Literary Master 1983

Chapter 294 I am the author of "2666"
Carmen flew to America to find Yu Qie at Omni Parker.

During this time, Yu Qie had already sent Carmen the second volume of the novel "2666".

"Yu, I was already very surprised that you know Latin American literature, but I didn't expect that you would also have some insights into nuclear literature."

"Have you finished writing '2666' yet? Now we should strike while the iron is hot and publish it as soon as possible!"

It's already May. Yu Qie said, "I will finish this book this month."

“Great!” Carmen was not surprised by Yu Qie’s writing speed. During their time in Colombia, Márquez had already expressed his surprise to her through various channels.

In fact, unlike the common understanding of the myth of "one book making a writer a legend" or "a single work surpassing all of Tang Dynasty literature," a writer's output is also one of the standards for measuring their greatness. The reason why Latin American writers were able to create a Latin American sensation is also related to their large output during periods of poverty.

Another identity of Márquez was that of an investigative journalist. He wrote countless news articles in his youth. During his "five-year hiatus from writing," Márquez simply stopped publishing traditional novels, but he still maintained his writing habits. Hemingway, a representative of the academic school, set a rule for himself to write at least five hundred to one thousand words every day.

The classics that these writers have made are not because all of their works are classics, but because they wrote at least a dozen novels, among which several masterpieces became famous all over the world.

Carmen said, “I flew in from Spain this time. You may not know, but your nuclear literature has started to be used in Europe as well. I have to work hard to promote it through various channels. It was first defined by a writer named Yu Qie.”

"Yu Qie is an Easterner, a very visionary Easterner!"

"Europe was the first to face this nuclear power plant explosion, and their people are actually more interested in literature about it than Americans. Publishers have already expressed interest in your book, *Happy Hunting*..."

Carmen struggled to spell out the word in Spanish.

If Japan is considered part of the Western world, then this book is indeed Yu Qie's most famous work in the Western world.

After all, the Earth is round, isn't it?
"In short, you need to do this as soon as possible. If possible, I hope you will write another book based on nuclear literature. I will do my best to market this book in the Western world."

Yu Qie knew the importance of the matter and promised Carmen that he would submit the manuscript on time.

The two spoke very loudly. Omni Parker was a very old hotel, so the writers on both sides of the strait could faintly hear these rapid Spanish conversations. Some of the bolder ones, like Li Ao, simply pushed open the door to listen and had someone who knew Spanish translate for them.

After learning the full story, Li Ao was clearly very surprised. He couldn't help but think of the legends about this hotel... the little stories about world-class writers, politicians, famous journalists, and business tycoons who had been here.

Whenever Li Ao thought of those countless stars of humanity, he began to feel sorrow for Nie Hualing of Iowa.

Li Ao had met Nie Hualing. Not only that, Yu Guangzhong had also met Nie Hualing. In fact, Nie Hualing's initial encounter with her white husband, Paul, took place at a writers' seminar hosted by Yu Guangzhong.

But life is unpredictable, and these people ended up in America and became enemies.

Iowa is known as the city of literature, a self-proclaimed title. Its capital, Iowa, has a population of only about 200,000, making it a thoroughly agricultural state with a sparse population and a relatively modest economy compared to other parts of the country. Boston, on the other hand, is a true core city of the United States. It not only boasts the highest concentration of universities in the nation, but also leads the country in economic development and the number of regional publishing houses.

More importantly, the Boston Tea Party, which took place on December 16, 1773, became the catalyst for the American Revolutionary War and a crucial historical event shaping the American spirit. Americans have mentioned this event countless times.

From this perspective, if Iowa is a city of literature, then Boston is a city of art, a city of sports, a city of wisdom, a city of freedom, a city within a city... it is American culture itself.

Yu Qie is no ordinary, unknown mainland writer; he's an oddball. When Nie Hualing and he engage in a verbal battle, it's like a featherweight boxer from a rural area, isolated from news, making a provocation that attracts a heavyweight champion from another ring to seek revenge.

The outcome is obvious.

After Carmen left, Li Ao couldn't help but ask, "Yu Qie, although I haven't read your masterpiece of Latin American literature, I think it must be of a very high standard. Cultural barriers are a major problem for us Easterners venturing into the West. There are some things that we Easterners are inherently unable to write."

"Because we wrote it down, but others didn't recognize it."

Yes, that's quite intuitive. Thirty years from now, would you read rural literature written by Vietnamese authors? Would you watch workplace dramas made in the Philippines?

Before Yu Qie wrote "The Way Out," countless Chinese writers in Southeast Asia had written similar novels. In Malaysia, Thailand, and other places, there were even major debates that could influence their literary history. They were all local literary superstars, but the billion Chinese people were completely unaware of them.

This kind of cultural barrier is not like that in science and engineering, which can be forcibly broken down; in fact, no matter how talented you are, you cannot reverse it.

Yu Qie said, "But nuclear literature is different. I can write it, and so can you. All Chinese people can write it."

At this moment, more members of the delegation came out of their hotel rooms and listened quietly to Yu Qie's statement.

"Why?" Li Ao asked on their behalf.

Yu Qie countered, "Which countries do you think are most suitable for writing nuclear literature?"

“The Soviet Union, the United States…” Li Ao said.

Yu Guangzhong couldn't help but interject: "Britain, and France... in short, those relatively powerful countries. They are both likely to face this situation and have the capability to do so."

If you lack nuclear knowledge but write weighty nuclear literature, it's as ridiculous as a eunuch talking about an indestructible penis or a primitive man in the Amazon fantasizing about an extremely cold land.

Where are the members of the mainland delegation?
They didn't say a word. Qian Zhongshu looked serious, Liu Shahe was inexplicably grinning, and Zhang Xianliang and the others couldn't help but feel excited.

Because Yu Qie then said what they wanted to say: "You forgot, there is also our nation. My father was a rural middle school teacher. When he was a student, his clothes were all patched. Before I became famous and made money, he wanted to pass on some of his tattered clothes to me... Because the chemical fiber industry is a very energy-intensive industry, they had the saying 'pawn your pants' back then."

“I live by the river. My father had a special skill: he could swim across the narrowest part of a tributary of the Yangtze River to go to school on the other side of the mountain. Because his clothes were very precious and could not be washed away, he would hold them up on his head.”

"My father could never have imagined that his patched clothes would one day be related to his son's literature. How can this not be romantic?"

Although Yu Qie spoke with a smile, Li Ao immediately felt that Yu Qie was more arrogant than anyone he had ever met.

Three days later, still at Boston University, bookseller Harper spearheaded a literary exchange event, where they announced that the first volume of "2666" would be reprinted by 50,000 copies and distributed throughout the United States.

The second volume of the novel will also be printed in 50,000 copies, with the release date delayed by one week.

According to Yu Qie, the third volume will be released within this month... and then compiled into a hardcover single volume of more than 400,000 words. Currently, the novel "2666" has been valued by several publishers in neighboring Mexico, as well as Argentina and Chile. The quality of the first volume of "2666" has been recognized. Readers are concerned about the restaurant massacre that occurs in the book and the use of "Gabriel García Márquez".

Because in the story, several protagonists are searching for a literary giant named "Gabriel García Márquez," but they can't find him in any of his books.

Therefore, some people believe that "Yu" is an alternate account of Márquez, and that "2666" is Márquez's new work.

Considering that Márquez used many pseudonyms to write novels in order to evade pursuit by various countries, this is highly likely to have happened.

However, Harper Publishing prominently featured Yuche at this event. Before the event began, there were performances by American college student groups, lengthy speeches by local writers, and reminiscences of Latin American literature, which became rather tedious. It wasn't until the appearances of Latin American literary giants Vargas Llosa and Gabriel García Márquez that the atmosphere finally warmed up.

"Marquez (Llosa)!"

"Marcus (Llosa)!!"

Literature enthusiasts called out their names. Márquez and Vargas Llosa, having seen many grand occasions, waved knowingly.

Ever since Vargas Llosa publicly punched Márquez, they have stopped appearing together in public. Everyone is speculating: have these two literary giants of Latin America become estranged?

I never expected that we would get back together now.

"—Did you write this?" a reporter asked.

Marquez smiled and shook his head.

So the reporter asked again, "Do you have any new members?"

This time, Márquez did not shake his head.

Because of the hardships Latin American writers had faced, super-agent Carmen required them to act "like family" in public. To foster camaraderie among these Third World writers, Carmen would regularly charter planes to organize trips for them, covering all expenses, and carefully manage the relationships between the writers.

The author who signed Carmen recalled, "He arranged everything for me. When my washing machine broke down, I wouldn't call a repair shop, but would call the Balssels brokerage."

Mario Vargas wrote in the Spanish newspaper El País: "She takes care of us, she spoils us, she argues with us, she pulls our ears."

Although Yu Qie is not from Latin America, he does indeed face the cultural discrimination that writers from Third World countries also face. They should unite together.

Subsequently, both Vargas Llosa and Gabriel García Márquez expressed their appreciation for the work.

Márquez said, "This is a work of genius, and the writer possesses a prophetic talent, with profound thoughts on the whole of human society. He must be more capable than I was at twenty or thirty!"

Vargas Llosa remarked meaningfully, "He is a man of conscience."

An unfamiliar face appeared, and under the gaze of everyone present, Yu Qie spoke succinctly, like Iron Man: "I am the author of '2666'."

This was so astonishing that reporters immediately unearthed many anecdotes.

For example, how Márquez communicated with Yuche, the Colombian gun in Yuche's possession, and the 1928 United Fruit Massacre that they are still investigating.

There is still no evidence for this—if the bodies were really thrown into the sea as described in the story, how could any evidence be found?
However, United Fruit Company itself no longer insists on its innocence. They committed massacres in Honduras, they committed massacres in Colombia, they have blood on their hands, and this one scandal doesn't make a difference.

Even if we admit it, so what?

Márquez reiterated: "I will pursue the truth my whole life. From the year I was born, I have made it my purpose in life."

At this point, Márquez transforms into Colonel Arcadio, constantly proving to everyone that the town of Macondo is real.

Whether it was to promote Yu Qie's novel or because he was frustrated by the difficulty in finding the truth, Márquez even said the following:
"Perhaps the truth of everything lies in the novel."

Here, most people understand that the truth about the Bogota restaurant massacre is in "2666," unaware that time will give it new meaning.

Subsequently, a reporter recognized Yu Qie as the East Asian writer who had discussed "nuclear literature." He was immediately bombarded with questions about elements such as nuclear wasteland, nuclear apocalypse literature, and cyberpunk.

When Yu Qie talked about these things, he spoke with great confidence and knowledge, making him seem like a physics PhD graduate from Princeton, with a minor in literature, and a madman who would build an underground air-raid shelter in his backyard.

Food rations, weakening nuclear radiation with concrete walls, making simple radiation protection masks, finding clean drinking water sources... Yu Qie, like a real nuclear war veteran, transforms into a nuclear age survival expert.

A reporter from the World Journal said admiringly, "To be honest, these concepts also exist in the United States, but none are as specific or extensive as what you've described. You've probably been thinking about this for many years. How did you come up with this, Mr. Yu?"

"This setting is so grand and realistic, it feels like it actually happened." The reporter was very excited, and his words made the others nod in agreement.

Yu recognized the reporter as the one who had previously participated in the cross-strait writers' interview, the mixed-race person who had changed his surname to "Hua" on the spot.

How difficult is this?

To write this kind of novel, you first have to explain why you had this inspiration.

Yu Qie told a story: "In the 1960s, the whole world was shrouded in the shadow of nuclear war. The United States was transporting nuclear bombs to the border of Germany, Britain was trying to develop the next generation of nuclear submarines to launch the latest submarine-launched missiles, and the United States, needless to say, had countless fixed launch base silos in the desert of Nevada, which they were building at lightning speed. In order to prevent the advance of Soviet bombers, a huge radar network was built in Canada... This was certainly a crazy thing, but only a few countries would take such precautions."

Everyone listened quietly. The atmosphere was strange; on the one hand, they felt apprehensive, and on the other hand, they felt a strange sense of pride and honor—because not every country has the courage to participate in such matters.

"At this time, in places you don't know, many people have moved to the vicinity of my home. How many? I don't know, but it's probably several million. This is the data I saw in a foreign newspaper."

“We call this the Third Front Construction. I know you wouldn’t understand, but it was one of the few momentous events that my small town—a gateway county to a river—experienced. Many people’s lives were changed because of it. This became my initial source of inspiration.”

(End of this chapter)