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

Chapter 567 Reshaping the World Literary System
Inside the café, everyone listened to the ebb and flow of the tide, each lost in their own thoughts. Before establishing an international organization, many aspects need to be considered.

For example, the target of membership recruitment, what kind of people can be recruited as members; most importantly, the source of funding for the organization, as the operation of an organization requires a large amount of funds.

The International PEN Club's operating funds mainly come from membership fees, donations from institutions and individuals, ticket sales for book events, and charitable income.

The list of donors includes a number of notorious American NGOs such as the National Endowment for Democracy, the Ford Foundation, and the Rockefeller Brothers.

In addition, the operation of literary awards also requires a large amount of funding.

The biggest challenge in establishing and operating literary organizations in Third World countries is funding.

After a moment, Marquez agreed, saying, "Liu, you're right. You only know if something will succeed once you try it."

"If it succeeds, it will be a good thing for the literary and cultural development of Third World countries," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

Márquez has already achieved the literary accomplishments that the literary world can offer; to gain even greater renown, literature alone is no longer sufficient. Liu Yimin believes that Márquez's hatred of colonialism and his vision for Latin American cultural independence will resonate with him.

Cao Yu said, "To establish this, we should first unite writers from the Third World and ask for their advice, especially left-wing writers from various countries. I think there will definitely be many who would be willing."

Cao Yu discussed the initial establishment of the organization, which involved uniting left-wing writers to form an international organization. He argued that the initial establishment and operation of the organization did not require significant expenditure. After all, the organization did not need to organize many international activities in its early stages; it only needed to establish a framework.

Once the organization is nearly established, it will hold regular meetings, similar to PEN International, to elect organizational leaders and executive committee members.

Qian Zhongshu interjected, "Members should primarily be selected from Third World countries, while also incorporating progressive left-wing writers from various countries. If we only select writers from Third World countries for membership development, the number of members we can recruit will be limited, and the membership fees we collect will naturally be limited as well."

The four men sat in the coffee shop, becoming more and more excited as they talked, as if they could already see the organization being established and playing a huge role in world literature.

It wasn't until 8 p.m. that the group realized it was time for dinner. While eating, Márquez recounted his experiences from his youth.

He was raised by his maternal grandparents, who had a profound influence on him. His maternal grandfather was a colonel and a radical, which foreshadowed Márquez's radicalism in his youth.

His maternal grandmother was a learned woman who told Márquez ghost stories from a young age, which laid the foundation for the realistic and magical descriptions in Márquez's novels.

He dropped out of school in his youth due to the Colombian Civil War, and was later wanted for exposing the truth about a shipwreck that the Colombian government had covered up. He began working for the Cuban news agency in 1955.

“I have met Che Guevara, and he is a very charismatic man. Cuba has a deep affection for Africa, which is why Che Guevara went to Africa to fight as a guerrilla. Cuba still has troops in Angola, but as far as I know, Cuba is no longer able to maintain its military spending in Angola.”

Angola is located in Africa, and Cuba has sent a large number of guerrillas to fight there, maintaining a military presence. However, this was only possible because Cuba had the financial resources to do so with the support of the Soviet Union; now that the Soviet Union is struggling financially, it can no longer provide assistance.

Of course, we were also involved in the power struggle in Angola. Because of the Sino-Soviet split, the three political forces in Angola at that time each had their own supporters.

The MPLA was backed by the Soviet Union and Cuba. The FNP was initially supported by China, but after the United States supported the FNP, China switched its support to UNITA.

Among the three forces, China and the United States cooperated with each other, while South Africa played a role similar to that of Cuba. However, Cuba mobilized tens of thousands of people and eventually drove the UNIFIL and UNITA into the mountains.

In the late 70s, China essentially ceased providing aid. In 83, China established diplomatic relations with the Angolan government, which was led by the Movement for the Promotion of International Trade (MPTP). By this time, China had shifted its focus to economic development and largely abandoned exporting communism.

After the US-Soviet rivalry ended, both sides withdrew from Angola, leaving the spoils to China. We gained substantial economic benefits in Angola. However, the biggest problem for doing business in African countries is political and security instability.

When Cuba was first established, it had excellent relations with China. We helped them train many pilots. However, due to the Sino-Soviet split, relations between China and Cuba also broke down. On the front lines against Vietnam, Liu Yimin often heard people refer to Vietnam as "the Cuba of Asia."

"Whether it's romantic heroism or supporting revolutions in the Third World, it all needs to be based on one's own actual situation. Without strong economic strength as a backing, most of the time not only will one fail to achieve one's goals, but one is also likely to be dragged down," Liu Yimin lamented.

Márquez expressed concern about the current situation in Cuba, given that Cuba is the only socialist country in Latin America and is in a much better situation than other Latin American countries.

Márquez believed that Cuba's development would certainly be better without US sanctions.

Gabriel García Márquez's life did not change until he wrote "One Hundred Years of Solitude" and received a large sum of money.

"I admire Lu Xun of China the most. His sharp writing and his ability to awaken the spirit of the nation are worthy of my study." Márquez regretted that he never got to meet Lu Xun.

They chatted until 10 p.m., then took a taxi back to the hotel.

"The exchanges between the two hotels will remain the same, and starting today I'll be moving to this hotel as well. Liu, I hope we can have more exchanges. We can refine your ideas gradually. As for time, although I'm getting old, I believe I still have plenty of time to complete this project," Marquez said earnestly, his beard swaying rhythmically, which was quite amusing.

Marquez's room is next to Liu Yimin's, which will make communication much easier in the future.

The following morning, Liu Yimin and his group went to the Central University of Venezuela to receive their honorary doctorate certificates.

Liu Yimin delivered a speech entitled "Chinese and Latin American Literature Moving Forward Hand in Hand" to the faculty, students and Latin American writers of the Central University of Venezuela. At the end of his speech, he focused on the current situation in Venezuela and South America.

"Some people have asked me how to solve the current situation in Venezuela. Venezuela is currently experiencing severe price increases, and stabilizing prices requires a large supply of inexpensive goods. Chinese and Latin American literature are exchanging ideas; I believe we should also exchange ideas economically. Venezuela lacks light industry, while China does. China has abundant small commodities, which can precisely meet Venezuela's needs because they are inexpensive, better satisfying Venezuela's demand and stabilizing prices."

South America is geographically isolated from other continents, and only by increasing economic exchanges with other continents and enriching its domestic industries can it have development opportunities.

Venezuela is rich in oil, but it cannot rely solely on oil for its national development. Venezuela is also an important country in South America, and if it strengthens economic cooperation with other countries, I believe it can more quickly emerge from its economic slump.

Here, I would like to once again thank the Central University of Venezuela for awarding me an honorary doctorate, and I hope that I can make due contributions to the exchanges between China and Venezuela.

After Liu Yimin finished speaking, he bowed slightly to the teachers and students below the stage and placed the honorary certificate symbolizing his doctoral degree in front of his chest.

The president of the Central University of Venezuela and professors from the Faculty of Arts went on stage to take a group photo with Liu Yimin.

Later, Márquez also gave a speech, the content of which was written impromptu the night before, entitled "Reshaping the Literary System in the Postcolonial Era".

"Half of Latin American literary history is colonial history. I admire the wisdom of my Chinese counterparts. They have a unique understanding of postcolonial literature and have brought us experience in erasing the imprint of the colonial era and protecting the independence of Latin American culture."

Students and professors, Professor Liu's proposal yesterday at the literary exchange forum to establish a literary evaluation system for the Third World deeply moved me. The international landscape is currently being reshaped, with developing countries establishing various international organizations. I believe that the literature of developing countries should also establish literary cooperation organizations to reshape the international literary system in the post-colonial era.

I earnestly appeal to my colleagues in Third World countries to stand together and prepare for the reshaping of a new literary system. I believe this will be of epoch-making significance for the development of Third World literature.

Marquez returned to his hotel late last night and went to sleep very late. After thinking for a long time, he felt that he should take immediate action.

Latin American writers and students and faculty from Central University were initially taken aback, then burst into excited applause.

When a student asked Márquez what specific ideas he had about establishing a Third World Literature Organization, Márquez smiled and said, "I will discuss it seriously with Professor Liu. Professor Liu is a very intelligent young man."

"Mr. Marquez, does this mean that Professor Liu will be an important participant in this organization?"

“Of course, Professor Liu is not only a participant, but also an initiator. Professor Liu cares about the fate of people around the world, and even more so about the development of world literature. He is a young man, and I believe that his role in the organization will be more important than mine in the future,” Markstan said sincerely.

Vargas Llosa gazed at Márquez and Liu Yimin, his heart filled with mixed emotions, unsure whether to be happy or sad. He feared that the establishment of the Third World Literature Organization would lead to the division of PEN International.

Chilean writer José smiled slightly at Liu Yimin, his face full of eagerness: "Mr. Márquez, how long are you prepared for this?"

“I plan to spend one to two years preparing for this, and the development of the ‘World Postcolonial Literature and Third World Literature Organization’ will become my main work goal in my later years.”

After Márquez finished speaking, José immediately looked at Liu Yimin: "Professor Liu, is this a spur-of-the-moment decision or a well-thought-out one? Have you considered the possibility of failure?"

"It was both a spur-of-the-moment decision and a well-thought-out plan. To do something, you need both a burst of enthusiasm and sustained perseverance. Without initial enthusiasm, you can't take immediate action; without sustained perseverance, that enthusiasm will eventually dissipate. Failure? Everything has the possibility of failure. But the thought of contributing to the literature of the Third World fills Mr. Márquez and me with excitement. Even if we fail, we must try."

There are always things that require someone to step forward, and Mr. Márquez and I are willing to pave the way for everyone. I believe countless writers would do the same. Failure is not terrible; what's terrible is not daring to try.

After Liu Yimin finished making his proposal, a student immediately asked Vargas Llosa how PEN International viewed the matter.

Vargas Llosa was momentarily at a loss for words, and could only offer some high-sounding remarks: "Mr. Márquez and Professor Liu are both members of the International PEN branch in their respective countries. The purpose of establishing the International PEN is to promote the development of international literature and international literary exchange."

We believe that the involvement of more organizations will maximize cultural exchange among writers from different regions and cultural backgrounds.

Even after leaving the Central University of Venezuela, the representatives from both sides were still discussing the matter.

Vargas Llosa asked Márquez and Liu Yimin if they had made up their minds. Márquez shrugged and said, "Vargas, you should understand whether the International PEN is now an international writers' association or a PEN supported by Western countries."

I know that PEN International needs funding to operate, but accepting funding with ideological undertones is not PEN International's original intention.

“Mr. Márquez, to be honest, as a Peruvian writer, I wholeheartedly support this. But I also believe that organizations established with a specific national background will not only fail to promote literary exchange, but will also create international literary barriers,” Vargas Llosa warned.

Marquez was a stubborn and arrogant man, and Vargas Llosa's words only fueled his fighting spirit.

“Vargas, if Third World literature continues to be suppressed by the Western world, then the barriers are the least important thing to me and us. If international literature is missing our part, then international literature has no reason to exist for us,” Márquez immediately retorted.

Chilean writer José interjected, "I actually think this is a good thing. Increasing literary exchanges among Third World countries is beneficial to the development of Third World literature. When Professor Liu talked about the evaluation system of Third World literature before, I also felt that this was a good thing."

Professor Liu is not only a writer, but also a visionary writer who is willing to contribute to the overall development of world literature.

José is a representative figure of the Latin American literary boom. He spent many years in exile for political reasons and was a close friend of Gabriel García Márquez. Márquez once invited him to co-author the Chilean section of Latin American literature. His magical realist works are even more eccentric than Márquez's.

(End of this chapter)