Literary Master 1983

Chapter 430 A Bright Path!
Yu Hua had a different version of events regarding Guan Moye.

He started by saying, "Teacher Yu is now the vice president of the Beijing Writers Association. He's very powerful and influential. We can offend anyone, but we absolutely cannot offend him!"

Guan Moye said, "When I was a child, I was beaten up by the whole village for saying the wrong thing! Now that I've finally become famous, if I still get beaten up, then what's the point of my fame?"

What the hell!

What you said makes a lot of sense, but you also have to consider who you're dealing with!
Does learning addition and subtraction mean you have to challenge Fermat's Last Theorem?

Yu Hua tried to persuade Guan Moye from a different angle: "Professor Guan, there aren't many people in Yu Qie's life who could be listed in his personal museum. Look, they are all world-famous figures such as Márquez and Vo Nguyen Giap, as well as people like Nie Hualing, whom Professor Yu hates!"

“That’s right! He wants to make me infamous for eternity!” Guan Moye said dejectedly. “Yu Qie has had a smooth career since he started writing novels. He is indeed very capable and has no problem with any writing style. But he doesn’t know that there are many people in the world who live in hardship, and many people who are born ugly… He is unwilling to acknowledge the existence of these people and cannot see these things. When I write them down, Yu Qie accuses me of talking nonsense!”

"I feel so wronged!"

Yu Hua actually partially agreed with Guan Moye. Yu Qie's most tragic time was when he repeated his studies at home for two years, and his family was still a dual-income urban family.

How many people have sold everything they own to retake the college entrance exam? And still not gotten into a satisfactory university?
His starting point is the destination that many people dream of.

But what's wrong with others doing well?

Yu Hua then advised, "Alright, let me say something: one can only understand suffering after experiencing it. Teacher Yu writes excellent military-themed articles because he actually went to the front lines! I think he's a genuinely good person, don't you agree?"

“I’ll admit it for now!” Guan Moye said.

"Then just let him have his way. If you think he doesn't know the hardships of life, then the fact that he donated all his royalties to a foundation shows that Teacher Yu just hasn't experienced them, but he's a good person! Instead of arguing with him, why don't you turn your attention to other hypocritical people!"

Guan Moye was persuaded by this point. However, he was not completely convinced.

Their argument was conducted through letters and telephone calls.

Not long after, Guan Moye came to the School of Literature and Yenching University's writer training program to teach, where he met Yu Hua again.

At that moment, he suddenly noticed that Yu Hua seemed very at ease, her eyes brimming with joy. After pressing her repeatedly, he learned that Yu Hua had already divorced and registered her marriage with a female writer named Chen Hong, and the two were living together.

"What about the house?" Guan Moye asked.

"Did not buy."

"What about a bicycle? You need to have one, right?"

"I don't have a car, I rely on my own two legs."

"So what exactly happened to you?"

"My faithful love!"

Guan Moye laughed: "So you didn't contribute anything! Your ex-wife was a famous beauty in the county, and you ruined her life. Now you've found a girl from the capital, living in her house without contributing a penny... Old Yu, you're the real man!"

Guan Moye is now famous. He received two thousand yuan for adapting the script of "Red Sorghum". Later, the film won an award, which led to the reprinting of Guan Moye's other books. He received more than seven thousand yuan in royalties in total, and completely escaped from abject poverty.

Therefore, Guan Moye was actually in a rather proud state during this period.

After "Red Sorghum" won an award in Berlin, Germany in February, the Writers Association held a seminar for him and invited Guan Moye to give a report. This was the first time in Guan Moye's life that he had been so illustrious.

Guan Moye and Yu Hua both had a wish: to buy a house and settle down in Beijing.

Currently, Guan Moye returns home every few days and lives alone in Beijing. Yu Hua's residence is uncertain; sometimes he stays at his wife's house, and sometimes he stays in the student dormitory assigned by the Academy of Arts.

So when Guan Moye heard that Yu Hua's food and daily necessities were provided by his wife, his words carried a hint of sourness.

He didn't realize it himself, but Yu Hua noticed it and didn't blame him. After class, Yu Hua asked Guan Moye to go for a walk and then said, "Professor Guan, you see, after you became famous, it's hard for you to understand how I'm not doing well. You always criticize me for being a kept man. Do you know who helped us to start this joint training program with Beijing University?"

Yu Hua was able to say that, naturally thanks to the efforts of Professor Yu Qie.

Guan Moye remained silent, and Yu Hua continued, "The money for our meal here came from his foundation, and the Writers' Association also allocated some funds."

"What do you mean by that?" Guan Moye finally spoke.

“What I mean is, you can’t complain when you’re at the bottom that Teacher Yu didn’t understand you; but as soon as you get up a little, you can’t understand others anymore, and at that point you forget what you asked of Teacher Yu. That’s too hypocritical.”

Guan Moye was stunned and blushed.

Yu Hua continued, “I’m not saying this to criticize you, because it’s human nature! I support the idea that human nature is inherently evil! If you had the same abilities as Teacher Yu, you wouldn’t know how you would have lectured me! You can see that Teacher Yu is much more magnanimous than you!”

A scholar can insult without using vulgar language, yet his words strike right at the heart. Guan Moye was truly impressed this time.

Meanwhile, Yu Qie obtained the novel "The Sound of the Tide" by sailor Lu Yingmo. The novel is based on Lu Yingmo's personal experience: he was spending the New Year on the island, and during a meal, he overheard a soldier asking the captain if the New Year's telegram was coming soon.

The captain said, "What are you coming for? It's not our turn yet. We've already been sent to the Nansha Islands, the farthest place!"
What appears to be an ordinary conversation contains profound emotions. It turns out that the soldiers guarding the reef are desperately longing for telegrams from their homeland. Loneliness is their enemy; if they don't receive a telegram for a long time, the soldiers become restless and feel empty inside.

Only those involved truly understand these delicate emotions. Moreover, the novel is written in dialogue form, which further highlights the soldiers' inner thoughts.

This prompted Yu Qie to write a new research paper entitled "The Fourth Wave of Military Literature".

This time, he drove to the office of the October newspaper. He was given a grand welcome and his manuscript was reviewed. Chen Dongjie was assigned to proofread it; being young, he sweated profusely and it took him three or four hours to finish.

“Zhang Shouren is not in good health, you should work harder,” Yu Qie encouraged Chen Dongjie.

Upon hearing this, Chen Dongjie broke out in a cold sweat.

During this time, Yu Qie and Zhang Shouren chatted in the reception room.

"Shall I have a smoke?" Zhang Shouren asked. "No, if I go back smelling of smoke, my wife will scold me," Yu Qie shook his head.

"You've been writing novels for so many years, and you still haven't learned to smoke?"

“What’s so great about smoking!” Yu Qie said.

Editor-in-Chief Su Yu persuaded Zhang Shouren to quit smoking: There is a ready example, Lu Yao, the author of "Ordinary World", who smoked to the point of exhaustion and now finds it difficult to write.

Yu Qie knew Lu Yao. "Ordinary World" was initially published in "Huacheng" magazine, but it was not popular due to the strong trend of experimental literature and scientific research in those years.

"Huacheng" happens to be a literary magazine that is quite obsessed with scientific research. When "Ordinary World" was published, sales increased somewhat, but the editorial team did not think that this was due to Lu Yao. On the contrary, they thought it was because of their good scientific research.

So, at Yu Qie's instruction, Zhang Shouren went south to take over the project and published it in "October," giving it a lot of prestige, and the novel became an instant hit.

"How crazy is Lu Yao when he smokes?" Yu Qie asked curiously.

Su Yu was somewhat exasperated: "Lu Yao only smokes 'Chunghwa' cigarettes, at least three packs a day! He also drinks imported Nestlé coffee! When he buys clothes, he insists on buying the best imported goods."

The group was stunned upon hearing this.

What kind of money is this? Leaving aside clothes and coffee, just the cost of cigarettes alone amounts to four or five hundred yuan a month, equivalent to the monthly salary of two university professors. Over five or six years, Lu Yao will have spent thirty thousand yuan on cigarettes! Enough to buy two courtyard houses in Beijing.”

He had become financially independent through writing books, but he squandered all of it and lost everything.

Yu said, "With Lu Yao's example as an example, I will never touch cigarettes or alcohol in my life. Besides, these things cause muscle loss, and it's not easy for me to train."

The atmosphere was originally quite heavy, but Yu Qie's words immediately caused everyone to burst into laughter.

After reading the novel "The Sound of the Tide," Chen Dongjie spoke frankly at the manuscript review meeting: "This novel is still very immature and cannot be considered literature. It can only meet our company's minimum standards for military novels."

"So, can I send it?" Yu Qie asked.

"Do you think highly of Lu Yingmo?" Zhang Shouren pondered, realizing the implication.

“I have high hopes for him,” Yu Qie nodded in agreement.

"Let's still send it out. Teacher Yu has already said so." Chen Dongjie took the initiative to mention that it was "Teacher Yu's opinion," and everyone agreed.

In the past few years, Wang Shuo, Wang Xiaobo and others were promoted by Yu Qie. Their novels can hardly be called literary. Even though they are now somewhat famous, they are still ridiculed by traditional literature.

They faced an awkward situation similar to that of later writers like Han Han and Guo Jingming, belonging to the category of "traffic-driven" writers.

Yu Hua and Su Tong were also promoted by Yu Qie. They are capable of writing serious literature and are even striving towards pure literature.

However, one thing is true: every author recommended by Yu Qie at least contributes to sales and is not mediocre.

Novelist Shi Tiesheng has a standard for distinguishing between "commercial literature, serious literature, and pure literature": "commercial literature" is about making a living by writing whatever the market lacks!

"Serious literature" must address sharp and fashionable social issues, but it is not yet pure literature. Because if policies change and certain issues are resolved, the "seriousness" of serious literature may disappear.

"Pure literature" and "serious literature" are very similar. The key is whether they touch upon the most essential and eternal questions, which is serious literature within serious literature.

This is an interview with Shi Tiesheng published in "Beijing Literature". Yu Qie quoted his interview as saying: "I would like to add one more sentence to Shi Tiesheng's words, that is, these kinds of literature can change. For example, Lu Xun, we did not put him in the first place before, but now when we look at his novels, we find that he is simply a prophet, a god! But he was also just making money from his writing. At that time, he did not think that his articles were so great."

Everyone understood what Yu Qie meant.

Studying these literary aspects is foolish. When a book is written, it's hard to say how much literary merit it or the author possesses; only time can judge it.

Therefore, the entire staff of "October" accepted the novel "The Sound of the Tide." With this, Yu Qie had fulfilled the request of "Military Literature" and others, using his personal influence to vindicate the artistry of military literature.

From then on, well-written novels from the military could not only be published in "Military Literature" but also appear on broader literary stages such as "October" and "Contemporary".

Yu Qie's research manuscript, "The Fourth Wave of Military Literature," had an even faster impact.

In short, this research points to a clear path for future military literature: either stitching together or specializing.

"We are about to bid farewell to military literature, which is characterized by huge costs and mobilization-style collective writing! This prompts writers to transform the original political advantages of this genre into artistic and aesthetic advantages; as writers without military backgrounds, in order to write with genuine feelings, we can borrow the characteristics of characters from other genres into military literature..."

"For writers with a military background, the key is to write with authenticity, and to introduce their military experiences in a legal, reasonable, and compliant manner..."

Clearly, Yu Qie's method benefits writers with military backgrounds. They can simply write "diaries" to record their lives, while novelists who are not from the military have to go to great lengths and face many demands.

This is for a reason.

According to Yu Qie's observations on the front lines, military novels written without prior investigation failed to resonate with the soldiers' emotions. In fact, they were less effective than the soldiers' own submissions, such as "Sailor's Diary" and "Letters from a Military Wife."

Such novels lose their value. While they cleverly submit a large number of these works to magazines like *Military Literature*, which may meet the magazine's requirements, they are ultimately worthless. To put it more bluntly, they deprive others of literary opportunities and waste readers' time.

This manuscript had already caused a sensation within the editorial department, with Zhang Shouren commenting that it was "a guide to writing military novels." When it was published in the October magazine in early October of the following month, it immediately sparked heated discussions in literary circles.

Those within the system think Yu Qie's words are absolutely brilliant! I can just write about my own experiences; sailors write about sailors, pilots write about pilots' diaries, and even the future Shenzhou astronaut Yang Liwei had his short essays selected for elementary school textbooks—an achievement that surpasses countless writers of the golden generation!

This is a broad and exclusive road.

Teacher Yu knew that the soldiers had a tough time, so he gave some brilliant advice to the educated ones among them.

Those without military experience felt that Yu Qie's requirements were too high: "How are you going to sew it up?"
I used to be able to sit at home and happily write a military-themed article that was neither here nor there—and then happily receive my payment! Now they expect me to have artistry! That's too difficult!

In August, the Writers Association held a meeting in Beijing to discuss holding the third Mao Dun Literature Prize early next year.

(End of this chapter)