Minghua!"

James Cole was as enthusiastic as ever, coming over with a big laugh. The two hugged each other and had dinner together at a small restaurant called Gaia Delicatessan near Charlotte Square.

This is a small Italian deli and cafe focusing on Italian cuisine: pasta, cheese and antipasti.

The two ordered pasta, Paninis (iron sandwiches) and beer and chatted while drinking.

James Kou had no other purpose in coming to see Fang Minghua except to reminisce about the past.

They talked about the pasta they ate and how they met in Vento, Italy, and then about their pleasant experience of visiting the Terracotta Warriors and Horses in the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xijing, and finally about Fang Minghua's latest novel, "Up and Down the Mountains."

After this book was published in the country last year, the English version was released simultaneously in the United States and the United Kingdom.

"Minghua, I have read the novel you wrote. It is really well written. I like the poem in the book very much." "You know, Minghua, I feel as if it is written about myself!" said James Cole.

"Writing about you?" Fang Minghua was slightly surprised.

"Don't forget, I am also a member of the working class!"

Ah?
This reminded Fang Minghua of James Kou's early experience as a truck driver.

He said the work was very tiring at the time, starting at 8 a.m. and working for 12 hours, and he was exhausted both physically and mentally when he got home.

From this perspective, he is indeed a member of the working class.

"Worker brother!" Fang Minghua jokingly picked up the beer glass and the two of them clinked it lightly.

"Minghua, your novel reminds me of everything described in the Italian New Workers' Literature:
James Cole began to recite again:
"I thought of the sea, and its deep blue. The grand, elegant brilliance, the boundless, rich, elusive sea, the blue starry sky. I thought of blue-collar workers. So much history, so many struggles, so many workers marching in the streets! This blue, I really like it."

An excerpt from the novel "The Daughter of the Blue Working Dress" by Italian writer Simone Baldanzi.

The blue working dress refers to her mother's work attire.

Fang Minghua discovered that James Cole was not only a writer, but also a very good speaker, and his words were full of infectiousness.

Finally, James Cole revealed another big secret: "To be honest, I am now a member of the CPGB (Communist Party of Great Britain)! Our goal is to overthrow this evil capitalism!"

Oh my God
Fang Minghua was stunned for a moment, then immediately stretched out his right hand: "Hello, Comrade James!"

"Hello, Comrade Minghua!"

After the two men shook hands, James Coe became so excited that he sang the popular "Internationale" in a low voice, of course, the English version.

Arise, ye workers from your slumber,

Arise, ye prisoners of want.
For reason in revolt now thunders,

People in the diner heard something strange.

Fang Minghua couldn't help but drink a portion of the Chinese version.

It's pretty cool to drink some beer and sing this.

This kind of thing shouldn't be in a palace, but in a beer hall, and it would be more meaningful on the streets.

The two finally returned in high spirits.

The next day, Fang Minghua came to Charlotte Square again, but this time he did not sign any mission and just wandered around.

He saw James Cole standing on the podium again, reading aloud the poem from "Up and Down the Mountain":

"I will sing from the factory tower or the steamhouse,
Or play the cantabile Andante on the keys like Tchaikovsky,
Or like Yu Xian writing a melodious andante on paper..."

Promote your political views to the crowd below.

No one cares about this in the UK.

Fang Minghua stayed at the book festival for a total of three days. He was about to leave and return to London and then go to the United States, but unexpectedly he met an acquaintance of his, Bei Dao.

(End of this chapter)