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

Chapter 572 Honorary Professor for Life
On the rooftop, everyone heard Márquez's laughter. Qian Zhongshu eagerly took the letter from Huang Jinyan and began translating its contents for everyone.

[Dear Professor: Yimin Liu]

Greetings from the Romulo Galagos International Literary Prize Committee of Venezuela. We extend our warmest greetings to you with great excitement and respect. In recognition of your outstanding contributions to the field of literature, the Prize Committee, after discussion, has decided to award you the Romulo Galagos Literary Translation Prize.

Jose explained to Liu Yimin, "This year's Romulo Galagos Prize judging committee is headed by Mr. Gabriel García Márquez. This year's judging committee brings together the most famous writers in Latin America, making it the most prestigious literary prize in South America."

"Mr. José, we were already familiar with the Romulo Galagos Prize when the invitation letter invited us to the award ceremony. We believed that the Romulo Galagos International Literary Prize in Venezuela would greatly promote the development of Latin American literature. We just never expected that I would win the prize."

Mr. Márquez, thank you!

Liu Yimin looked at Márquez and smiled in greeting. Márquez walked over and said, "Liu, this is what you deserve. I'm just the director of the judging committee; I can't decide every winner. You've earned the respect of the Latin American literary world, and your work has captivated the Latin American people."

Cao Yu walked over and patted Liu Yimin on the shoulder, then said to Márquez with emotion, "Mr. Márquez, Yimin's receipt of the Romulo Galagos Award is thanks to everyone's recommendations."

“Dean Wan, your scripts have always been excellent. If they were written today, I think you would win countless international script awards. You have nurtured an outstanding student for the world.” Márquez grasped Cao Yu’s hands.

The writers in the Chinese delegation congratulated Liu Yimin one after another. Qian Zhongshu put his arm around Liu Yimin's shoulder and said, "Good lad, the Romulo Galagos Prize has brought our Latin American visit to a perfect end."

"Yimin, congratulations! I hope to see you on a higher literary stage." Ma Shitu held Liu Yimin's hands tightly.

Wang Zengqi said enviously, "Yimin, when will I be recognized by the international literary community?"

“Comrade Lao Wang, your participation in the international delegation means you’ve already been recognized by the international literary award, haven’t you?” Liu Yimin replied.

Wang Zengqi pursed his lips: "But as things stand, I am already very satisfied with the literary achievements I have made."

"Congratulations, teacher!" Acheng said.

Ma Shitu joked, "Comrade Acheng, you're still young. You'll never have to suffer in the future."

Acheng was puzzled, so Wang Zengqi asked Ma Shitu to explain. Ma Shitu proudly analyzed the reasoning: "Your teacher has too much of a halo, and is a famous and prolific writer. As the student, you are too incompetent. Wouldn't you be subjected to countless pressures from worldly eyes?"
Ask Yimin? His teacher was Jiabao Gong. Did he feel any pressure back then? Jiabao Gong even hesitated to award him a screenplay award, let alone a screenplay that truly deserved the award. If it didn't deserve it in the slightest, the accusation of favoritism would fall on Jiabao Gong's head!
"If you choose me as your teacher, things will be different. If I were your teacher, I'd be a complete failure, producing a useless student, but nobody would say anything, and you wouldn't feel any pressure."

When Ma Shitu said this, he deliberately used a thick Sichuan accent, his tone fluctuating with a mix of humor and regret, and coupled with his body language, he immediately made everyone around him burst into laughter.

Ma Shitu's regret was genuine. He highly recognized A Cheng's literary talent, believing that among the young writers in the literary world today, those with such talent were rare.

Although A Cheng, like most young writers in China today, did not attend university, his writing skills and understanding of traditional culture are unmatched by others.

Most young writers use rough and violent language, but A Cheng can write with poetic beauty. It's like when others see a beautiful scene and exclaim "Holy crap!", A Cheng can come up with a line of poetry.

He studied "Das Kapital", "Aesthetics", "I Ching", Confucianism and Zen Buddhism. His writing style is concise and carries an ancient feel. You may think it is a bit rough, but if you look closely, you will find that it is very delicate.

Wang Zengqi agreed, saying, "What Mr. Ma said sounds rough, but upon careful consideration, it makes a lot of sense. Comrade Acheng, you'd better strengthen your ability to withstand pressure in the future."

Otherwise, everyone would say, "It's Liu Yimin, who's won so many international literary awards, who produced such a spineless apprentice."

As Wang Zengqi's teasing words faded, Acheng's face turned bitter, feeling as if everyone around him was watching him.

Liu Yimin laughed and said, "Comrade Lao Wang, Elder Ma, please stop teasing the young comrade. A disciple need not be inferior to his teacher, nor a teacher necessarily superior to his disciple!"

"Jiabao, the second half of Yimin's sentence was meant for you, wasn't it?" Qian Zhongshu said cheerfully, his teasing expression making Cao Yu glare and puff out his beard in exasperation.

The two were college classmates, but in the years since, they have rarely had the opportunity to spend so much time together and tease each other.

Cao Yu said helplessly, "Don't even mention that Yimin is a pressure for students, he's a pressure for teachers too!"

Marquez walked to the middle of the crowd: "But Dean Wan, I also envy you. It's not easy to have such a student."

"Old Wan, I'm envious too!" Qian Zhongshu patted Cao Yu on the shoulder.

Ma Shitu chimed in, "Master Jiabao, go back to China and see how many people envy you. The pressure Yimin is generating isn't directed at you, but at any veteran writer in the country!"

Latin American writers also congratulated Liu Yimin. Vargas Llosa, president of PEN International, shook Liu Yimin's hand and said, "Liu, after discussion, PEN International has agreed to your joining PEN International. PEN International hopes that you will take on more PEN International affairs in the future."

However, I still have reservations about your establishment of a new international literary organization; of course, my opinion does not represent that of PEN International. Liu, Gabriel García Márquez, in fact, from the composition of PEN International's leadership, we can see that its leadership has begun to shift from developed countries to the Third World.

While congratulating and supporting Liu Yimin, Vargas Llosa did not forget to stick to his own position.

Liu Yimin smiled and said, "Mr. Vargas Llosa, thank you for your congratulations. I understand your concerns, but I think you shouldn't always look at things from the perspective of PEN International. You should also try to look at things from the perspective of Peru and other third-world countries."

Liu Yimin implied that Vargas Llosa had gone too far and forgotten which country he was born in.

"Liu, I am now a writer with dual citizenship; I am both Peruvian and Spanish. I cannot stand on a single perspective; I must consider both sides. You are standing on China's side, but I think you should step outside of China and look at things from a global perspective."

PEN International is an independent international literary organization recognized by UNESCO. We do not accept interference from any organization and handle international literary affairs objectively and impartially. Seeing that Vargas Llosa was still trying to persuade Liu Yimin, Liu Yimin asked directly where PEN International's operating funds came from.

“Of course, it’s the membership fees from international organizations and foundations,” Vargas Llosa said without hesitation.

"What kind of international foundation? The Ford Foundation? Rockefeller, a foundation supported by the CIA?" Liu Yimin asked with a forced smile, his voice not loud, but everyone present heard him clearly.

Vargas Llosa's heart skipped a beat, but he stubbornly insisted, "No donation from any organization can shake the independence and objectivity of PEN International."

“Mr. Vargas Llosa, to put it bluntly, do mistresses who are kept have the right to talk about personal independence?” Liu Yimin said calmly.

A flash of anger crossed Vargas Llosa's face. He glanced at Márquez, but suppressed it: "Liu, your words are too sharp!"

"Latin American writers are known for their combative and incisive writing style, which I don't think you should find offensive."

Vargas Llosa breathed a sigh of relief: "Liu, you have to trust PEN International!"

"This statement seems even more weak and powerless than a businessman's promise that he will definitely marry a mistress. If you're being kept, don't talk about personal independence!" Liu Yimin took a step closer and hugged Vargas Llosa.

Vargas Llosa glanced at Márquez beside him: "Mr. García, I'd like to see how you maintain your independence and how you avoid being kept."

“Llosa, we’ll see. You have management experience with PEN International; perhaps we can hire you as our consultant in the future.” Márquez finished speaking, then added regretfully:
"I don't know why, but your thinking has shifted to the right so quickly, and as a result, your works have lost much of their fighting spirit and compassion. Perhaps you no longer have any sympathy for this land, and you view the suffering this land has endured with a condescending attitude."

“Garcia, you should understand that I absolutely do not think that way. If you insist on saying so, then I would like to ask, we all have a part of the blood of colonists flowing in our veins,” Vargas Llosa retorted sharply.

Márquez scoffed: "That's why I hate this part of the colonial bloodline, but that's how it is. Bloodline doesn't mean everything; we were all internationalists once."

Chilean writer José tried to ease the tension by saying, "Garcia, Vargas Llosa, today is a happy day, isn't it? We should sincerely congratulate Liu."

“We are not angry; this is part of a discussion about the truth. I believe that arguing will not affect our friendship. We can try our best to persuade each other, but we should not stubbornly believe that everyone in the world agrees with us.”

"Liu, are you right?" Vargas Llosa smiled and looked at Liu Yimin.

“Mr. Vargas Llosa, you are right. The Chinese say that a gentleman seeks harmony without uniformity, while a petty person seeks uniformity without harmony.” Liu Yimin shook hands with Vargas Llosa and Márquez.

The three exchanged a smile, and Vargas Llosa said, "Chinese culture contains great wisdom, but unfortunately I don't understand Chinese."

“We Chinese say that one should never stop learning, no matter how old one is,” Cao Yu quoted the proverb again in response to Vargas Llosa’s question.

The Romulo Galagos Literary Prize will be awarded on April 15th, which will also be the last day of this visit.

Five days remain until the Romulo Galagos Award ceremony, during which Liu Yimin and his team will gradually return to Venezuela. Unlike their trip from Venezuela to Argentina, there will be no publicly announced itinerary during these days.

The delegation and the receiving group will visit famous South American attractions on private tours, such as Iguazu National Park (the world's widest waterfall) and the Brazilian rainforest.

When I woke up on the morning of April 11, the newspapers were already reporting that Liu Yimin had won the Romulo Galagos Prize for Literature.

Argentine newspapers praised Liu Yimin for winning the Romulo Galagos Prize, believing that awarding the prize to Liu Yimin was a win-win situation, as Liu Yimin gained influence in international literature through the Romulo Galagos Prize.

By awarding the Romulo Galagos Prize to Liu Yimin, the prize has enhanced its status and reputation in the international literary world.

Liu Yimin caused a worldwide sensation by announcing the creation of a new international literary organization with Gabriel García Márquez, and the news of him winning the Romulo Galagos Prize for Literature quickly spread around the world.

The Romulo Galagos Prize is the highest literary award in South America, but it is not highly regarded in the world literary scene, and is only well-known among Spanish-speaking writers.

Domestically, the People's Daily has been closely following the Chinese delegation's itinerary in Latin America, and news of the literary prize was published in China as soon as it was announced, even earlier in China than in Argentina due to the time difference.

When Zhu Lin returned home at noon, he excitedly told his two little ones, holding the newspaper, "Daddy won another award! Come here, let me read the newspaper to you. Look at the photo here, Daddy is smiling!"

The campus of Yenching University was in an uproar, especially the Institute of Literature. Yan Zhen rushed out to make banners immediately, even faster than the Department of Chinese Literature.

Yan Jiayan looked at Yan Zhen with dissatisfaction: "Couldn't you have added the words 'Department of Chinese Literature' to the banner you created?"

"Professor Yan, our department is affiliated with our department, and the Institute of Literature is affiliated with the Institute of Literature!" Yan Zhen said cheerfully.

Not long after breakfast, the president of the University of Buenos Aires and the dean of the Faculty of Arts arrived together. In addition to congratulating Liu Yimin, they also offered to appoint him as an honorary professor of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Buenos Aires.

The dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Buenos Aires looked at Liu Yimin expectantly. Last year, their faculty lost a world-renowned literary writer, and hiring one this year can be considered to fill the vacancy.

The only regret is that he is an honorary professor, which is a superficial honor for the University of Buenos Aires, as he doesn't actually participate in teaching at all.

(End of this chapter)