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

Chapter 562 Third World Literature, Unite!

The hotel is located in an affluent area of ​​Caracas, where the Caribbean sea breeze rustles through the Spanish-style architecture. Looking northeast from the hotel, one can see the Caribbean Sea, and behind it, rolling hills are densely covered with Spanish or French-style buildings.

Compared to the slums seen along the way, Caracas is like a city built on money, with bustling traffic below and a uniquely luxurious feel of money.

However, looking further into the distance, one can see the old town of Caracas, but all they can see are low-rise buildings and rusty factories; nothing else.

"The colonial atmosphere here is so strong, it feels like I'm in Spain. The footprints left by the colonizers are hard to erase, and the gap between the rich and the poor is like heaven and hell, it's unimaginable!" Cao Yu pushed open the window, unable to believe that this was the Venezuela he had seen when he got off the plane.

Qian Zhongshu chuckled: "I'm not surprised that Franco's footprints from Spain can be found here."

"When you enter a country, you can understand a lot by looking at its architecture. Architecture is part of history. When we go to Shanghai, the Western-style buildings along the Huangpu River have been a testament to the history of the area that was once a concession."

After finishing his sentence, Ma Shitu pointed to the modern buildings not far ahead: "This country is also making efforts to modernize. It is said that Venezuela has more oil reserves than Saudi Arabia, but it has developed into such a poor and destitute place. I don't understand it!"

"He produces heavy oil, which has high extraction costs and technical requirements. Saudi Arabia's costs are low, but with the current drop in international oil prices, those with high costs can't sustain themselves. When they have money, they drastically increase welfare, but when they run out of money, it becomes a burden on the country. In addition, their industry is too singular; they are frantically developing oil, ignoring the survival of other industries."

The root cause lies in the flawed and short-sighted nature of the country's top-level design.

Liu Yimin pointed to the rusty industrial buildings in the distance, which looked like a chemical plant, but were now completely abandoned.

Most people don't understand economics very well, and Liu Yimin's few words only gave them a general understanding. In everyone's mind, having oil meant having money.

"Comrades, go and rest, adjust your jet lag. There's a welcome dinner tonight." Cao Yu turned to the delegation members and told them to go back to their rooms to rest.

Liu Yimin went back to his room and lay down on the bed without taking a shower. He planned to take a shower after waking up, which would help him refresh himself.

The group rested for about four hours, after which Liu Yimin got up and took a cold shower. Water is scarce in the Venezuelan capital, but fortunately they were staying in a high-end hotel.

After showering and leaving the room, everyone saw that there was still some time before the beach banquet started, so they thought they would go for a stroll down the street.

"To understand a country, you have to stroll through its streets," Cao Yu said with considerable insight.

Before they could even leave the house, they were stopped and told that there was danger outside and they should not go far, especially not to the old town.

So they only walked around the area within a kilometer of the hotel, and they gained a clearer understanding of the living conditions of Venezuelans.

Prices are skyrocketing, and daily necessities are in dire shortage. Aside from worthless paper money, the country lacks everything.

In addition, Venezuela is a country known for its beautiful women. The mixed Spanish and indigenous ancestry has given these descendants European-style features and Latin flair.

Ah Cheng watched with great interest, while the rest were all older comrades and naturally couldn't watch like Ah Cheng.

Liu Yimin, however, was unimpressed by these ideas. Could anyone be more handsome than the King? Besides, he wasn't a fan of Western aesthetics.

"Go back!" Cao Yu said sternly.

In the wealthy area, it was common to see scantily clad Venezuelan women, which made Cao Yu and his companions unsure whether to look or not, so they simply went back to the hotel.

After a brief, quiet discussion in the hotel, a colleague from the Chinese Embassy in Venezuela came over to meet with them. That evening, everyone attended a seaside dinner together, which can be considered an interaction between the Chinese and Venezuelan official and non-governmental organizations.

The ambassador repeatedly warned them not to go out alone in Venezuela, as inflation had led to an extremely high crime rate.

"Ambassador Hu, the hotel staff just told us about this, and we will definitely be careful from now on." Cao Yu turned to Liu Yimin and the others, and reiterated the delegation's discipline: no one is allowed to leave without permission.

Ambassador Hu looked at Liu Yimin and praised him, saying, "Comrade Yimin, since your work was published in South America last year, it has won the hearts of many readers there. South America is the birthplace of magical realism, so they especially love the novel 'Beloved'. In addition, Latin Americans have the hedonistic and carefree spirit of the Spanish, so heartwarming works like 'Hachi: A Dog' and 'The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry' also have a good market."

"Ambassador Hu, thank you for your attention to my work."

"Haha, as an embassy, ​​in addition to diplomacy, we also need to pay attention to changes in various aspects of the host country, especially the exchanges between the two countries."

As the sun was about to set and the sky over Caracas was gradually enveloped in the gray twilight, the convoy that had come to pick them up finally arrived at the hotel.

The dinner was held on the Caracas waterfront, next to a brightly lit villa with all sorts of cars parked outside.

Police were maintaining order at the entrance, along with some local security personnel. As they got out of the car, many readers holding signs excitedly shouted, and Liu Yimin and the others smiled and waved in response.

Qian Zhongshu communicated with the readers in Spanish, and after a while looked at Liu Yimin: "Oh, they are all your readers!"

"Hahaha." Cao Yu laughed and patted Qian Zhongshu on the shoulder: "What? Jealous of the younger generation?"

Qian Zhongshu smiled indifferently and looked at Márquez, who was leading a group of writers over.

Marquez and his entourage changed into neat suits and red ties, their expressions filled with indescribable joy: "Mr. Wan, Mr. Qian, Mr. Liu, gentlemen, welcome to the welcome party. We hope you have a wonderful first night in Caracas."

"Mr. Márquez, fellow South American colleagues, thank you for your enthusiasm. I believe that literary exchanges between Central and South America will reach a new level starting today." Cao Yu smiled and hugged Márquez in gratitude.

Stepping into the venue, one finds it filled with cultural figures from South America, not just from Venezuela, but also from several nearby countries.

Before the dinner began, Márquez accompanied Liu Yimin and his group, introducing them to the unique culinary culture of South America. Venezuelan officials responsible for cultural exchange accompanied them throughout. On the beach, music and flashing lights blended together, while in the distance, waves rolled and the sound of seawater crashing against the rocks could be heard intermittently.

Ah Cheng gazed at the dark sea and murmured, "Foreigners really know how to have fun! The sound of the sea, music, neon lights—modern technology blends seamlessly with nature. The extravagant lifestyle of capitalism!"

"What? Have you been corrupted by the capitalist way of life?" Liu Yimin chuckled softly.

"No, I was just reflecting. After all, if I went abroad, I might be one of the ones being exploited," Ah Cheng said soberly.

Wang Zengqi frankly stated, "Since the restoration of the national royalty system, I have visited countries such as the United States. I feel that it is not a bad thing for writers to live a good life by earning royalties. To be honest, my motivation for writing now is money; I want to leave more money for my granddaughter."

Acheng felt that Wang Zengqi's statement was somewhat incorrect; people still need to have some literary ideals. However, due to Wang Zengqi's status, he simply kept this thought to himself.

Marquez walked over to Liu Yimin and asked curiously, "Liu, how are you? I've heard that writers get endless creative inspiration when they see the sea. I wonder what comes to mind when you look at the Caribbean Sea?"

"In Chinese mythology, there is a sea goddess named Conch Maiden. The gentle and beautiful Conch Maiden fell in love with a fisherman. I wonder if there is a beautiful Conch Maiden in the Caribbean Sea of ​​South America," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

Márquez, curious, inquired about the story's ending: "Different countries have their own different cultures. China, as a country with a long history and an unbroken culture, is rare in the entire history of world civilization. Latin America also has its own culture, but unfortunately, Latin American culture has been branded with the marks of colonialism."

I truly hope that one day, Latin American culture can maintain its independence, just like Chinese culture.

One Hundred Years of Solitude was almost taken by a French film director to make a movie. The price of the script increased from $300,000 to $3 million, but Márquez ultimately refused to sell it in order to maintain the independence of Latin American culture.

The most important reason is that Márquez wanted Japanese director Akira Kurosawa to direct this film, but unfortunately Kurosawa passed away too early.

When Gabriel García Márquez visited China in 1990, it was because Akira Kurosawa had invited him to Japan, and the Chinese government then took the opportunity to invite him to China. However, this unexpected turn of events backfired.

"Latin America needs a long and arduous effort to emerge from the quagmire of colonialism. It requires not only changes in its internal environment but also changes in the global environment," Liu Yimin said.

Marquez didn't understand why China was able to emerge so quickly, so Liu Yimin explained it to him:
"First, China was not completely colonized. Second, traditional Chinese culture is resilient and inclusive. China's history is not isolated like that of South America, but a history of constant collisions. We did not win every collision, but every invader was assimilated by Chinese culture."

Third, we carried out a thorough revolution, and it took decades to clean up the remaining poison.

Marquez gazed at the misty sea, lost in thought.

After a while, Márquez looked at Liu Yimin and said, "It seems that Latin America can only pin its hopes on changes in the world environment, hoping that the forces of justice can take the high ground and bury the aggressive and greedy capitalism."

The banquet then officially began. Venezuelan cultural officials spoke on stage, welcoming the Chinese writers to Venezuela for their visit and exchanges. The Chinese ambassador followed, and both sides praised the active cultural exchange activities between China and Venezuela.

After the official statements, the writers from both sides took the stage to deliver welcome or thank-you speeches.

On behalf of Chinese writers, Cao Yuxian took the stage to express his gratitude for the warm welcome from their South American counterparts: "For decades, the literary flowers of South America have blossomed all over the world, and South America has produced world-renowned writers such as 'Gabriel García Márquez,' 'Jorge Luis Borges,' and 'Pablo Neruda.' They are known worldwide for their unique styles and for exposing the trauma of dictatorship and colonialism with their sharp pens."

We were all delighted to receive the invitation; Chinese writers are eager to exchange ideas with the world's finest writers. And with our shared experiences and respect for realism, I believe we can certainly move forward hand in hand on the world literary stage.”

Qian Zhongshu said to Liu Yimin in a low voice, "Your teacher is in great health; he speaks with much more strength than I do."

"You're in good health too. When the formal exchange begins tomorrow, I'm sure with your level of knowledge, you'll be able to debate with everyone." Liu Yimin chuckled.

Qian Zhongshu was in a particularly good mood that evening, and after Cao Yu finished speaking, he also stood up and gave a speech.

After another Latin American writer finished speaking, it was Liu Yimin's turn to address the audience. As the most anticipated representative of Chinese writers, Liu Yimin's entrance was accompanied by his own background music—applause and cheers resounded throughout the beach.

Major media outlets focused their cameras on Liu Yimin, and the flashes were incredibly blinding to him.

Dear colleagues in South America, friends in the art world, and friends in the media:

Thank you all for welcoming the Chinese writers' delegation, and thank you to my friend, the world-renowned writer Gabriel García Márquez, for his sincere invitation. Without his invitation, this exchange would not have been possible.

As the plane landed in Panama from the United States, and then in Venezuela, I truly felt the colonial suffering this land had endured, both past and present. This land of suffering gave rise to the unique Latin American literature.

This is a place where life withers, yet it is a land where literature flourishes. Through my conversations with my colleagues in South America, I sensed their anger toward dictatorship and colonization, their anger toward oppression and massacre, and their deep and compassionate love for this land.

The famous Chilean writer and poet Pablo Neruda once visited China. When he learned that his Chinese name was composed of three "ears", he happily said that he had three ears, and the third ear was specially used to listen to the sound of the sea.

I would say that Latin American writers, represented by Gabriel García Márquez, all have three ears. The third ear is used to listen to the suffering of this land and the groans of bones in the rainforest.

Countless souls of those who suffered oppression are haunting the South American continent, the entire Americas, and the whole world.
The suffering of Third World countries is an inexhaustible source of inspiration for our writing, and also a tragedy for us Third World writers.

We strive to break free from the narrative structure of the West, only to find ourselves increasingly trapped. Westerners describe Márquez's novels as magical realism, while Márquez himself considered his novels to be realism.

Only those who have also experienced suffering can understand that "One Hundred Years of Solitude" is precisely the reality that Latin America has experienced.

Therefore, Third World countries should unite! Third World literature should also unite!

(End of this chapter)