Literary Master 1983

Chapter 287 Rising to Fame
To cheer up Yuche, Márquez often took him to a restaurant in Bogotá and told him about his own struggles.

For example, Gabriel García Márquez's agency contract was with Carmen, but he only received $1,000 at first. Carmen also gave him a "shitty contract" with very harsh terms.

After the huge success of "One Hundred Years of Solitude," Márquez did not immediately make a lot of money from it.

He became wealthy long after he became famous, and his constant pursuit of mistresses further fueled his desire for money.

“Do you think this is all the suffering I’ve endured? I’ve suffered far more than you can imagine,” Márquez said.

Because he was an investigative journalist who wrote articles criticizing the authorities without mercy, a bounty was offered on his head, forcing him to flee to Paris.

In Paris, he was destitute and couldn't afford the rent; he fled to Rome, where he studied experimental filmmaking; he shivered in the London weather while sending news reports from East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and the Soviet Union.

Later, Márquez became a fan of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, and, with his own food, began to fight for freedom and independence in Latin America, writing articles praising Castro every day. He was soon wanted by the police and fled to Mexico with his family...

“I was like a dog back then. Everyone who saw me would say, ‘Gabo, you look gloomy, eccentric, and sullen!’”

Yu Qie knew that this was not all of Márquez's story. During his exile, Márquez's wife had always enthusiastically supported his career, spending her entire dowry in belief that this man could make a name for himself.

While appreciating his wife's contributions, Márquez continued to have affairs, many of whom had husbands of high status. This led him to make even more enemies—he was such an eccentric character. He did suffer a lot of persecution, but much of his trouble was self-inflicted.

He seems to be a born scoundrel.

Márquez said smugly, "I think a writer needs a kind of pain, a kind of suppression, to stimulate his creative desire."

"Great writers spend their lives searching for enemies, constantly fighting, always ready to achieve transformation, and it never ends."

Yu Qie couldn't help but ask, "What if you didn't have any enemies?"

"Then I went and messed with this guy's wife. And so, I had a new enemy. Like I said, I'm like a dog."

Yu Qie no longer knew how to answer Márquez.

“You know what, Yu, the most painful thing is not the pain itself, but that you have no enemies in front of you. The most painful time is the day you rise above others.”

This is indeed Márquez's philosophy; the last sentence was what Márquez said when he learned he had won the Nobel Prize.

At that time, someone told him, "Gabo, you won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 82!"

Therefore, all those public rewards, suppression, and persecution... will be temporarily halted due to the enormous influence of the Nobel Prize, and may even become medals for literary giants many years later. After all, many American presidents and other political figures will publicly declare in the future, "I am a fan of Márquez."

However, faced with this immense honor, Márquez exclaimed, "I'm finished! I'm in big trouble this time!"

This guy seems like a lunatic, but what he says isn't entirely unreasonable.

Yu Qie was somewhat influenced by Márquez, and he also felt that he had had a smooth life before and had not experienced any major disasters.

“Carmen has read your novel, but she doesn’t admire you the way I do. She doesn’t know that you are a person of gold!” Márquez said.

"What moved me about your letter was not only the massacre itself, but also your incredible courage, which is why I believe you will be a great writer. In some ways, I believe you and I are the same kind of people. You are a self-centered person."

Yu Qie was taken aback, but retorted, "But I'm not like you, always ready to sleep with other women, especially married women."

“We are essentially the same. I only take their women, and you want to take their minds too.” Márquez seemed to have discovered something incomprehensible and remained silent for a moment.

Then he said, “I heard that someone misinterpreted your novel, and then you took a gun and killed that bastard with your own hands at the border; I also heard from one of your colleagues that you recently asked others not to attend a conference organized by some third-rate writers, let alone write certain novels... Do you think these things seem normal to others?”

Yu Qie blushed and asked, "Who told you that?"

“Edward H. Tschen”.

This is Qian Zhongshu's English name. Among the delegation, only a few spoke Spanish and dared to communicate with Márquez.

Qian Zhongshu is such a damn boring guy!
Like a humanoid AI, he spends his days showing off his memory, using it to look down on everyone. However, when he actually meets a big shot, Qian Zhongshu can't help but try to get close to him.

It is said that Márquez once flew into a rage because of the widespread piracy of books in mainland China. The person who received him at the time was Qian Zhongshu, and he could only laugh awkwardly without saying a word.

Wait a minute! Márquez discovered another unusual aspect of Yu Qi, saying, "Since I won the Nobel Prize, very few people have been able to view me normally. And you don't think I'm anything special; I've always been an investigative journalist."

Ok!

Let's just consider it a case of heroes appreciating heroes.

Now, Yu Qie has two paths before him.

One option is to write an even more groundbreaking masterpiece than "American Psycho," completely copying it, using sheer force to overcome all other methods; the other is to wait for an opportunity and accumulate good karma.

It's not easy for East Asians to make a name for themselves in the Western world; it often takes decades. Shen Congwen, mentioned earlier, is one example, as is the Japanese writer Haruki Murakami.

Given enough time, a reputation will eventually grow.

Haruki Murakami has been a perennial Nobel Prize nominee. Initially, he was hardly considered a "Nobel Prize-caliber" writer; it was simply a matter of someone nominating him in that way. The Nobel Prize mechanism works like this: if a previous Nobel laureate nominates someone, that nominee automatically becomes a candidate.

Therefore, every year there are many Nobel Prize-level authors who are candidates, and the difference in their levels is enormous.

Murakami Haruki's novels are highly readable and not particularly difficult to understand, so he has consistently appeared on the Nobel Prize odds list. His publishing company has also tried to help him release press releases and promote him. After decades of this promotion, Murakami Haruki has gradually gained true international fame.

There's Lucy in America, isn't there? Maybe Yu Qie will have new opportunities in America in a few weeks.

Afterward, Márquez continued to introduce Juche to Latin American literary circles, introducing him to various Latin American writers.

With a powerful figure vouching for him, Yu Qie's experience was naturally excellent. Super agent Carmen also maintained contact with Yu Qie and began tentatively extending a contract offer.

Carmen likes to bet on young writers and then sign them to outrageously long contracts, like 150 years, that include the agency rights to all their works. Yu Qie definitely can't accept that.

She wasn't in a hurry, believing that Yu Qie would become an internationally renowned writer in the future. Carmen was very patient, gradually increasing the price, and never mentioning the contract outside of business dealings; she was like an old friend to Yu Qie.

Carmen can arrange all of Yu Qie's food, drinks, and entertainment in Colombia.

If Yu Qie encounters any difficult situation, Carmen can become his mentor and guide him. As Márquez said, "She is like my aunt." If Yu Qie is being chased, Carmen can also help him resolve the situation within her power.

This person has connections in both the legitimate and underworld circles. In fact, this is one of the reasons why some Latin American writers signed Carmen.

Two weeks later.

Carmen offered a new brokerage contract, this time telling Yu Qie, "This is probably the highest brokerage contract I can offer right now."

Yu Qie showed it to Márquez. Márquez spat out, "Five hundred thousand US dollars! That's much more than what I got back then!"

Then, with a serious expression, he asked Yu Qie, "Are you short of money?"

"I'm not lacking."

"Not too much, or not at all."

"No shortage."

Marquez said, "Then you treat it like a piece of waste paper, like dog shit, something that never existed."

This incident made Márquez admire Yuche even more, and he subsequently introduced Yuche to the circle of Latin American literary giants. For example, the now-famous Vargas Llosa, who later became a Nobel laureate, is currently a close friend of Márquez.

"I constantly make enemies, but I also constantly make friends," Márquez said smugly.

"Llosa is a friend of my friends."

As a result, at this literary award ceremony held in Mexico and sponsored by Spanish booksellers, his good friend Vargas Llosa punched him as soon as he saw him!
Marquez was hit so hard that his nose bled profusely.

Vargas Llosa was a strong, handsome man who looked a lot like Hollywood star George Clooney. Márquez didn't dare fight back at all and couldn't even get up.

He could only lie on the ground, humiliated, and ask, "Llosa! Why are you doing this to me?"

Vargas Llosa trembled as he said, "Gabo, why did you sleep with my wife?"

"What? I never did such a thing!" Marquez said, feeling wronged.

Vargas Llosa ignored Márquez's explanation and lifted him up to continue swinging his fist.

Yu Qie was afraid that Vargas Llosa would kill Márquez, so he couldn't help but try to stop him. However, Vargas Llosa's bodyguard mistook Yu Qie for a mixed-race man with yellow skin who was Márquez's bodyguard and immediately drew his gun.

This is the fucking truth!
Yu Qie immediately withdrew, remaining completely silent. Shortly after, Márquez returned, bruised and battered, and reported:

“Llosato, I have a message for you: he apologizes to you.”

Yu asked him, "Did you sleep with Vargas Llosa's wife or not?"

"I don't remember," said Márquez.

No wonder the two great Latin American writers had a falling out! It turns out it was because Márquez had an affair with another writer's wife. Yu Qie happened to witness this.

"Why did you sleep with your friend's wife?" Yu Qie was speechless.

What kind of extraordinary people are in the Latin American literary world? On one hand, they are as great as saints, always willing to sacrifice themselves for righteousness, while on the other hand, they can never control their own swords.

Márquez said, "Why are you bringing this up? Do you even know who his first woman was?"

"Who?"

"His aunt, his biological aunt."

Yu Qie fell silent, speechless.

Then, Márquez added, "Lóriçoise's wife is now his cousin."

"So you slept with your friend's cousin?"

Damn it! How come it makes more sense to say it this way?
Marquez shook his head, thought for a moment, and said, "It shouldn't be."

Then, seemingly unsure himself, he cautiously said, "It's probably...not really."

It turns out that Vargas Llosa also had many lovers. Márquez didn't even know which one he was having an affair with.

An Argentinian newspaper recorded this event in detail, introducing readers to "the deep friendship between Márquez and Vargas Llosa"... Yu Qie thus gained some fame among Latin American writers, and people knew that Márquez had recently taken a liking to a Chinese man named Yu Qie and was always promoting him.

Yu Qie is from China, and his left-wing ideas are quite influential in Latin America. Some left-wing writers have approached him and begun translating and introducing his novels; his book "Lurking" was well-received by Latin American writers.

They certainly added some suggestive scenes to "Lurking," which seemed harmless in Latin America, and Yu Qie didn't think it was too much, as long as these things weren't distributed elsewhere.

In short, Yu Qie was deeply moved by the enthusiasm of Latin American writers and began to think about translating and introducing some Latin American literature to the mainland.

Many mainland writers initially regarded Márquez as a god, using the Nobel Prize as the sole criterion for judgment. However, as their literary skills improved, they soon discovered that Márquez was actually the luckiest one among them.

He was neither the initiator nor the terminator; he simply happened to be standing at the forefront of the tide.

Coincidentally, this visit to Colombia has sparked a "Latin American literature craze" in the country, and some Latin American writers, apart from Márquez, have begun to attract the attention of literature lovers.

Yu Qie chose to translate the name of the great Chilean writer Pablo Neruda. Because Pablo shares a name with a major drug lord, he will be referred to as Neruda from now on.

Neruda visited China three times. He was originally a diplomat who wrote love poems. Later, influenced by left-wing ideology, he participated in the Spanish Civil War, which drastically changed his writing style. He then joined the Communist Party and was elected as a member of Congress, intending to pursue an electoral political path and transform Chile into a communist country.

His life took a rough patch after that. He left Chile several times and returned several times. The last time, he was caught up in the military government's massacres, and Neruda stubbornly wrote an article criticizing it... I vaguely remember that Neruda was poisoned to death.

In other words, he was definitely assassinated.

At the time, the world was unaware of this, and had no evidence, believing that Neruda had simply died of pancreatic cancer. However, he was assassinated.

By the way, even a great man like Neruda had multiple lovers...

Meanwhile, Márquez continues his investigation into the massacre. He has connections with the former president of Colombia, who, since taking office, has also been very curious about whether the tragedy was real.

Marquez still carries a portable camera and rushes to any place where he hears news of a massacre.

Of course, the results are often unsatisfactory.

Many people have died in Colombia, most of them in clashes between drug lords. While Yuche and his ilk enjoyed a period of relative peace, shootings were happening almost daily in Colombia.

Most of the cases occurred in the slums, between gang members. Nobody cared whether they lived or died.

Yu Qie thus witnessed the dark side of this country, and when he went back and told Qian Zhongshu and others, they found it hard to believe.

"I don't think Colombia is that bad; Márquez exaggerated." Many in the delegation thought so.

(End of this chapter)