Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

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"Benjamin Boudon was born looking like an 80-year-old man, but as time went by, he grew younger and younger..."

"Throughout his life, he lived through a republic, an emperor, another republic, a restoration, yet another emperor... and finally died in another revolution..."

"He began his life as an infant, abandoned by his father, and ended it in the arms of his lover as an infant..."

"He is like a reflection in the river of time, experiencing this turbulent century with an ever-younger body..."

……

As Lionel recounts his story, the 19th-century French version of the film "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" is sketched out in the smoky atmosphere of the Charpentier bookstore.

Whether it was Paul Pigut, the editor-in-chief of Le Parisien, or the Charpentier couple sitting beside them, or Maupassant, Huysmann, and others, they all forgot the passage of time.

The brief narration felt like an eternity to them, despite lasting only a few minutes.

Novels that use a person's life journey to reflect the changes of the times were not uncommon in the 19th century; there was even a specific term for them: "river novels."

But Lionel's story has such a wonderfully unique angle—

Benjamin Boudon, a man who "grew up backwards," is himself full of allegorical meaning—memory, death, time, love, history...

Everything that is taken for granted is given special meaning in the life journey of "growing up backwards".

Since Lionel was able to sketch out the outline of this story so captivatingly, he must have already envisioned its skeleton, flesh and blood, and even every inch of its sinews, with complete confidence in his mind.

It's hard to imagine how captivating this story would be for French readers!
This ingenious and romantic approach, combined with France's turbulent history spanning centuries, is like a spiritual bomb dropped on them!
Lionel's writing has been proven excellent through three short stories, so there's no need to worry about it not being able to support this amazing concept.

Georges Charpentier was the first to realize that he had to get the novel, Lionel Sorel's first full-length novel, for his own "Modern Life"!
While Paul Pigut was still engrossed in the story, he immediately went to Lionel's side: "Since Paul thinks that a 'child's perspective' is not suitable for serialization in Le Petit Parisien, then I'll take this novel in my Modern Life."

"Leon, when are you planning to start writing? Or have you already written part of it?"

Paul Pigut jumped up from the sofa in a panic: "Hey, George, when did I say I didn't want Le Parisien anymore? Style, where's your style?"

Georges Charpentier, abandoning his usual mild-mannered demeanor, confronted Paul Pigut head-on: "I was just repeating your words... Besides, I did not stop Leon from writing a column for Le Petit Parisien."

All I want is his novel!

Paul Pigut sneered: "Hey, look at you, so generous as if you're giving me charity. Well then, I should thank you, Mr. Charpentier!"

George Charpentier remained unfazed by the sarcasm: "You're welcome, Mr. Pigut!"

Paul Pigut was so angry at those words that his eyes turned red; he wanted nothing more than to grab Georges Charpentier by the collar and throw him out the window.

Maupassant, Huysmann, and others didn't even dare to speak up to mediate. They could only watch as their unattainable "patron" argued undignifiedly over a novel that the youngest Lionel had yet to even begin writing.

Caught between the two men, Lionel managed to speak with difficulty: "Gentlemen, may I speak?"

When it was Lionel who spoke, Paul Pigut and George Charpentier stopped arguing and looked at Lionel.

Lionel smiled at the two men: "Both Le Parisien and Modern Life want this copy of Benjamin Buton's Curious Cases, is that right?"

Paul Pigut exclaimed excitedly, "You just promised me!"

Georges Charpentier scoffed dismissively: "Doesn't Le Petit Parisien dislike 'children's perspectives'? It belongs to Modern Life!"

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Lionel quickly said, "Actually, there is a solution..."

The two men turned to face Lionel, their eyes fixed on him. Lionel, his mind racing, slowly began to speak: "Le Petit Parisien is a daily newspaper, while La Moderne is a weekly."

The readers of Le Petit Parisien were mainly ordinary citizens, while the readers of La Moderne were mainly gentlemen and ladies.

Le Parisien sells for 1 sou per copy, while La Moderne sells for 10 sou per copy...

Am I right about all of this, Mr. Pigut, Mr. Charpentier?

The two nodded in confusion, wondering what Lionel was up to.

Lionel chuckled, revealing his true intentions: "In terms of publication cycle, readership, and price, the two newspapers are not actually in direct competition."

Why couldn't Benjamin's "The Curious Case of Bouton" be serialized in two newspapers simultaneously?

"Simultaneous serialization?" Everyone at Charpentier Bookstore was stunned by this proposal.

It is not uncommon for novels to be serialized in different newspapers at the same time, but that usually happens in newspapers in different countries—for example, Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities was serialized simultaneously in England, France, and Russia.

Due to the influence of distribution area and language, the three newspapers were not in competition with each other.

But according to Lionel's analysis, Le Parisien and Modern Life do not seem to be in much competition.
Lionel continued, "Le Petit Parisien is a daily serial, while Modern Life combines the week's serial into one issue, wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"

Paul Pigut and George Charpentier fell into deep thought.

Admittedly, Lionel's proposal was very feasible, but George Charpentier quickly discovered a key problem: "What about the order? Who first, who last?"

Paul Pigut also realized that although the overlap in readers between the two newspapers was small, it still had some impact.

Lionel shrugged: "You two can discuss this yourselves. For newspapers that are published later, I can consider lowering the payment slightly..."

Paul Pigut and George Charpentier glared at each other and began calculating their gains and losses.

Lionel coughed again: "Actually, there's one more thing. If it's a serialized story, how many times a week will it be updated?"

Before Lionel could finish speaking, Paul Pigut interrupted, "Of course, one chapter a day! That's how Mr. Dumas did it! Our readers are used to seeing the latest chapter in the newspaper every day!"

Lionel's expression changed, and he refused without hesitation: "One update a day? That's torture for a writer! It's outrageous!"
If things continue like this, there will eventually be a time when I need to update twice a day! Even four updates a day won't satisfy readers; they're practically ready to kill the author!
That's inhumane! Readers need to be educated too—alright, three updates a week for *The Curious Case of Benjamin Bouton*, no more than that!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

That evening, when Alice and Petty saw Lionel again, they found that he had not only returned, but was also carrying a heavy bag.

Once inside, he dumped his bag onto the table, and it turned out to be full of thick, hardcover books.

The Old Regime and the Revolution, Lectures on the History of French Civilization, A Decade of History, Travelogue of France...

Petty touched the exquisite covers and gold-embossed titles of the books, and asked curiously, "Young Master, did you buy all of these? They must be very expensive. What are they for...?"

Lionel patted one of the books: "They're all borrowed from the library—Pettit, don't underestimate these books, every page of which can bring our family back francs..."

He also instructed Alice: "Put aside all your other copying work for now! Focus on serving me!"

Alice blushed, and after a moment's thought, she stammered, "Okay, Leon."

(End of this chapter)