I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 12 Literary Circle

Although Mikhail was still not fully familiar with this era, he still talked a lot with Belinsky. Of course, most of the time he just listened, listening to Belinsky talk about the current situation in Russia, listening to him talk about how lifeless and indifferent the current Russian literary world was, listening to him express his deep concern about the current Russian society and his plans and intentions to change all this.

It can be heard that although the "naturalism" was not formally proposed until two years later, Belinsky was already preparing for it and actively helping Nekrasov plan and publish his collection of essays.

During the entire conversation, Mikhail praised Belinsky's ideas in this regard, gave a lot of constructive suggestions, and showed more confidence than Belinsky and Nekrasov.

So much so that when Mikhail left for a while, Belinsky couldn't help laughing and said to Nekrasov:

"He gives me the feeling that he has been thinking about this potential trend for a long time, and he has more confidence in it than we do. Nikolai, if this young man had been born ten years earlier, maybe we would be helping him now!"

There is no doubt that Mikhail's thoughts and suggestions in this regard touched Belinsky's heart. Although Belinsky had vaguely realized that this young man had different thoughts from him, joy still prevailed in Belinsky's heart.

Radical and advanced intellectuals like Belinsky are always an absolute minority in any era. Although there are some like-minded people around, there is nothing more gratifying than meeting a young man with both talent and ideas.

Therefore, when saying goodbye, Belinsky showed a kind of reluctance to leave for the first time:

"Mikhail, please forgive me for having many things to do. Let's continue our conversation next time! I'll introduce you to some friends. They are all respectable gentlemen like you. I'm sure you will have a lot to talk about."

There is no doubt that some of the people Belinsky knew and interacted with were upper-class figures in the literary world of the time, and quite a number of them have left their names in literary history, such as Turgenev, Herzen, Gogol, and other leaders of the Russian literary world.

To be honest, if it weren't for the good timing and the fact that he had friends in the cultural circle, it would have taken Mikhail a long time to make a name for himself in the Russian literary world.

Strictly speaking, today's Russian literary world only exists in the two cities of St. Petersburg and Moscow. In other small places, many people may not even have enough to eat, so how can they have the time to pay attention to so-called literature?

Furthermore, the literary world has always been an aristocratic circle. For Mikhail, the son of a clerk, to break into such a circle, it would be harder than climbing to the sky without some opportunity.

Fortunately, the opportunity has appeared, and Mikhail has probably seized it.

After seeing Belinsky off, Mikhail and Nekrasov were the only ones left on the street. After this conversation, Nekrasov's expression changed again and again.

His talent in writing alone is already remarkable, but the key point is that this young man could actually engage in an ideological clash with his idol, Belinsky, without showing any fear at all!

You have to know that people like Belinsky learned the most advanced ideas of the time, and his long career as a critic has trained him to have amazing sharpness and thinking ability. Normal young people would become shy if the conversation went a little deeper, let alone a back-and-forth exchange.

At least up to now, Nekrasov is still learning and asking for advice from Belinsky, relying on Belinsky to improve his immature ideas. How can this be considered a give-and-take exchange?
In short, the look in Nekrasov's eyes when he looked at Mikhail now seemed to be turning into starry eyes.

But let’s be honest, family members know their own business. Although Mikhail was a college student who successfully advanced to the master’s level in later generations, as far as the academic path is concerned, a doctorate is just the beginning, so what is a master’s degree?
Of course, Mikhail did.

Fortunately, I have a good understanding of the ideological trends of this period, and I have read many excellent summaries in later generations, so it is not difficult to learn these few tricks.

But to be honest, if I say any more, Mikhail's true nature as a useless graduate student will probably be exposed nakedly...

Now, back to the point, communication aside, there was something Mikhail had been too embarrassed to ask Belinsky. Now that he had finally seen him off, Mikhail finally, somewhat furtively, asked Nekrasov, "Nicholas, how much do you make from the Fatherland Chronicle? How many rubles does an article earn?"

To be honest, it is normal to talk about money, but Mikhail really felt like he was committing a crime when talking about money in front of a true idealist like Belinsky...

It is hard to imagine that he could be so poor even though he has reached the top of the commentary world in any industry.

If only he was willing to accept some money and say a few good words for some aristocratic works, money would probably flow to Belinsky like a tide.

But from beginning to end, Belinsky's answer was only one: no.

Of course, Belinsky was Belinsky and Mikhail was Mikhail.

After hearing Mikhail's question, Nekrasov, who had been looking at Mikhail with respect, was stunned at first, and then he showed a knowing smile.

As a poor fellow, Nekrasov could certainly understand Mikhail's predicament. When Nekrasov was the poorest, he really had to sleep in a bunk bed with the beggars in St. Petersburg. At that time, didn't he want to make a living by writing?

Unfortunately, it is too difficult to make a living by writing, and it is even more difficult to make a living by writing poetry. You should know that the famous Russian poet Pushkin at that time only priced his poems at ten rubles per poem.

If this is true of Pushkin, let alone other poets.

As for writers, the situation is slightly better. Let's not talk about great writers for now. Let's just talk about Mikhail's current situation. If his works are successfully published in the "Fatherland Chronicle", then:
"Four rubles a page. Your novel should take up five pages, so that's probably twenty rubles. If you live frugally, it should barely last you a month."

Nekrasov knew exactly how long his royalties could keep him alive.

But he can't make a living on this, otherwise he wouldn't have done so many odd jobs besides writing poetry, and even now he would not have put a lot of energy into his career as a publisher.

"It's okay."

Mikhail, who was mentally prepared, took a deep breath, then looked at Nekrasov and said:
"Nicholas, are you planning something about an anthology? Can I join in?"

I have found a lot of information about the prices and purchasing power of the ruble in Russia during this period, but there seems to be no most accurate answer.

Therefore, we can take a closer number, which is approximately one ruble equals 100 kopecks, and one ruble is approximately equal to two hundred yuan today.

Of course, purchasing power is not easy to convert, but it can be roughly substituted.

If anyone has more accurate information, please feel free to let me know. Thank you very much.

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(End of this chapter)