Rebirth 2004: A lone figure in the literary world

Chapter 207 What doesn't kill me will make me stronger
Logically speaking, Zhang Chao could have completely ignored the outside voices. As long as his graduation work was strong enough, that would be enough. Although the report was aggressive, it was aimed at others, not himself.

But using oneself to force others is another matter. Zhang Chao does not mind being regarded as a villain, but he does mind being used as a gun.

This kind of thing can be big or small. If Yanshida is a little shameless and acts like an ostrich, burying its head in the sand and pretending nothing has happened, public opinion will naturally subside after a while.

Yu Hua obviously did not want to suffer this injustice. If the "Writer Graduate Class" of which he was the head teacher left any stain, it would undoubtedly be a great shame for him.

However, his current experience and methods in dealing with the media are indeed not as rich as those of his student Zhang Chao, so he called him to discuss countermeasures.

Zhang Chao read the report again and again, and after repeated consideration, he said: "I don't think the matter is that simple. This 'Viewing the Sea' and this report may be aimed at me."

Then Zhang Chao told Yu Hua the reasons why he had to broadcast the defense live. Yu Hua knew the general idea when someone came to investigate Zhang Chao's attendance and homework records, but he didn't know the details.

After listening to this, Yu Hua spoke for a long time before saying, "You tried to 'kill' me before, but it didn't work; now you are trying to 'kill me with praise', what is your purpose? If you talk about your grievances with the literary criticism community, it was still clear, but this time it's really a bit confusing."

Zhang Chao curled his lips and said, "This report first criticized Lei Pingyang and others for their works being out of touch with the masses, and then praised my work for being 'easy on the way between art and commerce'. When my graduation work is published, if it is popular literature, how will the other students in the 'writer class' view me?

And if they find that my work is not so "people-friendly", then the words they used to criticize Lei Pingyang and others will automatically be directed at me. In short, they just want to annoy me."

Yu Hua asked suspiciously, "Who have you offended recently? Why are you doing this kind of trick?"

Zhang Chao smiled bitterly and said, "There are only a few reasons, and I am too lazy to think about them. I can only deal with them as they come. I hope I can have some peace and quiet after graduation... Why is it so difficult to do something?"

Yu Hua pondered for a while before saying, "You've heard of the 'catfish effect', right? In the past, as long as you were well connected and your work wasn't too bad, you could always find a job. As a result, the literary circle became more and more closed and niche.

As the public's interest in literature fades, ordinary people no longer care about what happens in this circle. Many people in the circle, even those with little fame, also eat and drink like this, and their works are getting worse and worse - but it doesn't matter, ordinary people can't see it and don't care.

Although after the 90s, there were occasionally some writers who were able to stir up this stagnant pool, but they either kept to themselves or started to live a slack life... Look at my cousin, the one who writes "Cultural Essays". After he became famous with his first two books, he kept repeating himself in his creations, and in terms of publishing, he repeatedly took apart the contents of several books, recombined them, gave them new names, and sold them as new books.

This is still good. There are many more despicable things that are even more despicable. You are still too young, so I will not tell you about them and 'pollute' you. "

Zhang Chao smiled and said, "If you don't tell me about it, I won't encounter it in the future. It's better to give me a shot of prevention."

Yu Hua said: "You kid... I'll talk to you later. Let's get back to the point - after you appeared, literature has indeed gradually returned to the public eye, which is a good thing for literature, but it is a disaster for those idiots. The teacher once said, 'The eyes of the common people are sharp.' They may not understand many avant-garde and profound literary expressions, but they will never deny them as superficially and rudely as this article in Huacheng Evening News.

But they will definitely be able to tell who is just slacking off. So in addition to the many literary storms surrounding you in the past two years, there are actually quite a few minor controversies and storms. Once these slackers are in the spotlight, their disguises can no longer be hidden.

You are a 'catfish'. Of course, many people are praising you for bringing vitality and fresh blood to the literary world, but in fact, the majority of people are those who wish you would stink. "

Zhang Chao was stunned after hearing this. He knew that some people in the literary world disliked him, but he never thought it was such a huge force. He said in disbelief: "I'm not trying to steal the cake from them. I make the cake myself..."

Yu Hua sneered, "Is it a sin if you can't bake cakes yourself? You are a newcomer in the literary world, but you have created a successful magazine like "Youth School" that sells hundreds of thousands of copies every month. What do you think of those magazine editors who still have a staff but can only sell a few hundred or a thousand copies per issue?
These magazines are not dead yet, they are still alive and well in many provinces and cities, but we just can’t see them in the market anymore.”

Yu Hua paused, and came to a conclusion: "So, the people who made advances on you when you graduated recently may indeed be a small group of people. But there are quite a few people who don't like you and are waiting to take advantage of you and take advantage of you.

You forgot that a few months ago, many literary critics in the domestic literary criticism circle that you just "sweeped" were either involved in it or depended on it for survival. You are unlucky, and they don't mind stepping on you. "

Zhang Chao sighed, collapsed, and lay down on the sofa, looking weak.

Yu Hua smiled and asked, "Why, are you scared?"

Zhang Chao replied after a while: "Afraid - not really. I just feel bored, helpless, and innocent. Now I know why other young writers don't like to play with you old guys..."

Yu Hua laughed twice and continued, "So although the incident with Huacheng Evening News is not a big deal, our counterattack must be both powerful and well-organized. The review of the graduation works will be on June 6, and then the catalogue and content summary of the works will be published in China Reading Newspaper.

Then in July, August and September, "People's Literature", "Harvest", "October", "Huacheng" and "Contemporary" will publish your works one after another.

So this is not a matter of gaining or losing a city or a pond, but a protracted battle. Graduation is definitely not a problem; but whether you can make people shut up beautifully depends on your performance. "

Zhang Chao straightened his back and jumped out from the sofa, like the Monkey King emerging from a rock, sweeping away his previous dejection, and said to Yu Hua: "Teacher Yu, I apply to compete! Please make sure that my graduation work will be the first to appear in front of readers!
I want everyone to know, 'What doesn't kill me makes me stronger! '"

(End of this chapter)