I am a literary giant in Japan

Chapter 100: Five haiku poems tell the evolution of haiku. Do you still say you can’t write?
In fact, a large number of readers are just like Qian Hehui, a tiger-headed, single-celled organism. When they see a work they like and that resonates with their brain waves, they cannot describe the joy in their hearts in words.

In their minds, most of the time, they just say, "What a pity, I have little education, so I can only say 'wow' to everyone."

But this group of readers is precisely the “majority” of the market.

"Wenyi" and "Literary World", which were released on September 9, seem to be evenly matched. In the eyes of outsiders, it even seems that "Literary World" is slightly better.

Because in many bookstores there are often a few inexplicable readers who walk into the bookstore, shouting "Ah, I finally waited for the Akutagawa Prize-winning work!", "I also think that Kitagawa Hide's novels are too popular and lack critical thinking and depth", while quickly buying several copies of "Literary World", but they are dismissive of "Wenyi" which is in the C position.

You can see piles of "Literary World" advertisements in subways, shops, bus stops, etc. Ordinary people who don't pay attention to pure literature don't know about the feud between Kitagawa Hide and the Akutagawa Prize. It was not until they saw those advertisements that they realized, "Oh, the Akutagawa Prize has been announced again this year."

They don't even know whether the Akutagawa Prize is awarded once or twice a year, and they wouldn't spend 800 yen to buy a thick copy of "Bungakukai" to let it gather dust at home, but they are following suit in touting and promoting the Akutagawa Prize and "Bungakukai".

In order to target Kitagawa Hide and to highlight the "authority" and "magic" of the Akutagawa Prize, Bungeishunju Publishing House did not hesitate to buy advertisements in various locations and hired various people, which really cost a lot of money.

However, what is funny is that in this unequal competitive environment, "Wenyi", which only sold less than 30 copies last month, sold a crazy 7.4 copies on the first day of printing, which almost made the board of directors of Kawade Shobo drop their jaws.

No matter how "Wenyi" sells in the future this month, at least it seems that the downward trend has stopped. If 40 copies can be sold this month, it will be a huge profit, 50 copies will be cause for celebration, and they have not yet figured out how to celebrate 60 copies.

Anyway, the share price of Kawaide Shobo has risen a little, which shows that investors and shareholders are still very confident in Kitagawa Hide's market appeal.

"Literary World" is a bit embarrassing.

With such grand publicity, Bungeishunju's finance department estimated that it would only break even if it sold more than 8 copies on the first printing day, and around 10 copies would be acceptable.

After all, there had never been a large number of advertisements before, but now at least 100 out of every 5 people in the Tokyo area have seen this issue of "Literary World".

Then the sales volume on the first day was 7.5 copies, which was about 1000 copies higher than that of "Wenyi". This is "cause for celebration"!

"Victory in the first battle"!

The intrigues between publishing houses have nothing to do with Mayumi Aso, who bought the new issue of "Wenyi" under the cover of night.

Since the sudden death of her award-winning novel, she has written many novels in succession, but none of them have been published because she refused to "lick" An Yuanxian.

After Saito took over as deputy editor-in-chief, she had a small opportunity. The kind-hearted deputy editor-in-chief helped her revise the article and agreed to help her publish it. Unfortunately, before the novel started serialization, Saito Rena jumped ship.

The newly appointed editor-in-chief Noma River also found her.

And then there’s that damn “Lick it for me!”
Mayumi Aso almost committed suicide.

Thanks to Mr. Kitagawa's "No Longer Human", she regained her confidence and continued to work four part-time jobs for her daughter.

I submitted the manuscripts to many publishing houses. Thanks to my title as the winner of the Group Portrait Newcomer Award, several of them were successfully published and I received a good amount of royalties. I finally got through the long August.

She thought her life was getting better, but she suffered another blow.

All the novels that were published died a violent death without exception, were voted by readers as the "least wanted works", and were quickly cut by the editorial department.

Then comes that damn sentence again!

Perhaps because of her mature and plump figure and her status as a single mother, Mayumi Aso is often sexually harassed wherever she goes.

When she was in school, she was proud of her rare figure, but after entering society, she became troubled by it.

For the sake of her daughter, she once went to a brothel, but she backed out as soon as she entered.

The store manager told her that the real money-making business in the store was not the "bubble bath" but the "real behavior."

This is something she absolutely cannot accept!

Even for the sake of my daughter and son, I can't do that!
Yesterday, she was fired from the convenience store again.

She worked four part-time jobs and was severely sleep-deprived. She fell asleep at work and was complained by customers.

There is nothing wrong with the customer's behavior; his bad experience was caused by himself.

But it's still very hard work.
Mayumi Aso walked home holding "Literature and Art". Reading was the only thing she had never given up and it was also her only hobby.

When Teacher Kitagawa went to Kawaide Shobo, she resolutely gave up reading "Group Portrait" - she had to finish reading the ending of "A Wild Sheep Chase" while standing in the bookstore.

I heard that Mr. Kitagawa left Kodansha in anger because he was bullied.

She thought of herself. Although she and Teacher Kitagawa were like ants and stars, at this moment, they felt that they shared the same emotions, so she was unwilling to give even the 800 yen to Kodansha!
As I walked, I smelled a strong aroma of fried squid.

On the way home, I always pass by a very popular barbecue stall.

The barbecue master named Tetsuo Yamada was very generous and enthusiastic, and he easily got along well with the diners.

And everyone, those who are also unhappy in life but are working hard like Takuya Yan, like to gather here.

Tetsuo Yamada will provide some of Kitagawa's books here, and on every table there is a copy of "No Longer Human", a hardcover paperback edition worth 5000 yen, which may be more than the money for a barbecue meal.

He never worried about the book being stolen, and laughed and said, "If taking it away can make your life better, take it away! This is also the original intention of Mr. Beichuan to write this book!"

This barbecue master is good at everything except that he likes to brag.

He always told diners that he had met Mr. Kitagawa and Mr. Saito, and that they used to come here often to eat fried squid, which was a bit too outrageous.

Mr. Beichuan’s royalty income may be over 100 million, so why would he like to eat fried squid from a roadside stall?

Don’t great writers like that usually go to the most upscale pubs?
"Hey, Ms. Aso, why are you so late today? But I thought you would definitely come today, so I saved a seat for you." Yamada Tetsuo waved the shovel and shouted at her with a smile, "It's really been three days since I last saw you, and the world is full of cherry blossoms!"

"In this world, for three days, there are cherry blossoms." Mayumi Aso, whose eyes were originally dim, suddenly raised her head and repeated what Tetsuo Yamada said, with a look of surprise on her face, "Is this a haiku?"

"Ms. Aso, over here, over here!" Several familiar friends also waved at her.

Today is the serialization day of Mr. Beichuan’s new novel. The pure literature lovers who often come to the barbecue stall to gather and chat will definitely come and sit together to read it carefully.

This is one of the few joys in their lives.

It’s just like the fans who gather together to watch the World Cup every year.

It’s just that their group is small and a special product of the times.

Mayumi Aso lifted her skirt and sat down. Because of her figure, she would easily bump into other people when sitting on such a small stool. As soon as she sat down, someone poured her a glass of sake.

"General, bring three more servings of fried squid for Miss Aso. It's my treat!"

"okay!"

"What was the haiku just now?" Mayumi Aso stood up slightly and bowed to express her gratitude, then could not help but ask.

"Ms. Aso, you haven't read the latest edition of "Wenyi" yet, right? That's the new work of Mr. Kitagawa!" Someone glanced at the "Wenyi" in her arms. There was also a copy on the table, which was opened to the last page. Someone immediately introduced it excitedly.

Only then did Mayumi Aso realize that Mr. Kitagawa not only wrote a new novel "I am a Cat", but also published five haiku at once.

The poem that Yamada Tetsuo just recited was one of them, titled "Spring Cherry Blossoms".

This haiku also has the following sentence: "人の世の、ものとは见へぬ、桜の花 (The world is full of hustle and bustle, cherry blossoms are fleeting, but the opposite is only a moment)". Together they are a complete "Spring Sakura".

For many Japanese, this haiku has a far greater impact than "Tanka of the Thunder God" and "Autumn Beauty".

The latter two gave them a hazy beauty, an unprecedented experience, mixed with a touch of love poetry, which made people want to catch but couldn't, itching but couldn't get it. After reading those two haiku, it was like something was sprouting, and there was a crazy feeling that I couldn't express.

Therefore, after the publication of "Thoraga Tanka", a large number of imitations appeared, because they all wanted to imitate the poetic beauty that Kitagawa Hide gave them, but unfortunately they always failed to achieve their goal.

And this song "Spring Cherry Blossom" completely lit up their world.

"I haven't seen you for three days, and the world is full of cherry blossoms
The world is full of hustle and bustle, cherry blossoms are fleeting, and the moments we spend together are only a moment"

Cherry blossoms are the Japanese people's favorite and most emotional image. Countless people have used it, but only this song can truly express the meaning of cherry blossoms beyond love.

That is the feeling of the passage of time and the impermanence of changes in the world.

I just didn't go out for three days. When I looked back, the world was full of cherry blossoms. But cherry blossoms are also fleeting compared to time.

Only this moment is eternal.

This simple haiku seemed to cleanse Mayumi Aso's tired soul.

She felt her soul liberated.

"Isn't it beautiful? Ms. Aso is a writer, so she must be more touched." Someone sighed, "If it were you, maybe you could write a similar haiku?"

Mayumi Aso was drinking beer and almost let her head sink into it.

How can it be?

This kind of haiku is simply not something a writer like her can write.

To hide her embarrassment, she kept smiling and continued flipping through the pages, then was shocked to find that the five haiku were all slightly different.

The charm of "Autumn Beauty" is similar to that of "Spring Cherry Blossoms", but its rhythm and writing style are obviously based on ancient renga, and it is in the same style as the popular "Tanka of the Thunder God", so it can be called a classical haiku.

This is the type that Mayumi Aso finds the most difficult to imitate.

Because this is too ancient, if you don't write it well, it will be exposed immediately. Even her daughter who is in kindergarten can see it.

It's equivalent to the Tang poetry and Song lyrics next door. If you write one yourself, it just won't have that flavor. You haven't even learned ancient classical Chinese well, and you're pretending to write poetry?
The second category is "Spring Cherry Blossoms" and the poem "Ancient Pond": "Beside the long and quiet ancient pond, lonely frogs jump off the shore, the sound of water is as light as a dream."

They do not use modern Japanese either, and the wording is classical, but they are no longer bound by rhythm issues and are more inclined to express artistic conception, like a more "modernized" version of the first category.

The third category is the song "Salad Day", which uses modern Japanese vocabulary and imagery, and describes the sweet daily love life between a girl and a boy.

The girl made salad for the boy, and the boy said, "It tastes good." Then the girl secretly decided in her heart that day would be their "Salad (love) anniversary."

Compared with the first two categories, readers who don’t understand classical haiku may not like it, but modern young people can all feel the fun of the third type of haiku, which is very close to the "earthy love words" of later generations. Therefore, "Salad Day" will become a hit on the Internet.

Then there is the fourth category, a poem that Mayumi Aso doesn’t know whether to call a haiku, but she likes it very much.

"'Come on, hurry up'

My wife always talks to me like this

I want one right now, so I followed her.

"

This haiku, "My Wife and I," was completely different from the haiku she knew, except that it followed the "five-seven-five" rule.

There are no gorgeous words, no beautiful artistic conception, no difficult vocabulary, only simple sadness conveyed through the words.

"If it's this kind of haiku, if it can be called a haiku, it seems like I can write it too!"

Mayumi Aso's thoughts are the voices of readers who have read Kitagawa Hidego's new haiku at this time.

He used five haiku to demonstrate four completely different styles, some difficult, some easy, some classical, some modern. With just five poems, it seemed as if he had told the entire history of the evolution of haiku!
Shocking!

At the end of "Literature and Art", Kawaide Shobo invites the public to submit articles. Regardless of gender, age or status, everyone can try to learn from Mr. Kitagawa, write their own haiku and participate in the first "Literary Haiku Competition"!
The first place selected by the public will receive a 10 yen prize and face-to-face instruction from Mr. Kitagawa!

Mayumi Aso took a sip of beer and felt that she could also participate in the competition!
Kodansha headquarters, editorial office area.

"We're going to be doomed if this continues."

Kashiwamura Takeshi, who had never been involved in editorial affairs, held his head in his hands, in great pain.

Sitting next to him was Muramatsu Tomoshi, who also looked haggard and dared not move, and Noma Kawaya, who was glaring at the "Literature" magazine on the table that was almost torn into pieces.

"He is killing history and creating history. If this continues, his name will become synonymous with haiku!" Kashiwamura Takeshi's body was trembling.

This is not nonsense on his part, but what is about to happen can be seen by anyone in the industry from those five haiku poems.

Kitagawa Hide throws out four completely different haiku in one breath, each of which is invisible in the history of haiku in the entire Japanese literary world.

This is prying history!

The haiku market that had just emerged due to "Thoriumin Tanka" should have been theirs.

"Do you know what you are talking about? Kashiwamura!" Noma River was only the editor-in-chief, but he didn't use honorifics to address the editor-in-chief. He pointed at the poem "My Wife and I" and sneered, "Is this also called a haiku?"

"Editor-in-Chief Noma, it's scary because it doesn't look like a haiku, but it's recognized as a haiku."

Muramatsu Tomomi smiled bitterly and said,
“Do you remember the core idea behind our haiku column?”

Noma River was also stunned: "Like the Thunder God Tanka, imitating the classics, elevating haiku to the altar, and then creating a group of modern 'classical' poets."

For any literary work, "deification" is often the most effective means of monetization.

For example, a certain online novel website next door set up a so-called benchmark in the early years. After creating a god, even if its level is far inferior to that of later comers, it can still become the most monetizable writer.

He even turned the website into his "soul ring".

That's what Kodansha wants to do.

Then a chill went up Noma Kawaya's spine.

"If a kindergarten kid and a dying old man can write haiku that everyone finds interesting, then our project will be very successful," Muramatsu Tomomi continued.

"We want haiku to be high and mighty, with poets out of reach and readers only need to worship them. But Kitagawa Hide, with this poem, has directly dethroned haiku!"

Kashiwamura Takeshi suddenly felt that Noma Airi forcing Kitagawa Hide away might be the stupidest thing ever done by the managers of Kodansha in the past hundred years, no doubt about it!

But they are unable to discredit Kitagawa Hide.

Because he has also written other types of works, which proves his ability.

Now it may not be haiku that makes Kitagawa Hide, but Kitagawa Hide who is defining haiku!
"Is there any way?" Noma River was also panicking. As he was talking, he suddenly woke up and laughed, "No, no, no, there is another way to defeat Kitagawa Hide!"

"What?" Kashiwamura Takeshi and the other man looked over.

"The Haiku Master from Tokyo University. The poem 'Tanka of the Thunder God' has been regarded as the most classic by everyone. If we can find him," Noma Kawaya gritted his teeth and said, "I will go and convince my cousin. If we can find the Haiku Master, the Haiku market will not be monopolized by Wen Yi Magazine!"

(End of this chapter)