Tokyo Literary Masters: Starting from the Late 1980s

Chapter 220 The Nobel Prize Begins

The night before the awards ceremony.

The banquet hall booked by the Japanese embassy was brightly lit, with snow-white tablecloths covering the long tables, and a huge crystal chandelier illuminating the entire hall in a magnificent golden light.

The chef team from Tokyo had already prepared the dishes, and the Japanese ambassador, dressed in a sharp suit, stood at the entrance with a beaming smile, waiting.

Several Swedish political figures and European cultural celebrities who arrived early, holding wine glasses, looked at the scene with a sense of bewilderment.

One of them asked the embassy staff member next to him curiously, "Who is the guest of honor tonight? That the ambassador himself is waiting for us at the door."

Upon hearing this, the staff member straightened up slightly, a confident smile on their face, and answered without hesitation, "We are waiting for Mr. Kitahara Iwao."

"Tonight's dinner was specially prepared by the embassy to celebrate our literary giant winning the Nobel Prize in Literature."

Upon hearing the name, the guests immediately looked enlightened.

The European media reporters on the periphery were immediately invigorated, checking their cameras and adjusting the focus and flash, ready to capture images of Kitahara Rock at the first opportunity.

At this moment, all eyes in the banquet hall were focused on the main entrance, awaiting the appearance of Kitahara Iwa.

However, as time ticked by, the symphony in the banquet hall had already played its third piece on a loop, but Kitahara Iwa still hadn't appeared.

Seeing this, the ambassador's confident smile gradually faded, and his facial muscles began to stiffen uncontrollably.

Just as the surrounding guests and media noticed that the atmosphere was a bit strange, embassy staff quickly walked through the crowd and came to the ambassador.

Upon seeing this, the ambassador immediately stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Where are the Kitahara people?"

The staff member swallowed hard and whispered in his ear, trembling, "Ambassador, Shinchosha has replied—Editor Sato said that Mr. Kitahara has invited several translators of 'The Long Road' to dinner at a bar tonight, so he won't disturb your enjoyment."

Upon hearing this, the ambassador's face turned ashen, but in front of so many guests, he could only grit his teeth and force himself to swallow his anger.

Because there were not only Swedish political figures and European celebrities present, but also numerous media outlets on the periphery, even if Kitahara Iwa didn't appear, he couldn't say anything bad about Kitahara Iwa in front of everyone.

Thinking of this, the ambassador took a deep breath, forced a smile that looked worse than a grimace, and walked toward the center of the hall.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, the ambassador cleared his throat and said, "Distinguished guests, good evening."

The ambassador tried to make his voice sound steady and warm: "Thank you all for attending tonight's dinner. Originally, we were prepared to celebrate with you all the Nobel Prize in Literature awarded to Mr. Kitahara Iwao."

"Unfortunately, we have just received notification that Mr. Kitahara will be unable to attend tonight's gathering due to a personal scheduling conflict. However, the dinner will proceed as scheduled, and we hope everyone will enjoy themselves."

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the entire banquet hall fell into an indescribable dullness.

The invited European cultural figures and political leaders, holding wine glasses, maintained a polite and courteous demeanor on the surface, but had already begun whispering among themselves.

"Wasn't this banquet specifically held for Kitahara Iwa?"

"It seems the rumors are true. He previously refused a medal from the Japanese cabinet, and now he's even too lazy to show up at official banquets."

"A celebratory dinner without a Nobel laureate in attendance—it just felt like something was missing, it was really bland."

These hushed discussions made the diplomats present feel extremely uncomfortable, and they could only force a smile to maintain their composure.

Meanwhile, in a small, even somewhat crowded, local tavern, Kitahara Iwao was sitting around a long table with the translators of "The Long Road".

A Swedish translator raised his glass, looked at Kitahara Iwao, and said seriously, "Mr. Kitahara, when I was translating the third chapter, which is about the father and son struggling in the ruins for half a can of food, I had to stop working and go to the balcony to smoke two cigarettes before I dared to continue."

Upon hearing this, Kitahara Iwa asked, "Because you can't find a suitable vocabulary?"

"No, it's because it's too real."

Recalling the feeling at the time, the translator's eyes still showed emotion as she said, "You didn't use any sad or sentimental words; you were simply recording objectively. But it was precisely this restraint that gave people a suffocating sense of awe."

Kitahara Iwao also responded, "Because when people face a desperate situation, they often can't make a sound."

Izumi Sakai sat next to Iwata Kitahara, holding a warm cup of water in both hands, listening quietly to the discussion.

Finley, Margaret, Kenichi Sato, and several other prominent independent book critics from Europe were at the table.

On this winter night, they talked about translation, about literature, and about the shock they felt when they first read a certain passage, as if they had fallen into an ice cave.

The next morning, the two photos appeared on the pages of several European newspapers.

One photo shows a brightly lit, empty banquet hall where Kitahara Rock is nowhere to be seen.

The other photo was taken by a reporter through the fogged-up glass of a bar, showing Kitahara Iwa.

The news headline was simple and direct: "Kitahara Iwao Absent from Official Dinner, Spotted Drinking with Translators at Street Pub"

A few days later, the Nobel Prize in Literature award ceremony and commemorative speech were officially held.

A few days later, the Nobel Prize in Literature award ceremony officially began.

The Stockholm Concert Hall was packed to capacity, with members of the Swedish royal family, academicians of the Swedish Academy, leading figures in European literature, and journalists from various countries filling the spacious hall.

More than 200 media outlets worldwide were granted broadcasting rights, and dozens of cameras were pointed at the central stage from different angles.

Accompanied by grand and solemn orchestral music, the King of Sweden and members of the royal family were the first to enter and take their seats.

Immediately afterwards, a spotlight in the center of the venue turned on.

Amidst the watchful eyes and thunderous applause of thousands, Kitahara Iwao, along with other Nobel laureates from various fields, slowly walked into the venue.

Among a group of white-haired, frail giants of physics and medicine, the young Kitahara Iwao stood out.

The award ceremony proceeded smoothly, with the Physics Prize, Chemistry Prize, and Physiology or Medicine Prize awarded in turn, accompanied by alternating royal conferment of medals and applause from the audience.

With all the science awards completed, the ceremony moved on to the literature awards.

At this moment, a senior member of the Swedish Academy rose from his front row seat, took a folder bearing the Academy's emblem, and walked to the podium in the center of the stage.

As he moved around, the whispers and applause that had been filling the concert hall gradually subsided.

Under the watchful eyes of more than two thousand guests, the senior academician stood at the podium.