Writer 1978: I Need to Give the Literary World a Lesson

Chapter 162 Boldly Proposes Literature Reform
In the vast auditorium, after Zhang Guangnian's voice faded, enthusiastic applause erupted from both the stage and the audience. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, filled with fervent admiration and joy, Liu Yimin stepped forward to accept the award from Zhang Guangnian.

The certificate was extremely simple, with Liu Yimin's name and the name of the winning work written on it in calligraphy.

It has a red border and a dark yellow background, similar to the award certificates issued to students in the 90s.

In addition, there is a prize: the first prize is 100 yuan, the second prize is 80 yuan, and the third prize is 60 yuan.

Liu Yimin won three first prizes, totaling three hundred yuan in prize money. Three hundred yuan wasn't a pittance for Liu Yimin; it was enough for a short novel of over forty thousand words.

Of course, for the other winners, the maximum they can receive is only one hundred yuan. Traveling all the way to Yanjing to receive a prize of one hundred or sixty yuan is more symbolic.

Like Lu Yao, after receiving the bonus, he would treat everyone to a meal, and a trip to Yanjing would even cost him money.

This award brings more spiritual satisfaction to the author than material reward. However, leveraging the fame gained from the award to publish a standalone book and boost sales could still bring additional revenue.

The Prix Goncourt in France initially awarded several thousand francs, but after the unification of European currencies, the prize money was reduced to only 10 euros, not even enough to buy a few cups of coffee for a friend.

However, with fame comes instant book sales, allowing one to rake in a fortune through royalties.

"Comrade Liu Yimin's 'The Flames of War in Beiping' uses old Beiping before and after the War of Resistance against Japan as its stage, and weaves a picture of life in a chaotic world from the perspective and experience of ordinary people. Through the smoke of war, we can feel the hardship and difficulty of the era, and understand the resilience and magnanimity of the Chinese people over thousands of years. It uses courage and dignity to resist suffering and humiliation, and Ah Q-style humor to tell everyone the meaning of life."

The shift in time and space from Beiping to Yenching tightly intertwined the fate of individuals with that of the nation and the era.

His poem "Romance on Lushan Mountain" passionately celebrates the arrival of a new era and calls on overseas Chinese to work together to build their motherland. It connects personal love with love for the country, encouraging countless young people to build their beloved motherland while pursuing love.

His poem "Ideal" encouraged countless young people to boldly pursue their dreams and inspired people to strive for a happy life for both the nation and themselves. It embodied courage, the courage to face setbacks, and the passion to sing praises to the future. For confused young people, it played a song of progress.

As Chen Huangmei, vice chairman of the Writers Association, loudly read the award citation written by the judging committee for Liu Yimin, Zhang Guangnian and several other leaders of the Writers Association handed Liu Yimin the certificate and prize money. Zhang Guangnian smiled and encouraged him, "Keep up the good work!"

After saying "thank you," Liu Yimin turned and walked offstage. The person next to him curiously took a look, then enviously returned it to Liu Yimin.

Next, the awards were presented one by one. Lu Yao, holding his second prize, sat in his seat, head down, laughing incessantly. Cui Daoyi glanced at him and said, "Are you that happy? Even Yi Min, who won three first prizes, isn't this happy!"

Cui Daoyi was genuinely happy about Lu Yao winning the award, as Lu Yao was one of the authors he was responsible for and one of his editorial achievements.

Lu Yao gently stroked the certificate from front to back, then carefully rolled it up and said to Cui Daoyi:
“Editor Cui, this is different. This is my first time winning an award. Yimin is used to all kinds of storms. Me? I came from the Loess Plateau. I'm different, very different.”

Lu Yao held the certificate carefully, then whispered to the two of them that they should go out for dinner later, as he wanted to treat them. After arguing for a while, Cui Daoyi finally agreed to Lu Yao's offer to treat them.

"Now, please welcome Comrade Liu Yimin to the stage to speak!" As Zhang Guangnian's voice fell, Liu Yimin stood up to go on stage. Cui Daoyi, Zou Huofan, Lu Yao and others all gave him encouraging looks.

"Respected leaders, editors, and authors of the Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the Writers Association, thank you all for your encouragement and support. The establishment of the Lu Xun Literary Prize is a good thing for our literary community and for our authors."

Today is a wonderful day, but I would also like to thank a comrade who cannot be here, and who will never be here.

A few whispers arose from the audience, almost inaudible, but when they came together and echoed from the left and right sides of the conference room, they sounded very loud from the stage.

Some people didn't understand, while others understood perfectly, and upon hearing this, their faces showed sadness.

"Comrade Li has left us. We had promised to present me with the award in person. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. Comrade Li devoted himself to the future of the literary world. Although his departure was not what we wanted, our grief has turned into motivation. We will continue to carry forward the literary world."

Applause erupted again from both the stage and the audience. Chen Huangmei, standing nearby, whispered to Zhang Guangnian, "It seems Comrade Liu Yimin still cherishes old friendships."

Zhang Guangnian didn't speak, but just nodded and continued to look at Liu Yimin, listening to what he had to say next.

Before informing Liu Yimin to speak, Zhang Guangnian instructed Liu Yimin not to just express gratitude, but to talk more about the future direction of the literary world.

"Currently, most domestic literary creation focuses on 'scar literature' or reflective literature that has emerged from scar literature. You can see this phenomenon by looking at the award-winning works today."

Last year's National Congress of Literary and Art Circles proposed the idea of ​​"letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend." Since then, a preliminary situation of literary prosperity has been formed, but overall, the subject matter of literature still lacks diversity.

"The Appointment of Factory Director Qiao" showed me the future direction of literature. The country is currently undergoing sweeping reforms and opening up, and every field and industry is experiencing tremendous changes. I have always believed that realism is the lifeblood of a work of art, and our focus must shift from history to the present, to the battlefield of reform and opening up.

Taking the diversity of literature as a starting point and using "The Appointment of Factory Director Qiao" as an example, Liu Yimin, with the keen insight of a writer, announced to the literary world that a new literary trend was on the horizon.

We urge everyone to embrace contemporary society with enthusiasm and actively engage in the creation of realistic literature.

"From 'scar literature' to 'reflective literature,' what will be the next direction for literary creation? I believe it will be 'reform literature,' and I'll tentatively call 'The Appointment of Factory Director Qiao' reform literature. Why reform literature next? Because it's an inevitable trend in the development of the times."

Literature cannot exist without the soil of realism, and in the tide of reform and opening up, more and more excellent works will surely emerge.

“Every reform of the economic and political system is inevitably accompanied by contradictions, setbacks, confusion, and even bewilderment. Our literature plays various roles in people's lives, such as witnessing history and guiding thought.”

In the tide of reform, we must also possess the sensitivity of ducks sensing the changing tides, actively playing a leading role and encouraging everyone to forge ahead bravely and explore new avenues.

Jiang Zilong sat in the audience, listening intently to Liu Yimin's long-winded account of "The Appointment of Factory Director Qiao." His heart trembled with excitement, and his hands quivered; he longed to rush onto the stage and applaud, considering him a close friend. Among those in the audience, some were deep in thought, while others frowned in displeasure.

"Especially when people are feeling lost, they yearn to find comfort and strength in art and literature. If our art and literature cannot keep up with the times, how can readers find spiritual strength?"

Therefore, comrades, while we criticize the past, let us not forget the present. The whole country is a vibrant battlefield, and also a place where we can fully utilize our talents. Everyone should bravely devote themselves to writing in this new era, truly realizing the purpose of literature and art: writing for the people and writing for socialism.

Next, Liu Yimin mentioned several other styles of novels, such as "spy war," to encourage diverse literary creation.

As Liu Yimin finished speaking and was about to leave amidst applause, someone stood up and raised their hand to stop him: "Comrade Liu Yimin, why are you so certain that the direction of your next creative work will be as you predicted?"

"Because the soil of reality is the lifeblood of literature. Bai Juyi said that writing should be done in accordance with the times, and poetry should be composed in accordance with events. This is exactly the point. If literary creation cannot keep up with the readers and lags behind them, then the readers will abandon literature!"

The statement that readers will abandon literature is a strong one, and it makes many people look uneasy. Doesn't it imply that their writing is outdated and will eventually be abandoned by readers?

Lu Yao led the applause, which started in small groups and then gradually became more enthusiastic.

Zhang Guangnian picked up the microphone and summarized: "I think what Comrade Liu Yimin said makes a lot of sense. Our literary creation should keep up with the times, keep up with the readers' pace, and even be ahead of the readers' pace. Of course, in literary debates, you have your reasons and I have mine. Everyone has a point, and that's what we call a hundred schools of thought contending."

Only with a hundred schools of thought contending can a hundred flowers bloom!

The Xichun faction advocated "looking back," while the Biezuo faction advocated "looking forward." Liu Yimin stood up and formed his own faction, saying, "Everyone should look to the present!"

With such outstanding work preceding them, the subsequent remarks from other authors did not cause much of a stir; they were mostly expressions of gratitude.

When Jiang Zilong went on stage to speak, he clearly felt that everyone was paying more attention to him. Feeling everyone's gaze, Jiang Zilong casually wiped away his sweat with a feigned gesture and began his acceptance speech.

“I am a worker in the factory and I know everything about what happens there. When I wrote it, the Tianjin Daily devoted 14 pages to criticizing me, and the leaders of Tianjin wrote to me twice to reprimand me.”

"I am grateful for the support of the Writers' Association leadership; otherwise, I wouldn't be where I am today. Comrade Liu Yimin's speech just now deeply moved me. Reform is a fierce battleground, and our literary and artistic works cannot be absent!"

After Jiang Zilong finished speaking, he looked at Liu Yimin with a hint of gratitude in his eyes.

After the ceremony, Lu Yao took Liu Yimin and Cui Daoyi to dinner. Jiang Zilong came over, shook hands with Liu Yimin to express his gratitude, and Lu Yao then took Jiang Zilong to dinner as well.

Stepping out of the Great Hall of the People, everyone had different feelings. An awards ceremony had turned into a seminar on the future development of literature. Regardless of whether they agreed with Liu Yimin or not, everyone was pondering the words "reform of literature."
During the meal, Lu Yao kept bringing up the so-called "reform literature," and he keenly realized that this was also an opportunity for him to create.

He doesn't write purely traumatic literature. After the publication of "A Heart-Stopping Scene," he found himself in a situation where he had no subject matter to write about. He racked his brains but couldn't grasp any direction. Every time, he felt something float past his eyes, but when he tried to grab it, there was nothing there.

Liu Yimin's suggestion about "reform literature" gave him a sense of sudden enlightenment. Although his hometown is located on the Loess Plateau, the spring breeze of reform and opening up has already reached the Loess Plateau, and he can feel all sorts of changes taking place there.

Although the change was subtle and difficult, he had already experienced it.

"This reform is top-down, and rural areas are no exception. I think that besides factories, rural areas can also be the main battleground for arts and culture," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

Jiang Zilong chimed in, offering Lu Yao his sincere advice.

"Reforming literature involves political and economic systems. It's difficult for someone who isn't an expert in the field to write a profound work without careful observation. If you asked me to write about the Loess Plateau, I definitely couldn't do it. And if you asked me to write about factories, you wouldn't be as good as me."

Liu Yimin nodded and said, "So literary writing isn't just about imagining things out of thin air; you have to get your feet dirty and wet before you can do it!"

Lu Yao's "Life" and "Ordinary World" are both works of reform literature, depicting how individual destinies were significantly altered by reform against the backdrop of the great tide of the times.

Cui Daoyi also shared his thoughts, and everyone chimed in, broadening Lu Yao's perspective. Seeing this, Cui Daoyi grabbed Lu Yao's hand and asked him to contribute an article.

Lu Yao gave a wry smile: "I've been thinking about it, but I don't have any ideas yet. It's too early to ask for a manuscript!"

Upon hearing this, Cui Daoyi refused to give up and insisted that Lu Yao write it down so that he could taste it first.

There's a certain kind of attitude to it: even if you write a pile of shit, you still have to let me, Cui Daoyi, taste it first!
Lu Yao was both amused and exasperated, saying that she would definitely show it to him first.

Cui Daoyi was hesitant to solicit articles from Jiang Zilong, as Jiang Zilong was not his editor at People's Literature and Art. If he were to solicit articles, it would give the impression of poaching someone's talent, and might even cause a rift between the brothers.

Cui Daoyi's reputation is now truly tarnished.

After finishing his meal, Lu Yao rushed to pay the bill, which came to seven yuan. Lu Yao wasn't planning to go home; he intended to stay in Yanjing for a few days to carefully consider his writing direction.

“Staying at the guesthouse is a big expense for you. Why don’t you stay at my place? There are plenty of rooms!” Liu Yimin offered.

"Where do you live? In the school dormitory? No, no, the dormitory is too noisy, and I smoke, which will disturb you!"

After Lu Yao finished speaking, he shook his head repeatedly and prepared to stay at the guesthouse!
(End of this chapter)