Huayu: As a child star, I just want to be famous

Chapter 500 No one can refuse the Nobel Prize, except...

It's another talk show.

"World Book Club" invites a large number of literary masters or winners of famous literary awards to participate in the program every year.

The program is produced by BBC, and considering "Shen Xia", it can be considered as one of BBC's own.

Communication on the topic had been done before this.

Therefore, Chen Linfeng would feel more at ease.

Judging from the question at the beginning, this is indeed the case.

It mainly revolves around the new book "Lord of Mysteries", and we will also talk about some topics from past novels.

After all, Chen Linfeng has become world-famous for his writings.

The program receives a lot of questions that readers want to ask, and many of them mention previous works.

Among them, "Infinite World" and "Her" are the most popular.

Needless to say, "Infinite World" currently has the highest sales volume, and after being adapted into a film or TV series, its fame has reached a new level.

The number of copies has now exceeded 7000 million, and is on the verge of reaching hundreds of millions.

Once a novel’s global sales reach hundreds of millions, that’s another dimension.

It is enough to be compared with some well-known works in history, and is almost equivalent to entering the ranks of true masterpieces.

Another film worth mentioning in terms of sales is "Her".

That’s right, at the time, the sales volume of this work ranked last among all of Chen Linfeng’s works.

Now it has stood up again.

The sales of a single book exceeded 3000 million, which is far more than any other work.

With the continuous awards won over the years, sales have maintained a steady growth.

The sales of Chen Linfeng's other works will gradually decline as time goes by.

But "Her" has basically not changed, and every time it wins an award, its sales curve will have a small explosion.

Because the number of words is not too many, it is relatively easy to finish reading and the completion rate is relatively high.

Therefore, the discussion and evaluation have always been high.

To this day, the book "Her" has become a typical example that often appears on various must-read lists for showing off.

The literary publishing industry is very optimistic about the long-term sales of "Her".

Not only that, the literary critics who regard "Her" as serious literature, as well as literary masters in the same field, have given it extremely high praise.

It is now 2012, and the miracle of China's economic development is a hot topic in the West, both in the economics and literary circles.

The near-future China described in "Her" seems to be moving towards reality step by step.

Whether from an economic or social perspective, they are becoming more and more similar.

The narratives of low human rights and oppression imagined by Western scholars seem to be completely useless.

The social problems that Chen wrote about in the book are more likely to become a reality.

This is also the reason why mainstream Western society now has increasingly high opinions of "Her".

There is a different view in China. The problems described in the book are certainly one aspect.

But the novel also clearly states what it’s like to be in an “information cocoon”.

From these few words, we can see that the author himself is still optimistic.

Therefore, the evaluation is not low.

Of course, public intellectuals will definitely follow the Western view.

The amazing thing is.

Just like back then, both the left and the right felt that "Her" expressed what they wanted.

Today, it appears that people in both the East and the West think that "She" is a good book.

The show's host, Harriet Gilbert, asked about "Her," which is of course also from a Western perspective.

"Her" is your vision of the future society when you were about 15 years old. Now you are 24. Do you have any new ideas?"

"Of course there are, and now that we've seen more of them, they may no longer be limited to China itself."

Harriet asked with some anticipation, "What kind of world will it be?"

“The world may be moving towards conservatism, division and absurdity, but it still retains a glimmer of hope.”

Chen Linfeng did not mention who this glimmer of hope was. His remarks these days were a bit inappropriate, so it would be better for him to hold back now.

Anyway, it won’t be the United States. Which of the remaining countries is it?
That's really hard to guess.

Harriet asked again, "Are you pessimistic about the world? From "Her", I can see that you don't seem optimistic about the future development of society."

"Not really. It's just a phase. The world is developing."

Chen Linfeng said, "Prosperity must be built from ruins. Only after experiencing bad things will people pursue better things."

……

"Chen, from the earliest "Book of Life and Death" to the current "Lord of Mysteries", the style and subject matter of each book have changed a lot. How do you maintain such long-term innovation?"

"Maybe I'm still very young. Young people always have many new ideas."

Harriet laughed. “Haha, there are many famous writers and even masters who come to this show, but this is the first time I hear someone say this.”

Chen Linfeng shrugged, "I guess this is why you asked me to come."

"Chen, I think your personality is very interesting. You have the confidence just now, but also the humility of the Chinese. In addition, your view of the future is pessimistic but also a little hopeful. Don't you think this is contradictory?"

"Look at problems dialectically, against opposites and in unity. My education since childhood has taught me not to be too extreme."

Harriet struggled to understand these words, and then asked in surprise, "Is this... Marx's philosophical theory?"

Chen Linfeng said calmly, "Yes, we must learn it in high school."

Harriet swallowed. Can this be broadcast?
It was already the second half of the show, so he simply changed the subject and moved on to the surprise segment the show had prepared for Chen.

"Chen, you know, our program has invited many master writers, including Nobel Prize and Booker Prize winners."

"Yes, I know. You mentioned it just now." Chen Linfeng smiled. "In fact, I am one of them. I even won the Booker Prize, although it was only the international version."

"Haha, who told you that you are not a British citizen? In fact, I think you deserve a real Booker Prize."

Harriet laughed again.

But then he thought about what he was going to say.

"Chen, what I want to say is that in the last show, we invited a Nobel Prize winner in literature, Mr. Clezio."

"He said on the show that he and several friends were planning to recommend you to join the Nobel Prize selection process."

Harriet continued, "We learned that you would be participating in this episode, so we deliberately left that part unaired. Do you want to take a look?"

As he said this, he looked across.

Chen Linfeng's eyes widened in shock. You are not kidding.

I thought you were one of us, but you stabbed me in the back?
At this time, the video of the previous episode was already playing on the big screen.

Sure enough, they were talking about Chen Linfeng.

"Chen? I think he is a rare young writer in the world literary world, with active and open minds. I sincerely envy the endless creativity in his mind.

Of course, he is now aiming more towards popular literature, which I think is a pity.

He has the potential to become a literary giant of the 21st century, and our time is short of such people.

Look at the last century, Tolstoy, Tagore, Kafka...etc., which one of them did not lead the trend of the development of world literature. "

Cleoch smiled when he spoke of this, "Speaking of which, I have actually recommended him to this year's Nobel Prize in Literature Organizing Committee. Several of my friends have the same idea as me and will probably recommend him as well.

Although the recommendations of several people may not lead to the Nobel Prize Committee actually giving him the prize, after all, we all know that Chen is too young, but I want to use this opportunity to make him face up to his potential.

It's a pity that I have been stuck in popular literature.

His performance in the novel "Her" is amazing. He guides the thinking of the real public through his imagination of the future society. Such a sociological writer should not have his potential wasted. "

The video ends here.

Only then did Chen Linfeng confirm that it was not a trick for the show.

He was a little embarrassed and even a little secretly happy.

After all, the book "She", apart from using the framework of a novel from his previous life, basically most of the content was written by him.

It would be fake to say that I'm not happy to be recognized like this.

Harriet looked at Chen Linfeng's calm face and knew that he must have a lot of thoughts in his heart.

"Chen, what do you want to say about Mr. Cleoch's recommendation?"

Chen Linfeng was silent for a moment, then he sorted out his thoughts and said, "First of all, I would like to thank Mr. Cleoch for his attention and affirmation. He gave me great encouragement.

Secondly, I have to say that in my opinion, popular literature can bring people happiness, and to some extent, it is not much worse than serious literary works.

Of course, I certainly won’t underestimate serious literature. The masterpieces of past masters have a tenacious vitality, and their ideological connotations have always been the soil for our later generations’ creation. This is indeed great.”

Harit nodded. "Yes, the number and length of time these two have been passed down are different, but in essence, there is no question of superiority or inferiority."

Political correctness is still necessary. Although everyone doesn't think much of popular literature, it would be stupid to say this in front of the audience.

"So what do you think about Nobel?"

Chen Linfeng had already turned this matter over in his mind several times, and now he had completely figured it out.

He let out a long breath and said calmly, "As for the Nobel Prize in Literature, I am not going to participate. Through the channel of the World Book Club, I have to say that I hope the Nobel Prize Committee can directly exclude me."

Harriet's face showed shock and incomprehension.

He began to wonder if his hearing was not working well and he must have heard it wrong.

Is there anyone in this world who would refuse the Nobel Prize?
"Chen, I don't quite understand what you mean, you..."

"I mean, I'm just giving up on competing for the Nobel Prize in Literature."

Chen Linfeng repeated it again.

"Chen, I don't think this is a good idea. This is not something to joke about."

Harriet simply signaled the crew to stop filming.

Sister Mei was with Chen Linfeng during the promotion period. She was on the other side of the studio and also heard the conversation.

Seeing that the program was paused at this time, he also walked over.

Harriet advised, "Chen, the Nobel Prize in Literature is not like anything else. You can't just refuse it casually, otherwise the committee may exclude you in the future."

"Thank you for your kindness, Harriet."

Chen Linfeng knew that this person really cared about him and was a good person.

If it were other media professionals, upon seeing big news, they would rush to the scene immediately.

But the result will not change. Chen Linfeng answered firmly, "I made this decision after careful consideration."

Karen Holden, the producer of the show, came forward, looked at Sister Mei and said, "Aren't you going to persuade him?"

Sister Mei shook her head. "I trust his judgment."

"Then continue recording."

Karen signaled to the studio staff to continue recording.

Harriet continued on the subject.

"Chen, why do you want to refuse the Nobel Prize in Literature?"

Chen Linfeng said, "Not only the Nobel Prize, I may not accept any award from any other selection organization for the book 'Her'."

"Why?" "Why do you think so?"

"This is what I feel most sincerely recently. In the book "Her", many literary reviews have deviated from the original artistic considerations and are more based on political perspectives."

"Harriet, you know what I'm talking about."

Chen Linfeng said seriously, "Paul Sartre refused to accept the Nobel Prize for Literature for similar reasons. I certainly cannot compare with Paul Sartre, but I also aspire to do so."

Harriet looked puzzled. As someone who had lived through the Cold War era, she certainly understood this truth.

I just didn't expect that a young man like Chen would also understand this truth.

Harriet could only try to save her face.

"But the political factors you mentioned are only a small part, aren't they?"

"At least quite a few people, such as Mr. Cleoch, and many writers who hope that you can embark on a path of serious literature."

"They are well-intentioned and not politically motivated."

Chen Linfeng nodded, "I know, I am very grateful to seniors like Cleochi."

“But apart from the political factors, the philosophy of my predecessors is slightly different from mine, which is why I refused.

I sincerely believe that creating popular literature that can bring temporary joy to people is also a great thing.

As I wrote in "She", when the male protagonist "I" was deeply trapped under the heavy pressure of society, if there was something that made him feel happy from the bottom of his heart, he would not fall completely.

Whether it is an artificial intelligence 'she', a novel, or a movie, it is precious. "

At this point, Chen Linfeng smiled and said, "What a coincidence, I just wrote a script recently. The protagonist (the clown) in the play is sinking step by step because of the continuous harm caused to him by society."

“I think creating works that make people happy has its own meaning.”

“And this is also my goal.”

……

Program recording ends.

After turning off the camera, Harriet sighed deeply, "Chen, I still think it's a pity."

Chen Linfeng laughed, "It's not that bad, Harriet. I don't think the Nobel Prize in Literature is the pinnacle of my life.

Whether I win the Nobel Prize or not, it won’t have much impact on my life. This is what I want to achieve in my life.”

"So that's what you think."

Harriet gave him a long look.

If the Nobel Prize becomes insignificant in a person's historical evaluation, he must be a celebrity of historical level.

Just like Tolstoy, the fact that he did not win the Nobel Prize was a regret of the Nobel Prize itself, not his.

Of course, comparing with this person is a bit exaggerated.

However, the situation is similar. The Nobel Prize is evaluated once a year and it is indeed impossible to represent the achievements of the darlings of certain times.

"Young people are so ambitious that they don't even care about the Nobel Prize." Harriet sighed in her heart.

Before leaving, he asked, "Can I post the words you didn't record on the Internet? I think this is one of the reasons why you refused, but you didn't mention it on the show."

"Of course," Chen Linfeng waved at him and left.

On the way back to the hotel, Sister Mei couldn't help but ask, "Did you really reject it because of the reasons you just mentioned?"

"more or less."

"Since they are almost the same, there must be some difference. So what is the real reason?"

Sister Mei is quite perceptive.

Most of the reasons given on the show were just nice words.

For example, as for Happy Literature, it was purely because I thought of the upcoming movie "Joker" and wanted to do some advertising at the same time.

He absolutely believed that the program he had just recorded would definitely cause a big stir, and what was said in the program would probably be seen by many people.

The advertising effect is definitely strong.

Now when facing our own people, we can't be too pretentious.

Chen Linfeng thought for a moment and said, "It's probably more political. The Nobel Prize for Literature has too many private interests.

And the butt is just crooked. Oh, no, from a Western perspective, it might be as straight as it can be.

But from the perspective of Chinese people, it is not a serious literary award.

In this respect, he is not as good as the Goncourt Prize or the Booker Prize. "

"In other words, you are considering the future and think that the reputation of the Nobel Prize in Literature will gradually decline?"

Sister Mei easily followed his train of thought.

Chen Linfeng nodded, "A big part of the reason is because of this."

"Back then, when I was writing The Three of Us, I specifically said that I hoped writers who might win the award would refuse. Now that it's my turn, of course I have to set an example myself."

Sister Mei, who was sitting in the passenger seat, couldn't help but turn her head and glared at him. "What are you talking about? If I hadn't found a way to suppress a lot of newspaper reports, you would have definitely caused a lot of trouble back then."

When Chen Linfeng mentioned this, she immediately thought of what happened that year, and the impression was so deep.

"So, you're afraid of being hit by your own words. Um... in your words, this is called preventing a 'boomerang'?"

"Haha, Sister Mei, you're right. Let me start with guarding against boomerangs."

Sister Mei smiled helplessly. Xiaofeng has been very mature since he was young, but sometimes he acts like a child. He is still like this now that he has grown up.

As she thought about it, she sighed for a long time, "That being said, I still think it's a bit of a pity."

"It's a Nobel Prize after all."

Chen Linfeng leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and said calmly, "No matter how good the award is, if there is some degree of malice towards us, it is not worth caring about."

At this time, Luo Lin, who usually never spoke while driving, said something rarely.

“I think the boss is right.”

"Yeah, I think I'm right."

Chen Linfeng said proudly, "Look, Sister Mei, even Lao Luo approved of it."

Sister Mei finally couldn't help laughing, and gradually felt relieved.

Yes, the right thing to do is not to accept benefits given by people with malicious intentions.

"Well, I have no doubts."

Then, the car gradually fell into silence.

Chen Linfeng sat in the back seat, reviewing today's events with his eyes closed.

On the surface he spoke in a relaxed manner and made decisions very quickly, but in fact he was always calculating in his mind.

At first, when he heard someone recommend him for the Nobel Prize in Literature, his first reaction was disbelief.

After confirming the truth, he immediately thought of the incident of "The Three Men Walking Together".

There's nothing I can do about it, that's what happens when you have a good memory.

Immediately, he developed a certain aversion to the Nobel Prize.

Being hit by a boomerang would be really embarrassing.

Especially with his current fame, the speech on that show back then must have been discovered by someone.

In that case, his reputation will inevitably be affected.

Of course, the Nobel Prize is an important award after all. If the gains from winning the prize are really greater than the losses, it is not impossible to consider it.

Then, Chen Linfeng began to calculate the gains and losses here.

From the perspective of future generations, the Nobel Prizes in Literature and Peace do not have a very good reputation.

This was his first reaction, and then he thought of another key point, which was the Nobel Prize selection process.

As we all know, there are about 1000-2000 recommended candidates for the Nobel Prize every year.

For the literature award, there are probably hundreds of candidates.

At his age, the possibility of him winning an award within ten years is slim, which is also mentioned in Cleochi's video.

The most important thing is that Chen Linfeng knew that in his previous life, Mo Yan was going to win the award this year.

If being the first Chinese to win the award does have some value, at least Mo Yan's reputation will be greatly enhanced, regardless of whether this reputation is good or bad.

But if you follow up and get the second one, it’s really of no value.

If he really waits until he is older and able to win the prize, the Nobel Prize in Literature will probably no longer be worth anything.

After taking these factors into consideration, Chen Linfeng immediately made up his mind.

So, after watching that video on the show, I spent some time in silence thinking.

He was thinking, why not make some big news.

Just as he rejected the two top universities of Yan and Shui, it still becomes a hot topic every year during the college entrance examination.

If he had directly refused the Nobel Prize, how much attention would it have caused and how many years would it have been talked about?

The two are actually the same principle.

There are anecdotes about famous people. You can never have too many of them.

The fact that he has achieved such great fame now is closely related to his many deeds along the way, including becoming famous at a young age, refusing to attend a prestigious school, boasting in front of Fang Long, etc.

Chen Linfeng knew very well that he was different from Paul Sartre.

He is a globally renowned figure in the mass sphere.

Even though both of them refused the Nobel Prize, the degree of sensation they caused was different.

Even though he was only determined to become a candidate, it had not even reached the stage where Sweden would choose him.

To put it bluntly, this is a scam.

Next, we need to see how effective the "bumping into porcelain" is.

(End of this chapter)