Literary Master 1983

Chapter 397 The Lisbon Maru (Part Two)
That being said, Yu Qie still hoped that things wouldn't escalate to an extreme.

Black Monday did not completely devastate the Japanese; it was merely a prelude to their economic crisis. About two years later, the founder of Sony and a right-wing politician wrote a remarkable book—"Japan Can Say No."

The book mocks the decline of American manufacturing, claiming it's becoming an empty shell and dependent on Japanese high-tech products, and that Japan should have the power to say no.

In real-world commercial districts, Japanese people have begun to complain about the body odor of white people when dining out, and people from other places are even more disgusted by the smell, which shows that the self-confidence of this nation has risen to an unbelievable level.

Ironically, just one year after the book was published, the Japanese miracle ended, with Tokyo streets filled with trapeze artists, shattering the illusion and turning the book into a joke.

After a week, the heads of Kodansha, Kadokawa Publishing, and Iwanami Publishing all arrived in London.

Yu Qie's investigation into the origins of his family history has become famous overseas. According to Kunihiko Kodaira, who visited China, "Mr. Yu only associates with those who acknowledge history."

Therefore, all three of them claimed to be "friendly to China" and had "reasons for having to publish Yu Qie's works."

Yu Qie only has Carmen as his agent, but that's enough for him.

Among them, Kodansha's president, Shoichi Noma, personally came, showing great sincerity. In November 1973, he visited China and donated a replica of the "Iris" screen to a Chinese museum.

"replica?"

Yu Qie shook his head and said, "Why not give me a real one?"

Qian Zhongshu, standing nearby, couldn't help but say, "The 'Swallow Painting' is a national treasure of Japan. This entrepreneur is probably not qualified to donate such a treasure!"

"A copy is a copy." Yu Qie was still very dissatisfied.

Carmen, wanting to show off her expertise, explained, "Kodansha is considered a mainstream publisher in Japan. This person wants to change their public image, so they've chosen you."

“Next!” Yu Qie said.

For this reason alone, Noma Shoichi was placed last.

Next up is Kadokawa Publishing. Publisher Haruki Kadokawa collaborated with author Morimura to publish "The Devil's Feast," a work reflecting the human experiments conducted by Unit 731. At the time, Kadokawa Publishing faced immense pressure from within Japan, and Kadokawa had only recently taken office.

He withstood public criticism and persevered in publishing the book. It subsequently became a bestseller throughout Japan, selling three million copies in just a few years.

“This person’s background is fine,” Yu Qie said.

Therefore, Haruki Kadokawa spoke with Yukichi first.

Carmen arranged for Yu Qie to wait for him in the last room on the top floor of a hotel. Kadokawa Haruki took the elevator up, then walked to the far end of the corridor. Only after opening the door did he see Yu Qie's back to him.

“Mr. Yu!” He maintained a composed and respectful demeanor.

Yu Qie slowly turned around.

This is what a "supreme genius" is like!

He's really tall! His looks are comparable to those of today's popular rugged movie stars.

Haruki Kadokawa couldn't help but sigh.

In Japan, the president of a publishing house naturally holds a higher position than the author. However, at the level of Yokiri, the situation is quite different.

Yu cut to the chase: “I am investigating an old case involving your massacre of British prisoners of war. The truth will be very detrimental to Japan. In addition, I cannot be 100% sure that I can collect all the evidence.”

“But I know it’s true,” Yu Qie said with an unquestionable tone. “This is something you’re capable of doing! Do you dare publish it in your own country?”

Haruki Kadokawa was completely dumbfounded, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead within seconds.

He managed to stammer out, "Do you mean that along with publishing works like '2666,' this book must also be promoted?"

"Yes!"

"May I have the privilege of learning what happened...?"

"No, I can't trust you yet."

"Then, may I join your investigation? That way, at least I can be accountable to the people..."

"—No!" Yu Qie said impatiently. "I can't trust you, and I don't want to repeat myself."

"Then, please allow me to consider it some more."

Yu Qie smiled, said nothing, and waved to indicate that Kadokawa Haruki could leave.

Done!

Haruki Kadokawa immediately realized that he absolutely could not leave this room; Yu Qie would not give him a second chance to come in. He immediately said, "I will publish as you say. But the Japanese publishing industry also has relevant review committees, and this is not something I can decide alone."

"Please forgive me!" Kadokawa Haruki bowed deeply, awaiting Yu Qie's reply.

Yu Qie walked up to him and suddenly smiled as if bathed in a spring breeze: "I hope you can fully cooperate with me, and I also guarantee that I will act entirely out of conscience and justice."

Then, Yu Qie took the initiative to extend his hand to Kadokawa Haruki, and the two clasped hands.

This isn't over yet!
The remaining representative of Iwanami Shoten is Chikako Midorikawa, the daughter of President Midorikawa. She is a great beauty and has collaborated with Yokiri several times.

When Chikako Midorikawa arrived at the room, she saw Haruki Kadokawa there and thought to herself, "Oh no."

Yu Qie made the same request, and Midorikawa Chikako agreed.

The last person was Shoichi Noma from Kodansha, and his conversation with Yogiri was rather unpleasant. Noma maintained only basic courtesy inside the room, but once outside, he couldn't help but yell:

Even a writer like that shouldn't be so rude!
Who would be willing to publish a book without letting me know anything about it?
That's incredibly disrespectful!

Only the two of them remained in the room. Carmen suggested Kadokawa Shoten because it had a larger circulation and was very influential among teenagers.

That's why they are so experienced in getting things approved.

The sinking of the Lisbon Maru was essentially a battlefield news event that failed to be reported in the press. It occurred more than forty years ago and needed to be publicized, not literary.

Yu Qie was persuaded.

Furthermore, Yu Qie is unwilling to have his books published only by one publisher, as this could lead to the publisher blackmailing the author.

Carmen played the villain, informing the two of the outcome. Midorikawa Chikako, understanding Yu Qie's predicament, said with great grace, "I hope to work with you again next time. Iwanami Shoten always serves the world's finest authors!"

"I'm sorry, please give my regards to Mr. Midorikawa," Yu said.

The winner, Haruki Kadokawa, wasn't particularly happy either, as he didn't know how far Yukichi would go in his writing.

Japan today is quite different from what it was seven or eight years ago.

At the time, Japan was just beginning its economic rise and was seeking historical reconciliation, while also encountering the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States... Many factors led to the publication of "The Devil's Feast".

In fact, the book faced suppression shortly after its publication. After all the printed stock was sold out, a new batch of books had to have some content deleted, and it was subsequently revised beyond recognition.

What kind of environment is it today?

The honeymoon period with mainland China is coming to an end, and the northern big brother is showing signs of defeat. Both sides have realized on multiple levels that such a close relationship cannot be maintained in the long run, and Japan is one of the first neighboring countries to perceive this change.

Haruki Kadokawa was deeply worried.

Yu Qie's meeting with Spanish writers only exacerbated his concerns!

To celebrate Yuche winning the Formentor Prize and returning to the Spanish-speaking community, Carmen hosted a writers' gathering in Barcelona, ​​which was attended by most Spanish-speaking writers, except for Vargas Llosa, who was preparing for his election campaign.

Yu Qie also took two days to travel to Barcelona to attend the meeting.

Although Britain and Spain are two countries, they are not actually far apart, only a little over a thousand kilometers apart, which is equivalent to the distance from Shanghai to Beijing.

A month later, Yu Qie met with Márquez again.

How are you feeling?

"Not bad, bro!"

People joked about the unusual friendship between Márquez and Cuban leader Fidel Castro:
Not long ago, Márquez met Castro at an airport in Mexico. He showed Castro a portion of the manuscript of "The General in His Labyrinth". In order to read his story, Castro ordered the plane to be grounded and stayed in the VIP lounge where he and Márquez had a heated debate about the plot.

It took Castro a full six hours before he was forced to embrace and part ways with Márquez.

Márquez remarked with emotion: "That was truly an unforgettable time; Castro was an exceptionally combative man."

There was another combative person present – ​​Yu Qie.

So, some busybodies asked which of these two friends Márquez preferred?
This stumped Márquez, because he was unwilling to determine who was better between the two.

Yu Qie was also curious about Márquez's choice: "No matter who you choose, I won't blame you. We have plenty of time to cultivate our friendship."

After some thought, Márquez said, "I think Castro is a phoenix, a dashing and romantic figure; while Yuche is a flame, born to shine and radiate light."

"What kind of ridiculous analogy is this!" Mexican writer Furnster was very dissatisfied, and others echoed his sentiment.

Márquez had to apologize. "They are completely unrelated people; you forced me to make this comparison!"

The group dined at a restaurant in Barcelona called "House of Birds," enjoying themselves until dawn, and reminiscing about the past.

The elderly people present all held left-wing views and united to speak out on social issues for more than a decade in the 1960s. Although they are not as close as they were back then, they still cherish those memories.

Fuentes mentioned that around 1971, they were all eating at the same restaurant. They were so engrossed in conversation that no one ordered anything.

After waiting for a long time, the restaurant owner finally lost his patience, pushed open the door, and asked, "Who here can write?"

It turned out that the owner thought these Latin Americans weren't ordering food because they couldn't write. Everyone was stunned and didn't know how to respond. Finally, Márquez's wife took the initiative and said, "I can write, I'll order," which ended the awkward situation.

It's worth noting that this group includes several literary giants.

Marquez clapped his hands and laughed, "You see, the West's discrimination against us runs deep; no matter how sophisticated our topics of conversation are, as long as we are still Latin Americans, they will think we are a bunch of uncultured rabble. If it had been a group of white Europeans or Americans sitting there, or even a group of farmers, the restaurant owner wouldn't have been so rude!"

Yu Qie was deeply moved when he heard this story.

Since he became famous, he has actually encountered quite a bit of the kind of implicit discrimination that Latinos face.

For example, Watson would be criticized for saying that "Chinese people are the most intelligent and others are less intelligent." But if the situation were reversed, and he said, "Chinese people are the sick men of East Asia and others are physically strong," Watson would not be criticized so much.

Doesn't the Lisbon Maru incident follow the same logic?
Chinese fishermen braved gunfire to rescue British prisoners of war—when it was the Chinese who did this good deed, the international media remained silent, pretending not to see it.

But what about the reverse?
The British always emphasize their disastrous Yunnan-Burma campaign and their contributions on the Asian battlefield, forgetting the Chinese Expeditionary Force that supported them; the Americans constantly demand that the Chinese be grateful for the heroic deeds of American pilots on the "Hump" airlift.

While this is understandable, their actions are extremely hypocritical.

When good deeds are done by them, they are loudly publicized; when good deeds are done by Chinese people, they remain silent.

This tacit suppression was unbelievable even to someone like Old Morley, who was directly involved.

"Everyone!" Yu Qie clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.

He proactively expressed his gratitude to the writers who had shown help in the publication of his novel, "The Road to Dawn."

Then, Yu Qie mentioned the "Lisbon Maru" incident. Everyone understood that he wanted to publicize this matter. Marquez took the lead in promising to speak out for Yu Qie, and the others followed suit one after another: "The era of battle has returned, and if my bones are still of use, I hope I can help you."

Some people said, "It's a good thing Vargas Llosa isn't here! He needs to win over the Japanese voters!"

After hearing this, Márquez smiled at Yu Qie.

After the gathering, he learned the details of the "Lisbon Maru" incident and then said, "This is obviously a true story! Why? Because they were extremely afraid of your article being published and tried every means to stop you."

"If they didn't do it, they must have had bad intentions, otherwise why wouldn't they let the truth come out?"

Everything happened incredibly fast.

Two days later, when Yu Che returned to London, Mexican writer Furnster was already discussing the Lisbon Maru incident in a magazine: "I am convinced that there is a truth being tacitly hidden here, and they do not want to hear the sounds from under the sunken ship."

Márquez also wrote in the newspaper: "In 1942, an unknown sinking occurred off the coast of China in the western Pacific..."

Yu Qie signed a formal agreement with Kadokawa Publishing. He demanded that the novel about the "Lisbon Maru" incident be published in Japan word for word, or he would withdraw the novel at any time.

(End of this chapter)