I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 84: Considerations for Young People in Choosing a Career
When Mikhail came to the salon at the invitation of the general's daughter, he was actually prepared to give something.

Of course, it's not a ditch, but something more normal.
But to his surprise, the young girl Nadya didn't talk much about this matter with Mikhail at all. She just kept chirping like a little bird. What she talked about was nothing special, but Mikhail found it quite interesting.

So as they chatted, Mikhail gradually let down his guard and had a pretty good time.

But after talking for a while, probably because he had been spending so much time with Turgenev recently and was influenced by his magnetic field, Mikhail couldn't help but brag: "I've been reading Hegel's philosophy recently. Although some parts are a bit difficult to understand, I feel that I have almost grasped it."

"Oh? That's great?"

Nadia's eyes lit up. "I've read a lot about this, but there are some things I don't quite understand. Can I ask you for some advice?"

Mikhail: “.”

It's rare to brag, why do I encounter this situation?
Turgenev misled me!

Although it was a little embarrassing, Mikhail knew that he only had a basic understanding at the moment, so he could only quickly change the subject.

The girl didn't care and continued talking along with what Mikhail said.

As a result, Mikhail secretly made up his mind to study hard for a while.

Playing cards? What is playing cards?!

No more fighting! I must study hard!

In addition, it should be mentioned that in today's Russia, many young ladies from wealthy families often speak fluent French, can understand German, and have some knowledge of history, geography, art, music, etc.

But then again, the Russian sense of knowing a little about music is not just knowing a little about music. The tenth level of piano in later generations can only prove one thing: you have touched the piano keys a little bit.
Talking to such a girl was eye-opening for Mikhail, but also a bit stressful. Fortunately, he remembered a lot of things and could brag about a little bit about everything. In addition, people should be good at playing to their strengths and avoiding their weaknesses. So after the conversation, Mikhail not only made the girl very happy, but also made other people present have a very good impression of him.

But when the salon was over, Mikhail looked at Turgenev who was boasting a lot and Dostoevsky who was unconsciously a little excited, and suddenly he remembered that he seemed to have forgotten to mention the censor to Nadya.

Mikhail was upset for a long time and was thinking about finding a suitable opportunity to bring up the matter again. Unexpectedly, at the party on the third day, as soon as he entered the door, Nekrasov and Panaev walked towards him excitedly, and then said with a mixture of surprise and shame:
"Dear Mikhail, good news! The editorship has been secured. Although we still have to hire a censor as a nominal editor, it will only cost 2,500 rubles a year, which is much better than we originally expected.

But I'm sorry for making you suffer, alas!"

Mikhail: “?”

To be honest, I don't seem to have suffered much.
Although Mikhail tried to explain to Nekrasov and the others, he saw that the more he explained, the more ashamed they became. In the end, Mikhail simply gave up and talked to them about the future direction of the magazine.

There are now rumors all over the place about their plan to publish a magazine, and with the deliberate spread of rumors by some people with bad intentions, the situation seems to have become even worse.

While Panaev tasted the bitter fruit, he was also reprimanded by his distinguished uncle Fu.I. Panaev, who was currently the director of the Office of the Ministry of Palace Affairs and was originally a writer who sang praises to the shepherds and shepherdesses of Arcadia.

He believed that his nephew's association with common intellectuals and businessmen was a disgrace to his glorious and ancient family.

At the same time, this V.I. Banaev did not recognize modern literature. In his opinion, Gogol must be banned from writing because he believed that the smell of Chichikov's servant could be smelled in all of Gogol's works.

He was even more shocked that The Inspector General was allowed to be performed. After all, he believed that this was an unbearable satire on the entire Russian administration. The administration was obviously maintaining social order and working for the welfare of the motherland, but a small official of the fourteenth rank suddenly had the audacity to mock not only lower-level officials but also higher-ranking officials.

In short, this gentleman who holds an important position believes that he is a very important figure in officialdom, so he pays great attention to making the public maintain the proper respect for people like him.

Of course, his dislike for the new literary trend spearheaded by Gogol was actually related to Belinsky. It was essentially because Belinsky had ridiculed those writers who had previously sung the praises of shepherd boys and shepherdesses and treated the cheesy as amusing. This gentleman felt his own pride as a writer was deeply insulted. After all, how dare a dropout intellectual dare to mock his literary achievements?!

Whenever he talked about Belinsky, he would spit in anger: "Such a writer should be muzzled and chained up, but they still let him publish his articles. What a mess literature has become! There are plebeian intellectuals and petty bourgeoisie in the literary world!

In the past, writers all came from privileged classes, so that kind of literature was trustworthy, and the authors chose themes that met moral standards. But now, all they describe is vile and despicable deeds. This is indulgence, terrible indulgence, and today's vulgar writers must be punished! A figure like Zhukovsky also allowed a country bumpkin to ride in his carriage because - you know? - the guy could scribble a few lines of rustic and crooked poetry.

This is simply shameful!"

Of course, Fu I. Banaev is not the only one who has expressed the opinion that literature is too lax.

When Panaev talked about this, he also deliberately omitted his uncle's opinion of Mikhail's work:

"His poetry is quite good, and readable enough. But I don't even want to say anything about his novels. Just like you said, they're just another Gogol! Maybe even worse! Let him give up his novels and write poetry instead, otherwise sooner or later he'll be arrested for his works on any pretext!"

After all, Mikhail probably won't give up writing novels like this, so let's not make things difficult for him.
After discussing the difficulties encountered in running the magazine, Mikhail gave a few words to boost everyone's confidence. Belinsky, who had been listening nearby, asked with concern, "Mikhail, how is your novel preparation going? Going from short stories to a novel is a huge leap. Even for you, I'm not sure you can complete it well."

"That's about it, basically."

As he nodded, he looked at Lao Tuo who was talking to someone beside him, and a question that gave Mikhail a headache once again emerged in his mind.

As for Dostoevsky, if he had developed normally, he would have joined the Petrashevsky group in the next two years, believed in utopian SH, and participated in many activities, which led to his subsequent suffering.

This suffering destroyed him, but perhaps also made him successful. So for him, did he want to be a carefree gambler or a great writer?
Of course, Lao Tuo may want both.
But if experience is truly crucial to a writer's life, then if Mikhail then stops Dostoevsky from participating in the activities of the Petrashevsky group, is he helping him or harming him?

Even if Mikhail stopped him, would the young Dostoevsky really not be attracted by such noble ideas?
After all, Dostoevsky is certainly a normal young man today, and he has his own views on things.

Others may have an influence on him, but is it so easy to change things at the ideological level?
It is true that the young Dostoevsky's views on many things underwent profound changes after his trip to Siberia, but before that, based on the letters and other documents, his belief in those noble ideals during this period was not much impure.

So should Mikhail intervene next? And would it be any use if he did?

At the same time, Mikhail was also facing a similar problem. At this point, I could really say to Mikhail: "Ami, stop it! There are only the Tsar's military police outside!"

If Mikhail continues to run the magazine normally, writes some articles within the scope of ensuring his own safety, or even writes less, and supports new literary talents, then he will probably not have a bad life even in today's Russia.

But is this possible? Is this possible?

And if you have enough influence, or even if you earn a little more in royalties, can you do more? What can you do?

In the final analysis, this is not a stable era. Everything is undergoing drastic changes. Countless people are forging their own way forward in confusion. Even though the road ahead is long and uncertain, they are ultimately forging ahead for those seemingly illusory ideals.

So what should Mikhail, who seems to know an answer that may be correct in the short term, do?
I'm going to work early!

Why should a college student consider these issues?
Sometimes, when Mikhail thought about these issues for a little longer, he felt a little breathless, but when he felt the martyrdom-like spirit from Belinsky and others, Mikhail came back to life a little.

But until now, Mikhail still dare not say that he has a definite answer.

But now that things have come to this, let’s do the things at hand first!
After a long moment of silent contemplation, Mikhail, seeing everyone around him looking at him with concern, pulled himself together again. With a smile that many present had seen and trusted, he said, "Winter has already arrived. How far can spring be?"

(End of this chapter)