I am a literary giant in Japan

Chapter 270 The Dancing Girl of Izu became a hit in Shakespeare and Company and France recommended a Japanese writer
Margaret's unexpected change of mind allowed Kitagawa Hidekazu's "The Dancing Girl of Izu" to fight back and was successfully recommended to the Swedish Academy by the presidents and deans of the faculties of literature of several famous French universities.

In addition, with the strong support of Oudmaison, Combesco, and the two presidents of Paris V and Paris VII Universities, the University of Paris Press also agreed to publish "The Collected Novels of Hide Kitagawa".

On January 1997, 1, a special recommendation letter from the French Academy finally arrived in Sweden before the deadline and was delivered to the staff of the Faculty of Arts by a diligent postman.

At the same time, "The Dancing Girl of Izu (Complete French Translation)", published in hardcover by Chanel Olivia Publishing House under the Chanel Group, was officially put on sale in major bookstores in Paris.

The book publishing industry in France has developed very well, with a very detailed division of labor among publishers, bookstores, distributors, operators, etc.

Especially for different types of books, there are clear regulations on which bookstores can sell them, which cities can sell them, and how much tax different distributors should pay.

In order to prevent overseas books from impacting the domestic market, the French Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of External Relations and the Ministry of Foreign Trade jointly issued a statement that they are only allowed to be sold in the Paris city area, and even translated versions have to pay more taxes and bear higher costs.

In fact, many countries have similar local cultural protection policies to prevent "invisible cultural invasion" from other countries.

However, if there is only a "firewall" but no soil for the development of local culture inside, then the people of the country will not only be unable to come into contact with new things and lose touch with world culture, but will also be unable to absorb the dregs of the local culture, resulting in a significant decline in the national cultural literacy.

France has done very well in this regard.

With the endorsement of the French central ministry of culture, the French literary world has developed rapidly, with talented people emerging in large numbers. The senior writers are willing to guide the younger ones, and old writers like Margaret will not continue to occupy literary resources, but will retreat to the second line and work hard to cultivate new soil.

Therefore, the France in this parallel world ranks among the top five in the world in terms of literary status!
The literary market is so prosperous that it is not an exaggeration to say that "everyone is a reader."

Early morning on December 2th.

Shakespeare and Company Bookstore on the left bank of the Seine in Paris, France, across the sea from Notre Dame de Paris.

The crowd was surging, and many men and women in coats and windbreakers walked here leisurely after having breakfast in the coffee shop nearby.

In 1997, the phrase "Coffee on the Left Bank of the Seine, I hold a cup in my hand to taste your beauty" that was popular in a certain Eastern country had not yet appeared, and therefore this place had not yet become a check-in destination for Internet celebrities from all over the world.

The cool morning breeze blew on her face as Olivia, still wrapped in a scarf, walked out of Shakespeare and Company with a few of her best friends.

Shakespeare and Company, known as one of the "most beautiful bookstores in the world", was once a gathering place for famous writers and artists in the first half of the 20th century.

Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, TS Eliot, and James Joyce all particularly loved to patronize this bookstore.

This is also one of the favorite filming locations for directors of art films. "Before Sunset", "Love in Paris", TVB's "Triumph in the Skies" and many other films were filmed here.

Hemingway admitted in his memoirs that when he had no money to buy books, he often went to Shakespeare and Company to borrow books, because it was the only bookstore where the books on the shelves were not wrapped in transparent film and could be browsed at will.

This is very rare in France, where copyright and creators' profits are extremely important.

Until now, Shakespeare and Company still retains this tradition, and its customers are accustomed to it. When you walk into the bookstore, you can see readers reading novels everywhere.

Of course, after reading, these guests will generally buy the books in their hands and take them home as collections.

Conscientious shop owners and supportive customers have made Shakespeare and Company stand out in Paris. Even though all the books on the shelves are not covered with protective film, there are still a large number of publishing houses that want to display their books here.

Kitagawa Hide's "The Dancing Girl of Izu" was only sold in this top bookstore thanks to Olivia's financial power.

In order to promote her idol, Olivia even spent a lot of money to hire an advertising company to make a promotional poster. The recommendation poster at the entrance of Shakespeare and Company could be seen from a long distance away.

"The new book by the famous Japanese writer Kitagawa, the author of Paradise Lost, is coming!"

Such a huge poster slogan instantly attracted a large number of readers to buy books.

In the past few days, she has been taking time to bring her friends and classmates to Shakespeare and Company to read "The Dancing Girl of Izu". She wishes everyone in France would know about this book!
"What do you think? I didn't lie to you! Mr. Kitagawa's books are really, really good!" Olivia became a die-hard fan of Kitagawa Hide after reading Paradise Lost. She just finished reading The Dancing Girl of Izu a few days ago and was immediately moved by the tragic love story in the short story of the same name.

Several of her close friends are students at prestigious French universities, and their families all come from financial backgrounds. Like her, they are very interested in literature and art.

One of the red-haired girls tilted her head, thought carefully, and then said, "These twelve short stories are very interesting and literary, but my favorite is actually "Bonfire."

Nine out of ten readers who have read this collection of short stories would say that their favorite is "The Dancing Girl of Izu". After she mentioned "The Bonfire", the others all showed thoughtful expressions and joined the discussion.

"Bonfire" has another translation name, "Fisherman's Fire".

This short story tells of a pair of lovers who are panicked and confused, but resolutely choose to support each other.

The plot of the whole novel is very short. It tells the story of the hero proposing to the heroine Michiko, and finally getting a response. At the same time, outside the hotel where they are staying, migratory ospreys and beautiful fishing boats flying by are as brilliant as flames.

"Mr. Kitagawa used very delicate brushstrokes to describe the specific situations and psychological changes of the male and female protagonists throughout the love process in Bonfire, from the expectation before meeting, to the disgust and suspicion at first sight, to the joy after engagement. Because none of them are married, they may not be deeply touched by this."

The red-haired girl explained with a chuckle,
"The novel uses 'fishing fire' to describe this feeling, which is really appropriate. Fishing fire is a kind of fire that drifts with the sailing of fishing boats, 'like beautiful fireflies, flying among the waves in the evening'. Look, how beautiful it is~
Just from this incident, Mr. Beichuan definitely knows this special psychological change. He should be married, right? "

"Okay, okay. I know that you, a married lady, are very familiar with this, but could you please stop talking about this? Otherwise, our little princess will start crying again~" Another "big wavy" girl hugged Olivia and teased.

Everyone knows that the young Olivia has developed feelings for Kitagawa Hide, but unfortunately he is already taken, so she can only feel sad in secret.

"Hmph! Teacher Kitagawa hasn't officially gotten married yet! I still have a chance!" Olivia said with her hands on her hips.

The girls laughed again.

Their laughter and discussion also attracted the attention of many readers, and more and more people came to Shakespeare and Company to buy "The Dancing Girl of Izu".

A good book can become popular without any advertising as it spreads by word of mouth.

When "The Dancing Girl of Izu" showed signs of surpassing "Paradise Lost", Gerard immediately seized this business opportunity. On the one hand, he used the money of the Chanel Group to publicize the cooperation between Mr. Kitagawa and Chanel, and on the other hand, he asked someone to write an article, openly and secretly satirizing the Japanese literary world's attempt to discredit Mr. Kitagawa's recommendation.

Media people love this kind of scandal the most, and more and more newspapers and magazines are rushing to make a profit from it. What was originally just a scandal in the literary circles of other countries has now become a topic of conversation among the French after dinner.

In this way, the incident of Japan's Nobel Prize in Literature nomination list being hacked has been fermenting wildly both at home and abroad, and has even attracted the attention of many world literary celebrities.

February 2. Swedish Academy.

Knut Anglong walked quickly towards the main building of the academy in the cold wind.

When passing by the motto stone tablet at the door, he took off his hat and saluted as usual, stopped to admire it for three minutes before setting off again.

The motto of the Academy of Literature is "Genius and Appreciation". Its mission is to contribute to the purity, health and nobility of the Swedish language, to improve the appreciation of literary works and to promote the development of cultural undertakings.

Since it became responsible for awarding the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1901, it has attracted more attention from the world public.

There are 18 academicians in the School of Arts, all of whom are lifelong members.

Thirteen of the academicians were selected by the king himself, including four members of parliament and two archbishops.

The remaining five will be nominated by other academicians.

Each of the eighteen academicians sits in a numbered chair, which remains unchanged throughout their lives.

The vacancies left by deceased academicians will be filled by nomination by other academicians, secret voting, and then approved by the king and announced to the public.

These eighteen people are also the lifetime judges of the Nobel Prize in Literature, and are the eighteen people standing at the top of the world's literary scene today!

Over the years, many countries and intellectuals have begun to question the authority and fairness of the Nobel Prize.

After all, the lifetime judges of all Nobel Prizes are from Sweden and Norway. No one can tell whether they are controlled by the Nordic governments, or whether Northern Europe is manipulated by powerful Western regimes and financial tycoons.

As a member of the Nobel Prize selection organization, the Swedish Academy is relatively pure and independent, but it has also been criticized for several controversial awarding practices.

Knut Anglund was elected as an academician in 1983 and is one of the younger ones among the . He has a high respect and pursuit for literature and has always hoped to carry forward the motto of the academy.

This time, the number of candidates for the Nobel Prize in Literature recommended from all over the world reached a new high, with a total of 297 people, which shows that everyone's expectations for the Nobel Prize in Literature are getting higher and higher.

This can be a good thing, but it can also be a bad thing, so you have to treat it with caution!

Knut Anglong greeted the security guard, who smiled and said that many academicians were already in place and were reviewing letters of recommendation and manuscripts in the conference hall.

He walked all the way to the conference hall, and before he even entered the door, he heard many familiar voices arguing and cursing.

You heard it right, it was not a discussion, but a quarrel like a shrew.

Many people think that the members of the Swedish Academy are all well-mannered, polite and courteous scholars. They must sit together in a circle, facing a mountain of manuscripts, smoking a pipe and expressing their opinions in the smoky room.

People may substitute the elegant image of literati that they imagine.

And in fact.

Knut Anglond pushed the door open and a book flew directly towards him.

He quickly dodged to the side. Fortunately, he was young and his movements were swift. If he were one of the older academicians, they would have had to stay in the hospital after being hit!
"Ma Yueran, you @#￥%"

"Gunnell Valquist, don't think I will go easy on you just because you're a woman."

"You are all bitches' dogs, I"

The obscene words that are unbearable to the ears rush into the eardrums.

Knut Anglongd had no choice but to pick up the books on the ground and explain to the stunned security guard nearby, asking him to be careful not to let these elderly men and women really fight.

Also, throwing books around when you're angry is not a good idea.

Then he returned to his seat with a smile and greeted several academicians with whom he had a good relationship.

Many of these old men and women participated in World War I and World War II, especially during World War II, when Germany invaded Norway forcefully.

The older generation who have experienced the baptism of war are like this, they speak their mind and are true to their nature.

However, even though they quarrel, they actually have a very good relationship with each other. They are the ultimate friends who curse at each other all the time but will really help when something happens.

"Good morning, Knut." The famous Norwegian female writer, Halston Ekman, who was elected as an academician in 1978, kissed him on the cheek like a lady. "It's been a long time since I saw you at the academy."

"Good morning, Ms. Xia Siting." Knut smiled and looked at Ma Yueran and others who were still arguing. "What are they discussing? Why are they so heated?"

Ma Yueran’s full name is Joran Malmquist, and Ma Yueran is the Chinese name he gave himself.

He is the only Sinologist and Oriental linguist in the Swedish Academy, and has devoted his life to the study of Sinology and the translation of Chinese literature.

Thanks to him, many Chinese literary masterpieces were able to enter the sight of the Nobel Prize in Literature judges.

"They are discussing the list of recommenders sent by France." Xia Siting replied with a smile, "Among the recommenders this time, one of them was recommended jointly by Odemaison and Margaret."

"It seems that those two teachers haven't written recommendation letters for many years?" Knut recalled.

Xia Siting nodded and said, "Yes, they rarely write recommendation letters for others. And the most interesting thing is that the person being recommended is a Japanese writer."

"A Japanese with French nationality?" Knut was surprised.

"No, he is a Japanese writer." Xia Siting shook her head. "His name is Kitagawa Hide, and he is only 25 years old."

"Twenty-five years old? From Japan? Recommended by the French? Then who was recommended by Japan?" Knut's eyes widened!
(End of this chapter)