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

Chapter 571 Romulo Galagos Award
After the performance of the play "Thunderstorm" concluded, Latin American writers and attendees expressed their admiration for Cao Yu. Cao Yu rose to thank everyone and explained his understanding of the play.

"Drama has a unique significance in China. Since the Chinese people began to fight for national independence and promote progressive ideas, drama has been an important propaganda weapon. The creation of 'Thunderstorm' has a special background, which is the feudal and backward China at that time."

Plays also have conflicts, which are what keep the audience engaged and reflect the issues the play addresses in real society. However, Chinese plays differ from their foreign counterparts. Chinese theater emphasizes the beauty of imagery and atmosphere, focusing on the combination of atmosphere and realism. How many of you have seen Chinese landscape paintings? With just a few strokes, they capture the essence of the scene.

Looking at the radiant Cao Yu, Liu Yimin sighed that Cao Yu always seemed to have a lot of energy whenever the topic of drama came up.

Qian Zhongshu joked, "Your teacher's only career in life is drama. As long as he gets involved in those two words, he can talk endlessly about them."

Chilean writer José leaned close to Liu Yimin and said, “Mr. Liu, I saw the play adaptation of ‘Beloved’ on Broadway in the United States. ‘Beloved’ is not only a great novel, but also a great play.”

It's a pity that they're not showing "The Favourite" here today.

“Mr. José, I believe that your work, when adapted into a stage play, will be just as breathtaking,” Liu Yimin said with a smile.

José looked at Márquez beside him: "The same goes for Mr. Márquez's 'One Hundred Years of Solitude.' If there is a good screenwriter, it can be adapted. But if there is no good screenwriter, it is better not to adapt it."

“You can adapt it yourself!” Liu Yimin said.

José shook his head: "I'm not good at adapting plays."

"It's a pity I don't understand Spanish, otherwise I could try to help you adapt it," Liu Yimin said regretfully.

"Liu, you are truly a genius. I just heard many people talking about your five writing abilities. You are not only good at writing, but also at summarizing. I believe your literary path will definitely go much further. In addition, as your students, I believe they are the luckiest literature majors," José praised.

José discussed the five writing skills with Liu Yimin. José believed that the five skills proposed by Liu Yimin were applicable to the vast majority of writers, and even painters and musicians, not just writers.

"Mr. José, you have a wealth of experience in the field of literature teaching. We hope that one day you can give lectures at Yenching University. The students of Yenching University have high expectations for you and a group of Latin American writers, and we also hope that your literary works will be published in China soon."

At this time, Zhao Zhongnan of People's Literature Publishing House was also discussing literary publishing with José. Like Márquez, he was very enthusiastic, but no final progress had been made yet.

Jose asked Liu Yimin to verify Zhao Zhongnan's description of the Chinese literary market: "Liu, is the Chinese literary market really that big? A book can sell tens of millions of copies domestically, and I've heard you have several such books."

"Mr. Jose, it's like this. Chinese people are very eager to read literary works, but with the diversification of entertainment options, the Chinese readership is slowly shrinking. However, compared to the international market, it's still very easy for a single book to sell over a million or even several million copies. But in the United States, a million copies is a sales figure that most works can hardly achieve."

I think the same is true in Latin America. Liu Yimin tallied up the number of his works that had sold over five million copies, which gave Jose a huge shock.

José said incredulously, "The Chinese really love reading."

"Of course, buses, parks, and subways in China are ideal places for Chinese people to read. On the Chinese subway, few people play around; most people are quietly reading."

Liu Yimin's lips curled up slightly. He wasn't exactly lying now, since you can't use your phone on the subway these days, and there really isn't much of a way to relax besides reading.

José was silent for about thirty seconds, then said again, "Unfortunately, authors make very little profit when publishing in China."

"This is determined by the publishing system, but the conditions offered by People's Literature Publishing House are much higher than those for our domestic writers. The prices of literary works in our country are very low. Our goal is to make books and newspapers affordable for everyone. Reading can enlighten the mind, and it is our writers' duty to make books a tool that the public can easily access."

Our writers' royalties are relatively low. If the cost of reading increases, many impoverished students may be unable to read due to financial constraints, which is something we cannot bear to see. Mr. José, imagine how many impoverished children would be deprived of the opportunity to be exposed to literature at a young age if the price of Latin American literature were to drop?

You are a left-wing writer, and literature is also a tool for spreading ideas. What use are your ideas, no matter how advanced or applicable to Latin America, if they cannot be widely disseminated?

After listening to Liu Yimin's words, Jose couldn't help but nod repeatedly: "Liu, you're right. There really are many readers in China who want to read my book?"

“Of course, there are many!” Liu Yimin nodded emphatically.

Jose looked at Zhao Zhongnan, who was standing elsewhere, and said, "Liu, I now feel that the conditions proposed by the Chinese publisher are not unacceptable!"

"Mr. José, if you were to visit China one day, would you prefer to be welcomed by countless readers, or only by the literary world?"

"Of course, it's countless readers."

"That's on the premise that countless readers read your work."

José nodded: "Liu, you're right. I think my work will be available to Chinese readers soon, but I'd like to find a well-known translator."

"Professor Huang and Professor Qian are both very suitable candidates."

Upon hearing this, Huang Jinyan, who was translating for Liu Yimin, quickly said, "Mr. José, I am fluent in Spanish and have an excellent understanding of the literary and historical background of Latin America. If I were to translate, I would certainly not disappoint you."

Jose shook Huang Jinyan's hand and said, "We can have more exchanges in the future. I hope to see your abilities."

While exchanging pleasantries with the Argentine writer, Zhao Zhongnan was unaware that Liu Yimin had already secured a deal for him.

Marquez, who was standing next to him, couldn't help but ask, "Liu, how many copies do you think my novel will sell in China?"

"I think it could reach at least five million copies."

Gabriel García Márquez's "One Hundred Years of Solitude" has sold over ten million copies in China, but most of them are pirated.

"Five million copies, a very impressive number." Márquez was quite satisfied.

After a moment's thought, Liu Yimin decided to tell Márquez about the existence of piracy in the domestic book market. If Márquez sent his assistant to investigate the book market, the truth would inevitably be exposed sooner or later.

It would be better to say so sooner rather than later, but I can't say it directly either. Pirated books exist not only in China, but also in the United States and Latin America.

Liu Yimin first inquired about the publishing market in Latin American countries. Márquez told Liu Yimin that there were a large number of pirate booksellers in Colombia.

"My hometown is the place with the most pirated books."

Liu Yimin shook his head regretfully: "There are also a large number of pirate booksellers in China at present, but we are cracking down on them severely."

“Shameful cultural peddlers!” Márquez cursed under his breath.

Seeing that Liu Yimin didn't seem to harbor much resentment, Márquez asked him curiously, "Liu, what's your attitude towards piracy?"

"Of course I abhor it, but at the same time I understand that many people don't know they're buying pirated copies. Furthermore, the lower price of pirated copies satisfies the needs of some poor readers. Mr. Márquez, if piracy is rampant with *One Hundred Years of Solitude*, the biggest reason is that there is no legitimate copy in China."

If an official copy were available, many people would choose to read it. However, since an official copy is unavailable, and readers love "One Hundred Years of Solitude" so much, they are forced to buy pirated copies.

Upon hearing Liu Yimin's words, Márquez took a deep breath: "Liu, what you said seems to make some sense, but these cultural peddlers should all be punished."

Huang Jinyan, who was standing nearby, listened to Liu Yimin talk about piracy and inwardly complained that Liu Yimin had told him not to talk about it, but he had told Márquez anyway. But seeing Márquez's attitude towards piracy, Huang Jinyan felt a chill down his spine. He was glad he hadn't said that he was the translator of "One Hundred Years of Solitude," and that the large number of pirated copies of "Huang Jinyan's version" on the market were thanks to him.

“Liu, you’re really tolerant of piracy,” José said.

“It’s not about tolerance; sometimes it’s a helpless compromise. I believe that once the readers who bought pirated copies have money, they will definitely buy the official copies to show their support.” José and Márquez were lost in thought, while Liu Yimin glanced at Huang Jinyan, who gave him a wronged look.

After the dinner, Cao Yu and others asked Liu Yimin what he was talking about with Márquez and José, and Liu Yimin told them everything.

Zhao Zhongnan's face turned pale: "Comrade Liu Yimin, are we going to mess this up?"

“It is necessary to be frank. If we are to maintain long-term contact in the future, Márquez will definitely go to China, and this matter cannot be kept secret,” Qian Zhongshu said.

Zhao Zhongnan hung his head. He had heard in the United States that Márquez deeply abhorred piracy.

Cao Yu patted Zhao Zhongnan on the shoulder: "Comrade Zhongnan, if that's how it is, then so be it. Don't overthink it. Do your best and leave the rest to fate. I have a feeling that you might come back with a full load this time."

Comrades, tomorrow is the day for speeches, so everyone needs to be fully focused. We're more than halfway through our trip to Latin America; let's make a good start and a good finish.

"understand!"

The following morning, the group of Chinese writers revisited the exhibition hall, where a huge stage had been set up in the center, with seats arranged below.

A group of Chinese writers went up to share their creative ideas and research findings on comparative literature between China and Latin America.

Cao Yu mainly talks about the history of Chinese drama, while Qian Zhongshu, in addition to being a literary figure, was also a great translator, and he talks about his own translation philosophy.

Liu Yimin discussed comparative literature between China and Latin America, Ma Shitu and Wang Zengqi discussed traditional Chinese literature and realist creation respectively, and A Cheng discussed comparative literature on Chinese and Latin American roots-seeking.

Acheng's initial presentation was rather rudimentary and lacked sufficient evidence, so Liu Yimin revised his speech, adding a comparative element. He used a comparison with Latin American literature to illustrate the differences between the two.

Liu Yimin refers to Latin American works that contain elements of Latin American history and culture as Latin American root-seeking literature, which is a novel concept for Latin American writers.

After reading Liu Yimin's revisions, Acheng kept thanking Liu Yimin, saying, "Teacher Liu, you are truly knowledgeable."

"Stop calling me 'teacher,' Ah Cheng. After you return to China, go to the Institute of Literature and Art for a while. If you don't do well, get out of here!" Liu Yimin said with a laugh.

Ah Cheng comes from a makeshift troupe; he should study more about theoretical aspects.

Cao Yu and Qian Zhongshu's speeches drew rounds of applause from the audience. Márquez admired Cao Yu's ideas on drama, and after listening to Qian Zhongshu's ideas on translation, he made up his mind to ask Qian Zhongshu to translate his original version of "One Hundred Years of Solitude".

When Márquez told Liu Yimin, Liu subconsciously felt that Qian Zhongshu would most likely not agree. Qian Zhongshu knew Spanish, but he had not studied Spanish literature extensively, so asking him might not be a professional choice.

After Qian Zhongshu finished speaking and stepped down from the stage, Márquez asked him in a low voice, but Qian Zhongshu hesitated for a moment and politely declined Márquez's request.

Although Márquez was disappointed, he did not press the matter further and looked up at Liu Yimin, who was preparing to give a speech.

"I think the comparison between Chinese and Latin American literature should not only focus on modern Chinese and Latin American literature, but should also start from the modern and contemporary period."

Both Chinese and Latin American literature were influenced by Western literary thought in modern times. Chinese literature began to change in terms of thought and form, such as shifting from the Tongcheng School of Classical Prose to semi-classical and semi-vernacular writing, and eventually forming the new writing form of vernacular Chinese.

Latin American literature, influenced by colonizers, embarked on its path to modern and contemporary literature.

Liu Yimin focused on comparing the similarities and differences between realism in Latin American literature and realism in China, and analyzed the causes and future directions of literature in China and Latin America.

When I first arrived in Latin America and spoke about how Latin American literature would eventually break free from the influence of Marquez and others, it caused quite a stir. Now, however, the audience seems to be gradually accepting this view.

Liu Yimin's speech was particularly helpful to young Latin American writers, whose predecessors had reached such heights that they were very confused about their own literary style, wondering whether to continue learning from their predecessors or explore a new creative style.

However, Liu Yimin believes that most writers are lucky if they can follow in the footsteps of their predecessors. Only a very few writers can become literary giants, requiring either talent or opportunity.

Ma Shitu and Wang Zengqi's presentations weren't particularly outstanding, but they were alright. When it was Acheng's turn, he was nervous and stammered. Fortunately, there was translation time each time, so he managed to finish his presentation without any major incidents.

Marquez asked, "Liu, I heard he's your student?"

“It’s fake,” Liu Yimin said calmly.

Upon hearing this, A-Cheng turned pale: "Teacher Liu, are you going to expel me from your school?"

Liu Yimin rolled his eyes at him and did not answer. Chinese writers speak in the morning and Latin American writers speak in the afternoon. As for mutual exchanges, they no longer take place. Since setting foot on Latin American soil, exchanges between the two sides have never stopped.

In the afternoon, Gabriel García Márquez spoke first, mainly explaining his literary ideas and how they were reflected in works such as *One Hundred Years of Solitude* and *Love in the Time of Cholera*.

Finally, the author compared "One Hundred Years of Solitude" with Liu Yimin's "Beloved," arguing that Liu Yimin's use of magical realism in "Beloved" was very mature, and that "Beloved" is a mature work of anti-racial oppression novel.

"I visited the United States in 1961, yes, the very time I was monitored. The President of the United States personally signed the surveillance order. At that time, the McCarthy era in the United States had just passed, but the White Terror still shrouded the United States. In this movement, tens of millions of people were investigated. At that time, racial discrimination in the United States was extremely serious. It is hard to believe that this was just one year away from the centenary of the Emancipation Proclamation."

A century ago, Black Americans suffered immense oppression, and a century later, their situation remains unchanged. The events described in Liu's "Green Book" are true.

Films like "The Favourite," "Green Book," and "Redemption of a Slave" show us the racial oppression and discrimination policies in the United States, and even the more ancient genocide, in which countless Native Americans perished.
Our initial intention in establishing this international literary organization was to encourage more works against colonialism and racial oppression, and to showcase the development and achievements of Third World countries, so that world literature could once again unite.

In the McCarthyism mentioned by Márquez, Qian Xuesen was imprisoned, Chinese scientists were investigated, the American journalists Edgar Snow and his wife, who had visited Yan'an, were expelled from the country, and a large number of left-wing books were banned.

Márquez reiterated his reasons for establishing the international literary organization, and after a period of continuous promotion, support for it grew stronger in Latin America.

In the afternoon, after the Latin American writers finished speaking, an official from the Argentine Ministry of Culture took the stage to announce the official end of the exhibition of Chinese writers' literary works.

The University of Buenos Aires arranged for the dismantling of the exhibition. Thiago, the South American publisher in charge of book sales, told Liu Yimin that book sales in South America had increased by about 20% recently compared to usual, and more than 2,000 copies were sold at the exhibition.

"Liu, we are preparing to publish 'House of Cards' next. We hope you can leave a message or two for the readers, which we will print on the cover or inside the book."

"Okay, I'll hand it in to you after I finish writing it."

In the evening, Liu Yimin and members of the writers' delegation sat on the rooftop, enjoying the breeze and gazing at the brightly lit city of Buenos Aires.

My trip to Argentina has officially come to an end. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief and wait for the Romulo Galagos Award to be presented in Venezuela.

Footsteps sounded at the top of the stairs, and everyone saw that it was Márquez and his companions walking up to the roof with smiles.

"Mr. Marquez, is there some good news?" Liu Yimin asked curiously.

Marquez walked over and handed a letter to Liu Yimin, but unfortunately he didn't know Spanish.

Huang Jinyan, who was standing next to him, took the translation and was about to translate when Márquez said, "Liu, congratulations! You have won this year's Romulo Galagos Award!"

(End of this chapter)