Chapter 475: Stimulate him!
After answering Yu Hua's call, Lin Weimin called Tong Zhonggui and asked about the manuscript.
The manuscript just arrived at Yenching yesterday, and Tong Zhonggui is still reading it.
Another day passed before he gave the manuscript to Lin Weimin.
"Crying in the Rain" is Yu Hua's first novel. It is not very famous among Yu Hua's works, but its influence is not low.
"I stopped pretending to have many friends and returned to being alone. I started living alone as my true self."
Many people who have read Douyin copywriting in later generations should be familiar with this sentence, which comes from "Crying in the Rain".
This novel does not have a clear plot line or timeline. It is interspersed with a large number of flashbacks and flashbacks, as well as inversion and dislocation of time and space.
"I" Sun Guanglin acts as a spectator, observing everything that happens in the family and witnessing the joy and suffering of this family. I do not comment or express my emotions, but only give a calm and objective narration. After just reading a few pages, the avant-garde flavor hits you in the face.
After spending a whole day reading the novel, Lin Weimin returned the manuscript to Tong Zhonggui.
"The novel is well written. In principle, it can be published. You can communicate with Yu Hua later. You will be responsible for any deletions or revisions. Tell me after the final draft."
"Okay, Teacher Lin."
Tong Zhonggui was somewhat delighted. Yu Hua was an avant-garde novelist with a very distinctive style, which was somewhat similar to his. It would be a learning experience for both of them if he was in charge of the manuscript.
In mid-March, the National Theatre of China formed a large group of 30 people and went to France for exchange performances. Before leaving, Shi Zhi called Lin Weimin to take a look at the rehearsals of "Farewell My Concubine" and "The Horse Catcher".
After watching the rehearsal, Lin Weimin saw Feng Yuanzheng backstage. The young man was looking at his colleagues who were about to go abroad with envy.
"What? You want to go abroad too?" Lin Weimin asked with a smile.
Feng Yuanzheng told the truth, "Who doesn't want to go abroad?"
"I remember that when Jiajing and Hai Rui went to Hong Kong for performance last time, you went with them, didn't you?"
After Lin Weimin finished speaking, Feng Yuanzheng smiled and said, "Going to Hong Kong doesn't count as going abroad."
"You are quite conscious." Lin Weimin praised him, and then said, "That counts as going out. How many people in your courtyard have never been out!"
Feng Yuanzheng listened to Lin Weimin's words, a look of struggle flashed across his face, and he hesitated for a long time, "Teacher Lin, can you talk to our dean?"
"say what?"
"Professor Mersin invited me to Germany to take the entrance exam for her acting class. She was very optimistic about me, but the academy disagreed and withheld Professor Mersin's invitation."
Mersin is a professor at the West Berlin Academy of Arts. He was invited by the People's Art Theatre to teach there two years ago.
Her specialty is the Grotowski school, which is different from the mainstream Stanislavsky and Brecht performance systems. Lin Zhaohua met her when he visited Europe for exchanges.
Feng Yuanzheng was admitted to the student class of the People's Art Theatre in 1985 and took classes from Mersin. Because of his outstanding performance, Mersin was very optimistic about him and repeatedly invited him to study in Germany.
After understanding the situation, Lin Weimin frowned and asked, "How did you know?"
"There is no impenetrable wall in the world. This is not the first time that the institute has withheld an invitation letter." Feng Yuanzheng couldn't help but feel a bit resentful when he said this.
For young people, being able to study abroad is certainly a good thing, especially in the 1980s, it was something that most people longed for.
The People's Art Theatre withheld Feng Yuanzheng's invitation letter, which was tantamount to cutting off his path to study abroad. It was his supervisor who took the initiative to invite him, so it's normal for him to feel a little resentful.
After a moment's silence, Lin Weimin asked, "You want to study abroad, do you plan to come back in the future?"
Feng Yuanzheng hesitated and said, "Let's go back!"
"You asked me to help you, but you still don't tell the truth?" Lin Weimin pretended to be unhappy.
Seeing that he was unhappy, Feng Yuanzheng was a little frightened and said, "I'll tell you the truth. My girlfriend broke up, and we had agreed to get married. I just wanted to change my environment. I haven't thought about other things. I can't say for sure. Maybe... maybe I won't come back!"
Lin Weimin nodded and asked, "If you want me to intercede for you, I have to tell your dean this. I said Xiao Feng went abroad to study for further studies, and he has to come back to continue acting in the People's Art Theater. This can be regarded as training talents for the People's Art Theater. Can you do what I said?"
Feng Yuanzheng hesitated, thought for a long time, and finally shook his head, "I dare not promise you."
Lin Weimin praised: "He is a sincere man."
He then said, "How about this, you ask Professor Mersin to send you another invitation letter, and this time send it directly to your home. It's actually not complicated at the company. Just talk to the leader and he won't make things difficult for you."
Feng Yuanzheng pressed on, "How do you know they won't embarrass me? The hospital has withheld my invitation letter before."
Lin Weimin smiled and said, "Isn't the invitation letter in your hands now?"
Feng Yuanzheng suddenly realized, and a silly smile appeared on his face. He was really blinded by one thing and couldn't figure out such a simple problem. He just needed to ask Professor Melsin for another invitation letter.
By that time, I will have the invitation letter in hand and there will be nothing I can do even if the hospital disagrees.
The reason why he was distressed before was entirely because he was stuck in a fixed mindset.
The invitation letter was sent to the hospital, but it was withheld. I couldn't get the invitation letter and couldn't go to Germany.
"Thank you, Teacher Lin, thank you, I understand!" Feng Yuanzheng kept thanking Lin Weimin.
"Don't tell your dean that it was me who gave you the idea." Lin Weimin joked.
Feng Yuanzheng quickly said, "No, no."
Lin Weimin patted his shoulder and said, "Just kidding. It doesn't matter if Old Yu knows about it. You went to Germany for further studies, and when you come back, it will strengthen the strength of the People's Art Theatre."
"But...how did you know I would come back?" Feng Yuanzheng couldn't help but ask.
Nowadays, too many people go abroad to study and then stay there. 95 out of 100 people do so.
Lin Weimin patted him on the shoulder and said, "You studied acting. If you stayed in Germany, the only role you could get was a marginal minority role, and even such roles would be pitifully rare.
Or, one day a German asks you, you are Chinese, why do you want to act in Germany? How should you answer? "
Feng Yuanzheng remained silent. He thought for a long time but could not find any reason to refute.
This truth actually also applies to those domestic stars who went to the United States to make their way in Hollywood during this era, but these people still cannot understand such a simple truth.
"Do you understand?"
"Understood!"
Feng Yuanzheng nodded, "You are right."
Lin Weimin smiled, patted Feng Yuanzheng on the shoulder again, and then left the People's Art Theatre.
On the weekend, Lin Weimin made an appointment with Cheng Zaochun to visit the border station.
In the car, Cheng Zaochun couldn't help but complain, "You are really good at flattering others and targeting retired old men and old ladies."
"I'll do the same to you when you retire."
This one sentence made Cheng Zaochun so disgusted that she wanted to give him two big cunts.
When the two of them arrived at the border office's home, the old comrade was indeed very happy. He felt like he had unloaded the burden on him and everyone spoke more freely.
This time, two other comrades retired from the Border Office. In other words, in the near future, three Shangshu-level leaders will take up new posts at the same time, including Zheng Guo's father.
After expressing his condolences to the sensitive and fragile heart of the retired comrade, Lin Weimin met Mo Yan whom he had not seen for a long time when he went to work the next day.
Yu Hua graduated from the National Academy of Literature's writers' class and returned to Zhijiang, but Mo Yan's life in the writers' class had just begun, with still a year and a half to go.
This time he came to the editorial office of "Contemporary" and brought his latest work "Song of Heavenly Garlic Sprouts".
Lin Weimin flipped through the manuscript and asked curiously, "When we met a few months ago, I hadn't heard that you had started writing. How come you wrote a new novel after spending the New Year in your hometown?"
"I wrote it when I went home for the New Year!" Mo Yan said this with an angry expression.
Last year, the National Academy of Arts was on winter vacation, and Mo Yan returned to his hometown to celebrate the Spring Festival. When he happened to visit an old friend, he saw a report published in the Shandong Dazhong Daily at the friend's home.
The report was about the garlic sprout incident that shocked the whole country in Cangshan County of the province.
After reading the newspaper, Mo Yan returned home and thought about it. He was filled with indignation, so he wrote furiously and spent 35 days to create this indignant novel.
After Mo Yan finished explaining the details, he still said angrily, "Teacher Lin, you must publish this novel no matter what."
"Okay, let's send it!"
Lin Weimin's casual words made Mo Yan look at him in surprise.
Mo Yan said that he asked Lin Weimin to publish the novel no matter what because he was filled with indignation, but he never expected that Lin Weimin would agree to publish it without even reading the novel.
"Don't you need to review the manuscript?" Mo Yan couldn't help but ask.
Lin Weimin said again: "Then let's try it!"
Um?
Mo Yan looked at Lin Weimin in confusion. He was just thinking that Teacher Lin was too unprincipled, but suddenly an idea flashed through his mind and he stood there in a daze.
After waiting for a long time, Mo Yan came back to his senses. Seeing Lin Weimin looking at him calmly, Mo Yan showed an embarrassed expression on his face.
"I'm sorry, Teacher Lin!"
"Sorry for what?"
Mo Yan stared at Lin Weimin and said, "You often said before that writers should be able to transcend their works and keep a distance from politics. I haven't done these things."
Lin Weimin nodded with satisfaction and said, "It would be best if you could understand this principle."
He weighed the manuscript in his hand and said, "Whether a novel can be published or not has only one criterion, which is whether the work can touch people's hearts. It has nothing to do with your emotions, the purpose of creation, or the source of the subject matter."
At this moment, Mo Yan understood this truth and calmed down, "I understand."
Lin Weimin didn't talk to Mo Yan anymore and focused on reading the manuscript. Mo Yan sat quietly beside him, drinking tea and picked up a book from the office bookshelf.
The morning passed in a flash. Lin Weimin twisted his stiff neck and raised his head from the manuscript.
Mo Yan was disturbed by his actions and put down the book in his hand, "Teacher Lin, what do you think?"
"It's surging and full of power!" Lin Weimin praised.
When Mo Yan heard his praise, the uneasiness in his heart disappeared, a smile appeared on his face, and his eyes were narrowed so much that they were almost invisible.
"Garlic Songs in Heaven" should be Mo Yan's first novel in the strict sense. "Red Sorghum" is said to be a novel, but it is actually a collection of five novellas. It is a bit of a stretch to call it a novel.
This novel, based on real events, was written in a very short time and is full of emotional tension. Through the text, one can feel the indignation that Mo Yan felt when he was writing the novel.
"Then... is there any problem with publishing it?" Mo Yan asked expectantly.
Lin Weimin nodded and said, "Of course, no problem, but..."
"But what?" Mo Yan's heart became uneasy again.
"This novel is too realistic and its style is too rough. It is very different from your previous style. You should be prepared to be scolded!" said Lin Weimin.
Mo Yan felt relieved, "As long as it works, you can curse me however you want."
Lin Weimin could naturally see that Mo Yan wrote this novel with a certain intention of pleading for the people.
Once this sense of mission and honor takes over, he will kill gods and Buddhas, and even Lin Weimin cannot stop him.
"Okay, don't act like you're going to be executed. If you have the energy, revise the novel!" Lin Weimin handed the manuscript to Mo Yan. "The novel was written in one go and is full of emotions, which is a good thing. But it was written too hastily, and many sentences are too crude, and the rhetoric is also problematic. I need to spend some time revising it."
Mo Yan took the manuscript and said, "No problem, I'll go back and revise it now."
After Mo Yan left, Lin Weimin called Yu Hua.
There is no other purpose, just to tell him that Mo Yan has written another novel, to stimulate him!
(End of this chapter)
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