Chapter 535 Huge Gap
Cheng Zhongshi wrote a sentence on the title page of "White Deer Plain", which was said by Balzac.
“The novel is considered the secret history of a nation.”
After reading "White Deer Plain", everyone agrees with the words written by Cheng Zhongshi on the title page.
Cheng Zhongshi endowed "White Deer Plain" with a heavy epic temperament, which is truly magnificent.
Against the backdrop of the Great Revolution, the Japanese invasion, the Guomin-Communist civil war, the unity and separation of the two parties, etc., the destinies of the descendants of the Bai and Lu families are intertwined and entangled in the changing times. The grievances and hatreds between the two families for half a century are all recorded in the book.
Cheng Zhongshi said at the beginning that this novel is a "secret history" because most of the novel is naturally about the little-known secret past of Bailuyuan. These secret pasts are extremely stimulating. Due to the deep historical deposits, once they are unearthed, the smell they emit becomes even more turbid.
The White Deer Plain he described seemed to have become a floating town of Macondo described by Marquez, which was both unpredictable and full of sensory stimulation. It was right on the edge of humans, ghosts and beasts.
It took a full twenty days to review "White Deer Plain", and many colleagues from the editorial department participated in it. Lin Weimin wrote the review opinions.
After discussion, the editorial department unanimously decided to publish the novel in the first issue in January next year.
The treatment was the same as that of "Dust Settles" in August, with headlines, large font, and all published in one issue, which shows how much the editorial department values this novel.
After finalizing the publication of the novel, Lin Weimin called Cheng Zhongshi and spoke only a few words to him.
"White Deer Plain will be published in the first issue of next year, on the front page, in large print, and in the first issue."
"Rest at home during this time and recharge your batteries. You'll be busy next year. I've already set a date for your work seminar."
“Don’t worry about what the critics say, they’ll come to you.”
"Your work can win the Yanbing Literature Award."
Cheng Zhongshi on the other end of the phone listened to Lin Weimin's sonorous and powerful voice and his heart was filled with emotion.
"Weimin, is what you said true?"
"I promise you with my life! Old Cheng, you are the brick that will support me, and it will work!"
Cheng Zhongshi on the other end of the phone was silent for a long time before he said, "Weimin, thank you!"
"I should be the one thanking you for contributing such an outstanding work to Contemporary Magazine!"
After finishing his call with Lin Weimin, Cheng Zhongshi got on his bicycle, his heart burning with excitement.
Returning to the courtyard of his home, he pulled his wife up from her work and said, "We... don't have to raise chickens anymore."
It was not an exaggeration when Lin Weimin said on the phone that he had even set the date for the seminar on "White Deer Plain" for Cheng Zhongshi. After the manuscript of "White Deer Plain" was reviewed by several editors of "Contemporary" in turn, Lin Weimin handed it over to the first editorial department of Contemporary Literature.
The novel is scheduled to be published in January next year, and Lin Weimin can't wait to put the publication on the agenda. As for the work seminar, it will naturally be held between the release of the novel and the publication.
After waiting for several years, Lin Weimin finally reaped the rewards of the masterpiece "White Deer Plain", and his heart was filled with joy.
Colleagues in the editorial department were also happy. The changing trend in sales this year and what Lin Weimin had said to everyone made everyone nervous.
As it becomes increasingly difficult for publications to survive, the importance of good works to publications becomes more and more obvious. Every high-quality manuscript is a magic weapon for publications to stabilize sales.
It is these works that provide the foundation for the survival of Contemporary Magazine.
Following "The Dust Settles" in August, the editorial department of "Contemporary" once again got hold of such a heavyweight work as "White Deer Plain". Everyone can foresee that in January next year, the Chinese literary world will once again be shaken by this bombshell dropped by "Contemporary".
Therefore, during this period, the editorial office was filled with laughter.
In addition to the upcoming publication of "White Deer Plain", there is another thing that also contributes to the joyful atmosphere in the editorial department.
A seminar on Alai's "Dust Settles" will be held on the second floor of the National Literature Society the day after tomorrow. Many respected domestic critics and literary veterans have decided to attend the seminar.
And one week after the seminar, the single volume of "Dust Settles" will be on the shelves of major bookstores across the country and will be available for sale.
The day before the seminar on "Dust Settles", Ale came to Yanjing.
When he appeared in the Guowen Society again, Alai was wearing a gorgeous Tibetan costume. He was completely different from before, full of vigor and heroic.
In the four months since the publication of "Dust Settles", it has received rave reviews from domestic readers and has also received unanimous praise from critics.
In just a few months, Alai went from being an unknown young author to a nationally famous writer, attending endless seminars, workshops and lectures every day.
"Yes, you look really energetic!"
When Alai came to Yanjing, he specially wore a brand new Tibetan costume. Tomorrow is the work seminar of "Dust Settles" and he wants to attend in formal attire.
Lin Weimin looked at him for a few seconds and praised him.
Alai said proudly: "Teacher Lin, clothes are not the point."
As he spoke, he showed the necklace hanging around his neck to Lin Weimin.
Tibetans have their own unique aesthetic, and being covered in armor is the most common feature.
The beads on Alai's necklace were the size of mung beans. He pointed them out one by one and introduced them to Lin Weimin.
Turquoise, agate, beeswax, lapis lazuli, sandalwood, Tibetan silver, all kinds of colorful materials, a total of 108 beads, representing 108 kinds of troubles in Tibetan Buddhism. This is similar to the 108 Buddhist beads in Tibetan Buddhism representing the 108 kinds of troubles, hung around the neck and making jingling sounds when walking.
Alai was beaming with joy when he introduced the necklace. Lin Weimin is from Northeast China and understands his obsession very well. It is probably similar to the obsession that the Northeast aunt has for "Diao'er".
"It seems that the manuscript fee has been received!"
Lin Weimin's joke brought a smile to Alai's face again. This necklace of his was not cheap and you couldn't get it without money.
The full text of "Dust Settles" is 310,000 words. It was published in "Contemporary" in August and earned Alai nearly 8,000 yuan in royalties, which is equivalent to his salary for seven or eight years.
Recently, a single book is going to be published. According to the "Interim Provisions on Book Remuneration", the remuneration for the print run is between 1 and 20,000 copies, and 5% of the basic remuneration is paid for every 10,000 copies.
The basic remuneration for the single volume of "Dust Settles" has increased a bit compared to when it was published, reaching 30 yuan per thousand words. The first print run is 100,000 copies, and the remuneration for each print run is equivalent to 15 yuan per thousand words. The basic remuneration plus the remuneration for each print run is about 14,000 yuan. Guowenshe just wired this remuneration to Alai a few days ago.
The combined royalties from one publication and one publication directly changed Alai's financial situation.
The next day, a symposium on the work "Dust Settles" was held in the conference room on the second floor of Guowen Society, chaired by Lin Weimin.
Some of the guests attending the event were senior writers, some were experts in the commentary circle, and another group were senior editors in the industry.
Before the seminar began, Lin Weimin met his old classmate from the Institute of Literature Research, Aibaier, who now works at National Literature and is the deputy editor-in-chief. Alai is a member of an ethnic minority, and Dust Settles can be considered the crystallization of ethnic minority literature. It was natural for Aibaier, a minority writer and editor, to be invited to attend the seminar.
"For the people!"
"Aibaier!"
The two chatted enthusiastically for a while, and then the seminar officially began.
"Dust Settles" has been published for several months and has always received very good reviews from critics, so the tone of today's seminar was almost one-sided praise.
"I think the attraction of "Dust Settles" lies first in the stylistic creation of the novel. Its narrative angle, narrative person, and narrative tone are all very unique and attractive. Its plot is also well-refined and very attractive..."
"Many readers romanticize and mystify the Tusi system in this novel, which is wrong. Because Alai wrote about the history of the collapse and decline of the Tusi system in the first half of this century, which is the basic direction of the novel's theme. The theme of the novel is ambiguous, but in terms of its basic direction, it mainly writes about the decline of the Maiqi Tusi and the collapse of the Tusi system..."
"I'll tell you something interesting. Before Allais's "Dust Settles" came out, I had never heard of the word 'Dust Settles'.
But in the past few months, this word has been flying everywhere. When watching TV or reading newspapers, whenever describing an event that has attracted or may attract public attention as being closed or finalized, the phrase "the dust has settled" will always appear.
Apart from anything else, Alai should be credited for contributing a new word to our Chinese language library."
"The Dust Settles" deserves recognition in terms of literary and artistic qualities, especially the attribute of using poetry as history in the novel, which gives it epic characteristics such as simplicity, legend and chaos. It is an artistic representation of the process of the ancient Tibetan people gradually moving towards modernization."
…
The seminar on the work of "Dust Settles" was a successful conference. Alai was praised to the skies by the experts, while Lin Weimin was calm and composed throughout the whole process and did not utter a word.
There is no way, because he is the editor-in-chief and this is a seminar organized by his own publication.
After listening to the experts praising "Dust Settles" and Alai for a whole morning, the meeting was coming to an end and the final evaluation of "Dust Settles" was discussed. Since it was a seminar, there must be a final conclusion.
Conclusion: This is the peak of long-form creation in recent years!
After the seminar, Alai seemed to be floating as he walked.
That's normal. No one would not be proud if they listened to a bunch of old experts praising them for a whole day.
The key point is that these people are not flattering when they praise others. They are all well-targeted and logically rigorous, making it difficult to refuse!
Teacher Lin felt that this confused soul should be saved.
"Alai, do you have any ideas for your next novel?" Teacher Lin asked with concern.
Alai, who was still immersed in complacency, shuddered when he heard this, "Next novel? I don't have an idea yet."
Teacher Lin patted Alai on the shoulder and said, "It has been more than four months since The Dust Settles was published, and you have been writing it for half a year. You are still so young, and this is the time when your creative energy is the strongest. You must not disappoint the expectations of your predecessors!"
After Lin Weimin finished speaking, several experts nearby also echoed him. The group of people chattered non-stop and soon destroyed Alai's smugness.
Less than ten minutes after the seminar ended, I was praised to great heights at the meeting, but now I am almost being called uneducated.
This huge gap made Alai feel heavy.
(End of this chapter)
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