I am a literary giant in Japan

Chapter 92 Why can't Mr. Kitagawa win the Akutagawa Prize? Does this award still have value?
Maybe it's because they want what they lack. After entering the rapidly developing modern society, Japan has always liked to emphasize that it has a profound cultural heritage, and whenever it sees an opportunity, it will export its culture both internally and externally.

In recent years, with the bursting of the bubble, the morale of the nation has become increasingly depressed. In order to boost morale and promote consumption, the government and society have been vigorously promoting various traditional cultural festivals and celebrations. They have also accepted all customs and festivals from overseas, adhering to the principle of "the sea is vast because it accommodates all rivers."

August every year is the busiest period in Tokyo.

There is the Bon Festival for worshiping ancestors, the local festivals in each district, the Yukata Festival where everyone is wearing beautiful yukatas, and the most famous Tokyo Bay Fireworks Festival, etc.

Ordinary people have countless activities to participate in in Tokyo this August, and there are so many festivals that it's dizzying.

However, this August, all festivals and activities have been overshadowed by the hot sales of "No Longer Human".

Since its release in early August, in the past month, "No Longer Human", written by Hide Kitagawa after he switched to Kawaide Shobo, has gone from out of stock to slow sales and then to a best-seller again. The hearts of countless people in the industry have been constantly fluctuating with the sales chart, and their moods have been swinging up and down like a roller coaster.

Then, at the beginning of September, Oricon, which had been ready for a long time, announced the total sales volume of "No Longer Human" in the first month of its release at the right time, and also announced the much-anticipated 1995 Japanese physical book sales rankings, which earned enough traffic and eyeballs.

Whether you like or hate "No Longer Human", whether you are a fan or a hater of Hide Kitagawa, you have to witness the birth of a masterpiece and the emergence of a new generation of "middle-stream" writer in early September!

July 9, 2pm.

Located on the first basement floor of Kokubunji Station in the Tama area of ​​Tokyo.

"Peter Cat" Jazz Café.

Although it was clearly closing time, the cafe's lobby was packed with people. Some were sitting at the bar, some were gathered in booths, each with a large beer in hand, and some were laughing loudly at the TV program, or whispering to each other.

"Oricon announced that its total sales in September were 9 million copies, topping the annual physical book sales rankings. The second-placed "Hear the Wind Sing" sold 101.2 copies, a full 48.7 copies more than the third-placed "Thirty Years in the World"!"

Looking at the Yomiuri Shimbun in her hand, Rena Saito could hardly suppress the joy in her heart. When "A Wild Sheep Chase" and "Pinball in 1973" were published one after another, plus the new book that Kitagawa Hide was quietly preparing that no one knew about yet, maybe he would dominate the physical book sales ranking list in 1995!
This kind of wonder has never happened before in the hundreds of years of development of Japanese literature.

"Didn't they say that Oricon's data was inflated a lot? President Kawaide said that before." Kitagawa Hide didn't feel much about this. No Longer Human was Dazai Osamu's swan song that he wrote with his life. In the original history, it sold 1200 million copies. It's not surprising that it's such a big hit in the Japanese literary world.

"Hear the Wind Sing" is the debut work of the great Murakami. Although the "Youth Trilogy" created a genre and is quite spiritual, it is still far inferior to his most famous works "Norwegian Wood", "1Q84" and "Kafka on the Shore". It seems that the sales volume was brought up by "No Longer Human".

"90.4 copies." Shizuko Kawaide, who was drinking "Depth Charge" at the side, took over the conversation.

After several contacts, Kitagawa Xiu was basically certain that this big boss had a very low alcohol tolerance, but every time she came to "Peter Cat", she would choose the strongest cocktail, which was a perfect interpretation of what it meant to be both addicted to food and have a strong drinking habit.

The total sales volume in the first month was 90.4 copies, which is also a very scary number.

However, the first month basically attracted all the readers in Tokyo who were willing and wanted to read the book. The sales volume will probably drop drastically thereafter. For example, it may drop to around 9 copies in September, and then be cut in half to 50 copies in October.

It will definitely be sold throughout Japan in the future, which should drive another wave of sales.

Kitagawa Hide roughly estimated that by the end of 95, it would be no problem to sell 300 million copies in half a year.

It seems like the small goal of doubling the money is about to be achieved again?

But he felt that he was far from reaching his limit. The arsenal in his head was still full, and he still had several similar powerful weapons.

It seems that the dream I had when I first traveled through time to bring down those inferior writers who are unworthy of their positions is now within reach.

"The best in the world" doesn't seem so far away.

Most of the people present were acquaintances and friends of Kitagawa Hide. They gathered here tonight, one to congratulate him on winning the sales championship, and the other to prepare to witness the moment when Kitagawa Hide wins the Akutagawa Prize.

Yes, there is another big event coming up tonight.

The Akutagawa Prize for the first half of 1995 was supposed to be awarded in August, but due to Tomiichi Murayama's speech, it had to be postponed for one month. The editorial department of "Literary World" and the Akutagawa Prize Resident Judging Committee announced the award selection and announcement time at the end of last month.

Tonight, for many people in the literary industry and a large number of pure literature lovers who are paying attention to this award, is no less important than the Oscars ceremony for people in the entertainment industry.

"Anyway, congratulations." Saito Rena wanted to say something festive to Kitagawa Hide, but then she thought about the Akutagawa Prize being announced soon, so she smiled and put away her previous words, picked up the wine glass and said, "Congratulations should be said after you win the Akutagawa Prize, Kitagawa!"

"hope so."

Kitagawa Hide glanced at the computer screen and saw that there were posts on the Qiwu.com forum that were live-broadcasting the "113th (first half of 1995) Akutagawa Prize Selection Conference", which made him feel as if he had returned to the 00s.

At that time, the Internet speed was very slow and data traffic was very expensive. People couldn’t afford to listen to songs or watch videos, so they liked to watch various text live broadcasts.

The posters of those live broadcasts were quite influential and were able to describe in detail the scenes and conditions at the selection meeting.

Only "A Wild Sheep Chase" of Hide Kitagawa's "Youth Trilogy" is still being serialized, which does not meet the judging criteria. The other two were successfully shortlisted and nominated by the Akutagawa Prize's judging committee.

After all, these are the most phenomenal pure literary novels in the first half of this year. Even though the literary and critical circles have had mixed reviews on these two works so far, if you don't even nominate them, the fairness of your award will definitely be questioned by the industry.

After receiving the nomination and invitation, Kitagawa Hide decisively gave up the idea of ​​going to the scene to observe.

The three major forces that can influence the judging of the Akutagawa Prize: the editorial department of "Literary World", the resident judges, and the leading figures in the literary world, all of them are at odds with Kitagawa Hide.

The former's editor-in-chief, Nobuhira Ikejima, had also appeared in that literary salon, not to mention the resident judges. In the end, many of the top figures only followed the lead of Ichiko Masayoshi.

If this group of people get together, they might really do something to prevent Kitagawa Hide from winning the award.

There was no need for him to go over and make himself miserable.

"I can't find a better pure literary novel than "Hear the Wind Sing" and "Ball" in the first half of this year. I don't think that kind of thing will happen."

Saito Reina whispered.

She didn't have much hope in the character of Ishihara Shintaro and others, but would these people dare to let Kitagawa Hide lose the election in public?

This is a super literary newcomer award that is watched by tens of millions of people!
Shizuko Kawaide also felt that Bungeishunju and the people in the literary world would not be so extreme.

The Akutagawa Prize two years ago was very controversial. Later, Takeuchi Osamu took the lead in criticizing the award, causing the value of the Akutagawa Prize to drop significantly, and it began to be compared with the Naoki Prize.

Even so, the point of controversy was only about which one was better, the one with 90 points or the one with 80 points. If the jury insisted that the work with 80 points was more literary, they could still explain it away.

But this time is different.

"Hear the Wind Sing" and "Ball" are undoubtedly the leaders in terms of sales and literary quality.

Apart from the bribed black fans and brainless literary critics, basically no one dares to deny the literary value of Kitagawa Hide's two books.

The only controversial point is whether they created a new school and whether Takeuchi Osamu's so-called "Kitagawa Hidefu" actually exists.

That is a dispute over the historical status of literature.

"It's started, it's started!" Shirou, holding a beer glass, shouted, and everyone's attention was immediately attracted.

Each Akutagawa Prize selection ceremony is broadcast live by the five major television stations in turn. This year it was Fuji TV's turn. As soon as the screen changed, the magnificent award ceremony scene came into view.

The live broadcast has already started to reveal explosive information.

[I heard that Mr. Kitagawa did not go to the selection meeting this time! Could it be that he had a conflict with the judges? ]

【Mr. Kitagawa went to Kawaide Shobo last month. This timing is really awkward. He left Kodansha, and the editorial department of Gunzo will definitely not push him for the Akutagawa Prize this time. 】【The above is bullshit. With Mr. Kitagawa's ability, if the Akutagawa Prize is not awarded to him, will it be awarded to Chizuru Sadako? 】

[Upstairs, who is Qianzuru Sadako? 】

[It’s my sister who just started kindergarten! ]

[I am the drunkard Rose Saint, please give me your sister's photo. ]

[Die, pedophile! Bastard!]

Kitagawa Hide looked at the posts that kept flooding his screen, and finally turned his gaze to the TV in the living room.

Color televisions had already appeared in Japan in 1995, but the resolution was still a bit difficult to describe. If you stood far away, it looked not much different from a mosaic.

He walked towards the crowd, and the noisy people suddenly fell silent. Some of them stood up timidly and bowed to him in greeting.

Kitagawa Hide had been sitting in a more secluded bar with Saito Rena, Kawaide Shizuko, and the proprietress Agatsuma Yumeko. They were also recognized as the "big guys" by these people, and no one dared to disturb them.

Walking into the crowd, Kitagawa Shucai noticed the change in these guys' attitude towards him. He then smiled faintly and sat down between Higashino Keigo and Dango Shiro in a very casual manner.

"Don't worry about me, just continue watching TV!" Kitagawa Hide said casually. His smile and tone were very contagious, and everyone immediately relaxed.

"Teacher Kitagawa, beer!" Dangui Shirou smiled and opened a can of beer and handed it to him.

Kitagawa Hide took it and clinked glasses with them one by one.

On TV, the special guest, Ichiko Sadaji, also appeared on the stage and solemnly announced the list of books nominated for the Akutagawa Prize: "Kitagawa Hide, two works were nominated, namely "Hear the Wind Sing" and "Pinball in 1973"."

There was a burst of cheers in the cafe.

After reading out the list of twenty shortlisted books, Ichiko Sadaji stepped down and Ishihara Shintaro walked up to the podium with his big belly.

He adjusted the microphone in front of him. Behind him was a huge white board with the words [113th Akutagawa Prize, First Half of 1995] written in large letters. The winners and works at the back were covered with black cloth and could not be seen clearly.

"Everyone, I am honored to announce the winner of the Akutagawa Prize for the first half of this year and his work."

A playful smile suddenly flashed across Shintaro Ishihara's face.

This expression flashed by, and you would definitely not notice it if you didn't stare at the TV.

Kitagawa Hide frowned slightly. He had a premonition that the experience of Murakami, who had been a runner-up for various Japanese literary awards, would soon happen to him.

Sometimes you really can’t expect the character of those so-called literati!
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, countless pairs of eyes were waiting, and the TVs were filled with fans of Hide Kitagawa's books, literary critics, leading figures, writers from all walks of life, university professors and lecturers, and people who had been healed by Hide Kitagawa's books.
Even in the Prime Minister's residence, there were eyes watching this scene.

tear-

The black cloth was torn open.

"Hosaka Kazushi? "この人の threshold (This person's threshold)"? Who is this?"

Tuan Gui Shirou exclaimed, looking at the TV in disbelief.

Countless other people were equally stunned.

Even Shizuko Kawade, who was usually as steady as an iceberg, had a blush on her face and a layer of surprise on her face.

"Mr. Hosaka won the award?" Saito Rena had an impression of this writer.

Because in 1993 he won the Noma Literary Newcomer Award established by the Noma family, the actual controller of Kodansha, and made his debut in "Gunzo".

In 1994, Rena Saito joined "Gunzo", while Hosaka and Shizheng devoted themselves to writing novels under the guidance of Muramatsu Tomomi.

The Noma Literary Newcomer Award is also a good award. Among the more than 200 newcomer awards in Japan, it can barely rank in the top . It is generally given to potential writers who are favored by Kodansha but are not qualified for the Gunzo Newcomer Award.

The person most mentioned in the literary world last year was Oshima Hikaru. Hosaka Kazushi was just one of the many "vulgar" writers and was not very famous.

Needless to say, this year is the "Kitagawa Hidetoshi" of the literary world and it is not an exaggeration.

So why him?
Not only all the audience, but even Hosaka Kazushi who was present at the scene was stunned.

He staggered onto the stage, his face full of disbelief.

Being nominated is already a brilliant achievement!
No new writer thinks he can take the Akutagawa Prize from Kitagawa Hide.

Where can I have such strength?

A check for 100 million yen and a gold watch as a prize were handed over to Shintaro Ishihara.

"Mr. Hosaka, congratulations on your work." Ishihara Shintaro praised him with a smile, then pulled Hosaka Kazushi towards the reporter's camera.

Countless reporters seemed to have caught some shocking news, and they all pressed the shutter button and asked questions quickly.

Hosaka Kazushi was still confused when he spoke into the microphone, and his words were mechanical.

"hiss--"

The atmosphere in "Peter Cat" suddenly became stagnant. Everyone wanted to look at Kitagawa Hide's expression, but they didn't dare to.

Kitagawa Hide didn't care and looked as if he had expected it.

It is common for best-selling authors to be runners-up in pure literature awards.

Especially for a young best-selling author like him who had conflicts with the judging panel and was not favored by the mainstream in the industry.

It’s just that with so many people gathered together today and everyone is looking forward to it, the controversy surrounding the award is almost zero.

Kitagawa Hide was not angry at this time, but Kawaide Shizuko and Saito Reina's faces suddenly turned black, and Agatsuma Yumeko almost cried.
Kitagawa Hide doesn't care about the award, but he is starting to feel a little disgusted with people like Ishihara Shintaro.

Do they really think that they can only passively take the beating and have no way to fight back?

In his arsenal lies a book that directly satirizes the Akutagawa Prize!

After watching the Akutagawa Prize selection meeting, Tetsutaro Mori was confused.

As the number one critic of Kitagawa, he has basically not missed any of Kitagawa Hide's books. In the past, he became famous by criticizing people, but now he attracts readers by praising Kitagawa Hide.

This time he has already prepared the draft, and is just waiting for "Hear the Wind Sing" to win the award so that he can brag about it.

So you told me this?
Why can't Mr. Kitagawa be awarded the Akutagawa Prize? Does this award still have value?
He felt that the troll soul deep in his heart had revived again!

(End of this chapter)