I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 57 Three Fantasy Classmates
When Mikhail and Belinsky set out for Kraevsky, the publisher of The Fatherland Chronicle, Nekrasov followed.

He didn't have to collect any royalties, but he still had to discuss the matter of the collection of essays "Petersburg Anthology" with Mikhail and Belinsky.

Speaking of it, among the many great writers of his time, Nekrasov was the one who truly had a business mind. The others were either aristocrats, gamblers, or classic paupers.

In addition to being very hardworking in recent years, Nekrasov had already tried to publish several small collections of essays and earned a lot of extra money. After tasting the sweetness, Nekrasov was ready to do something big and mentioned this to Belinsky more than once.

When Belinsky learned of Nekrasov's idea, he immediately enthusiastically participated in the publishing work.

He used his influence to write letters to various famous writers, poets and other artists he knew, asking them for manuscripts or other works.

In this process, Belinsky also fully carried forward the tradition of robbing the rich to help the poor in the Russian literary circle. He believed that writers with assets should not accept Nekrasov's money. He said in his propaganda that it is the obligation of every writer to help a poor colleague out of trouble so that he can breathe freely and do his beloved work.

It may sound a bit too idealistic, but many people responded in those years. Among them, Turgenev contributed his poems and short stories, and Herzen, who was later called the "Father of Russian Socialism", submitted his political essays and novels under the pseudonym Iskander.

At present, this grumpy old man is in Moscow. It will probably take some time for Mikhail to meet him. His story is certainly magnificent, but let's talk about it later.

Then the great translator Kronenberg submitted an article on translation methodology, Count Sologub submitted a play and a novel, Prince Odoyevsky submitted a novella and a philosophical essay, and many poets and writers also submitted their manuscripts for free.

Since the poets and writers were doing this, Russian artists certainly couldn't lose face, so the great painter Akin designed illustrations for the entire magazine free of charge, and the great engraver carved the plates for them free of charge...

So what did Belinsky get after all his efforts, all his favors, and the joy of writing the preface to this collection?
Hey! I don’t have any coins, I won’t take a penny!

Since Belinsky had so many connections and influence, why didn't he make a fortune by publishing an anthology of his own works?
In his own words: "Do I have the ability to do this? This requires skills. I can't buy on credit. Without printing and paper, I can't get started. I also have to deal with all kinds of people and do business.
My fate is probably to be a servant in the literary world for the rest of my life, working for my masters so that they can get rich and laugh at me - look at this big fool, he roasts the chestnuts, and we take them from him, leaving him only the shells!

This is of course a self-deprecating statement, but that is exactly what Belinsky did.

In addition, Belinsky really lacked the ability to deal with all kinds of people, which is also a common problem among many artists.

As Nekrasov said, it was probably because he had been working hard in St. Petersburg for several years, so he dared to think and act, and was not afraid of getting into debt. For example, when publishing the "Petersburg Anthology", apart from a little money he had, most of the rest of the expenses were either borrowed or bought on credit.

The key is that they were all done, which makes people admire them. But Belinsky, an old bachelor in his thirties who had just married a wife, naturally did not dare to take such a risk lightly.

But now, for some reason, Belinsky inexplicably took Mikhail's words, which sounded like a joke, as an illusory but unconsciously anticipated wish.

That sentence naturally means buying the publishing rights of a magazine and offering him a very high salary.
Back to the present, after the three of them got together, the first thing they did was to seriously discuss the progress of the "Petersburg Anthology". Due to Mikhail's participation and strong self-confidence, Nekrasov was inspired and encouraged to speed up his work. The manuscripts requested by Belinsky were sent over one after another. In addition to providing manuscripts and boosting morale, Mikhail was also prepared to borrow some rubles to make this matter a success as soon as possible.

After a serious discussion with the two, Mikhail roughly calculated in his mind that if the current progress is followed, the publication time of "Petersburg Anthology" will probably be several months earlier than in history. Then the question is, can Lao Tzu hand in his "Poor People" earlier...

Come on, "Poor People", my proudest Lao Tuo!

While Mikhail was thinking about this, the three of them had almost finished discussing the progress, and Belinsky couldn't help but sigh, "It feels like the collection's publication date isn't far off. I hope it sells well then, so Nikolay can get rid of your debts and focus on writing poetry. Mikhail, maybe your life will be a little easier."

"Don't worry, dear Vissarion." Mikhail said confidently after coming to his senses, "It will definitely sell out! Rather, we can think about what we should do after we make enough money from this collection of essays. The first thing we should do is definitely try to start a magazine..."

"Look at you, Mikhail, you are joking again!" After hearing Mikhail's words, Belinsky laughed out loud on the spot, and Nekrasov also smiled and shook his head.

Although they didn't seem to believe it would be so smooth, the two poor men couldn't help but start their fantasy...

Belinsky fantasized:
"I shall be a rich man! . . . Ah, then I shall have plenty to eat and wear for a year, and shall not suffer ill-treatment. I shall make my terms:—No? No!—Oh, my God, shall there ever be such a happy moment in my life, that I may be able to throw off the yoke of a farmhand?!"

Nekrasov also fantasized:
"Oh my God! If that were the case, wouldn't I be able to stand up straight in front of her? Why would I need to hide from her? I'd have my own career! I could stand in the center of the crowd as calmly as Mikhail! Not only that! Then Mikhail would have to come to me to collect his royalties!"

Looking at these two men in fantasy, Mikhail couldn't help but fantasize:
"Oh my God, I can finally pay off the debt owed to my landlord Pavlovna, right? Then she can no longer use this debt as an excuse to ask me to meet her daughter! I can also send a large sum of money to my mother and sister, and my sister will probably have a dowry! In today's Russia, how can you marry decently without a good dowry?
With this money, I can survive even if I have to go abroad!"

The three men who suddenly began to fantasize walked forward while fantasizing...

(End of this chapter)