A widower's entertainment

Chapter 323 [A Huge Impact] (Please Subscribe)
Just as the literary circles in Beijing simply viewed Lin Youcheng's novel "The Time Traveler's Wife" winning the Hugo Award as an international literary award that might not be well-known, unlike the Booker Prize, even some of Lin Youcheng's friends, who knew that the Hugo Award was the highest award in the international science fiction literary world, congratulated Lin Youcheng, but that was all they did; they had no idea what it meant.

However, for science fiction writers in China, it is a completely different concept, or even a completely different world.

Tang Jun, editor-in-chief of UFO Exploration magazine, who had previously attended Lin Youcheng's lecture at Yenching Normal University, was stunned when he heard the news.

Although he was deeply impressed when he read Lin Youcheng's novels "The Time Traveler's Wife" and "The Untouchable Lover" early on, and saw another possibility for science fiction literature, even if the science fiction concept was not strong, such stories were still imaginative science fiction novels.

Otherwise, Tang Jun wouldn't have made a special trip to Beijing to meet Lin Youcheng, attend that lecture, and exchange ideas with him about science fiction writing.

"Although I knew long ago that Lin Youcheng's 'The Time Traveler's Wife' was wonderful, with both science fiction elements and great literary depth, I really didn't expect it to win the Hugo Award!"

Clearly, Tang Jun didn't know enough, and naturally he wouldn't know that even "Harry Potter" had won the Hugo Award.

The magazine editor standing nearby was equally excited, exclaiming, "Yes, I really didn't expect that! It's amazing!"

"I've read 'The Time Traveler's Wife' several times, and it absolutely deserves the Hugo Award!"

"This novel is just too wonderful. It's the ultimate combination of science fiction and romance. I've read many foreign science fiction works, but none of them can compare to Lin Youcheng's science fiction romance novel. It's truly the best of all science fiction romance novels!"

"I really never imagined that one day—no, I should say I never imagined that an author from our country would win the Hugo Award so quickly! Lin Youcheng is truly amazing!"

The editors in the UFO Exploration editorial department all stood up, their expressions excited, and they spoke enthusiastically about their feelings. They all wished they could stand on the table and cheer for Lin Youcheng.

"Editor-in-Chief Tang, the ideas you shared with Lin Youcheng after that lecture in Yanjing prove that Lin Youcheng is one of us, our comrade! His novel 'The Time Traveler's Wife' winning the Hugo Award is the pride of our entire domestic science fiction literature!"

Tang Jun nodded repeatedly with excitement, agreeing with the editors' words.

Tang Jun was well aware of Lin Youcheng's influence on science fiction literature. Even though Lin Youcheng had not published any works in science fiction magazines, the influence of those two science fiction romance novels alone had greatly benefited science fiction writers like them.

At that time, he would not have specifically asked Comrade Lin Jinglan to take him to Xinghua Hutong to meet Lin Youcheng.

He truly admired Lin Youcheng. He still remembered some of the ideas Lin Youcheng shared at that literature lecture, even how a few simple sentences could conceive a dialogue across time between a sacrificed firefighter and his son, the two protagonists who were twenty years apart in age falling in love in different times and spaces, the woman they fell in love with being their mother's friend, and the two policemen solving a case across time and space. All those imaginative ideas broadened his horizons.

It also inspired the entire science fiction literature, or rather, it was like a butterfly flapping its wings, bringing about a considerable impact.

"It's wonderful that he won the Hugo Award!"

In Tang Jun's mind, Lin Youcheng's "The Time Traveler's Wife" absolutely deserved the Hugo Award. Although Lin Youcheng said that he was not as professional as Tang Jun when they were in Xinghua Hutong, Tang Jun believed that Lin Youcheng's creativity and imagination were incomparable to his. At that time, Lin Youcheng said that he was right. In the literary lineage, the romantic literary tradition should be the earliest literary mother of science fiction.

At the same time, thanks to Lin Youcheng's suggestion, their UFO Exploration literary magazine also learned about foreign science fiction literature through some channels, reprinted and translated some foreign science fiction works, which greatly improved the magazine's survival and further opened up the world of domestic science fiction literature, no longer simply focusing on the domestic market.

However, it is clear that Lin Youcheng is the one who truly opened up the world of domestic science fiction literature.

"Editor-in-chief, I heard that *Science Fiction World* magazine is planning to apply to host next year's World Science Fiction Association annual meeting. Now, we even have authors from China winning the Hugo Award! This is absolutely fantastic news, bringing international science fiction authors and readers to the forefront of our domestic science fiction literature."

You're absolutely right!

Tang Jun was very excited and said directly, "Editor-in-Chief Yang of Science Fiction World has already told me that this is great news for us. They are also encouraged and will do their best to apply to host next year's annual meeting."

"The Hugo Award! It was actually won by an author from our country! That's truly amazing!" Tang Jun couldn't help but exclaim again, his face full of emotion, his eyes even reddening and tears welling up.

Just like Tang Jun's excitement, Lin Youcheng's "The Time Traveler's Wife" winning the Hugo Award was truly a shot in the arm for the entire domestic science fiction literature community, causing countless science fiction writers to be moved to tears, shout wildly, celebrate, and cheer—

Lin Youcheng is awesome!
Yes, that's absolutely awesome, incredibly awesome!

Even in the niche science fiction literature circle, there are many comrades who are passionate about science fiction. If it weren't for that love and perseverance, science fiction literature in China would probably have been extinguished in the wind like a dying ember. Even though Lin Youcheng is not a member of the science fiction literature circle, the two science fiction romance novels he wrote have had a real and significant impact on countless science fiction writers.

Now, "The Time Traveler's Wife" has won the Hugo Award, the highest award in the world of science fiction literature, just like a science fiction story. How could this not drive a group of science fiction writers crazy?

It can be said that immediately after learning about this, many science fiction writers and readers wrote to Lin Youcheng to express their excitement, gratitude, congratulations, and pride.

They wished they could run up to Lin Youcheng and shake his hand to express their gratitude, and at the same time, they immediately started rereading Lin Youcheng's book, "The Time Traveler's Wife".

They already knew the novel was wonderful and moving, but now that it had won the Hugo Award, it would naturally make them read it again. Even readers who hadn't read it before would rush to read this novel that had won the Hugo Award.

The 1980s have ended, and the 1990s have just begun. Now, Lin Youcheng's science fiction romance novel has won the highest award in world science fiction literature. Does this mean that the spring of domestic science fiction literature has arrived?
Will 1990 be the spring of domestic science fiction literature?
The entire science fiction community was gripped by a mix of excitement, fervor, and anticipation, like a raging torrent in an underground river, surging upwards until it finally bursts forth, transforming into a churning, roaring, howling, and screaming river—

These voices are impacting not only the science fiction literary circle, but also the mainstream literary circle.

Of course, this is all due to the influence of Lin Youcheng, a literary giant, and the mainstream literary circle has gradually felt the shock to the entire science fiction literature world.

There was no way around it; the impact of Lin Youcheng winning the Hugo Award on the entire domestic literary world was simply too great!
The news was absolutely devastating, and its impact extended beyond China to other countries as well. The international science fiction community was also greatly shocked. More importantly, people overseas are far more familiar with the Hugo Award, a science fiction award, than domestic readers. Coupled with the moving nature of the novel "The Time Traveler's Wife," this far-reaching impact was amplified.

Just as the science fiction community was celebrating Lin Youcheng winning the Hugo Award, and the impact of the news was becoming increasingly intense both domestically and internationally, Powers of Time Publishing Company made a special trip to Xinghua Hutong, where Lin Youcheng lived.

However, this time it wasn't just Bowers who came alone; people from Universal Pictures, a Hollywood company, also arrived with him.

Hollywood's Universal Pictures is interested in acquiring the film and television adaptation rights to Lin Youcheng's novel "The Time Traveler's Wife" and bringing it to the big screen.

This news naturally surprised the domestic literary community.

But even more shocking news followed: it was reported that Lin Youcheng had refused.

This news naturally surprised many people in the literary world. Not to mention that a Hollywood film company wanted to buy our novel for adaptation into a movie, which was already astonishing, what was even more unexpected and shocking was that Lin Youcheng actually refused.

Of course, there are also rumors that Lin Youcheng rejected the offer because they couldn't agree on the terms. However, it seems that Universal Pictures is not going to give up and still intends to talk to Lin Youcheng.

Regardless of whether the rumors are true or false, they have already drawn the attention of Beijing's literary and film circles to that courtyard house in Xinghua Hutong, who want to know what exactly happened and what kind of conditions were offered.

Why would Lin Youcheng refuse?
Why didn't Universal Pictures give up after being rejected?

Lin Youcheng's novel "The Time Traveler's Wife" is so appealing that even Hollywood film companies want to adapt it into a movie.

That's absolutely incredible!

(End of this chapter)