Chapter 790 Let’s Call It the National Literature Award
In just half a month, they had to complete the reading of 112 novels and compile sufficient reasons for selection and elimination, which was a huge test for the reading class.
Fortunately, the study class has completed its historical mission as scheduled and is about to be disbanded, but before disbanding, the study class still has one last task to complete.
November 1st is the day for the reading class to submit the shortlist to the Yanbing Literature Award Jury.
This morning, in the conference room on the second floor of the Ministry of Rites office building.
The main topic of today's meeting was the reading club reporting the selected books to the jury. It was also the first meeting of this jury. The vast majority of judges, reading class members and leaders of the Literary Association attended.
As the deputy director of the jury, Chen Changben introduced the preparations for this year's awards, as well as the work and achievements of the reading class.
The 112 nominated novels were recommended by dozens of units and departments across the country. After thorough study in the reading class, 30 works were finally selected and shortlisted for the final award competition.
When Chen Changben read out the long list of selected works, a buzz of whispers quickly broke out in the conference room.
Because in the list that Chen Changben read out, there was a noun that appeared abnormally frequently.
"Chinese Literature Society".
Among the 30 shortlisted works, 10 of them have the publishing house name "Guowenshe" in the suffix.
Such a rare and surprising situation made it difficult for the attendees to suppress their doubts and curiosity.
"Deputy Director Chen, there are only 30 selected works in total, and Guowen Publishing House alone has 10 of them. Isn't this number a bit exaggerated?"
After the first person raised the question, there was a second one, and then someone else asked, "I remember that in the list that the selection office received at that time, there were only 10 works submitted by Guowen Publishing House. In other words, after the reading class, all these 10 works met the selection criteria?"
Chen Changben felt somewhat helpless. He had already anticipated such a scene when the study class handed him the list of selected candidates.
“This situation is indeed quite bizarre, and it is the first time in the history of our Yanbing Literature Award.
However, I would like to ask everyone to believe in the professional vision and professional ethics of our reading class. Each of them is serious and responsible about the selection work and will try their best not to miss any important works.
These selected works have also stood the test of time and readers.”
After Chen Changben finished his explanation, the discussion in the conference room still did not stop.
There are 30 shortlisted works, and one publishing house owns 10 of them. This ratio is too exaggerated.
Even if everyone recognizes the quality of these works, such awards and the dominance of one company are likely to cause unfairness.
There was constant discussion in the meeting room, and Cheng Jiangong raised his hand when he saw it.
He is a member of the reading class and also a member of the jury, and has a certain say in the preliminary selection stage.
The meeting was chaired by Zhai Taifeng, the Minister of Rites, who was also the Secretary of Group D of the Cultural Association. "Comrade Jiangong, what do you think?"
After Zhai Taifeng spoke, the discussions in the conference room quieted down.
Cheng Jiangong cleared his throat and said, "Regarding the fact that all 10 works submitted by Guowen Publishing House have been selected, I would like to talk about our reading class's views.
Our reading class is a peripheral organization of the jury, responsible for the preliminary selection of 112 novels. To put it bluntly, we are screening for the seniors on the jury.
In the process of studying the works, our standard is not to pick one out of a hundred, but to define a range and retain all the works above the standard, pending more detailed and rigorous selection by the senior judges on the jury.
Their standards are few and precise, and must be the most appropriate.
The starting points for both parties to consider the issue are different, but I can say responsibly that these 30 shortlisted works are all good works unanimously recognized by our reading class.
Some people say that Guowen Publishing House has many books selected, while others say that all the books they submitted were shortlisted. I don’t deny these.
But everyone should take a look at what works they have shortlisted.
"White Deer Plain", "Dust Settles", "Emperor Yongzheng", "Autumn of Turmoil", "War and People"...
Each of the 10 works is a well-known good work. The average level of the books submitted by Guowen Publishing House this time is much higher than that of other units. This is an indisputable fact and we must admit it.
Without mentioning these 10 works, I don’t know if you have heard that, in fact, the list that Guowen Publishing House was to submit was 22 works, but 12 of them were eliminated by Lin Weimin.
Which works were dismissed?
"Bali Love and Revenge", "To Live", "Love Life", "Hometown Yellow Flowers"..."
Cheng Jiangong counted one by one the names that were crossed out from the list by Lin Weimin. Each of their works was a masterpiece with a good reputation, but even so, they were not even qualified to submit their works.
As the names were announced, the slightly aggressive atmosphere in the meeting room gradually calmed down.
We are all people in the literary circle. To be honest, don’t you think that these works rejected by Lin Weimin are not up to the standards submitted?
Of course it can be achieved!
But why don’t they even get the qualification to submit?
Isn’t it because there are so many strong contestants from Guowen Publishing House participating in the selection of this year’s Yanbing Literature Award?
In previous years, these novels might not only be submitted, but even make it to the final.
But the reality is so cruel. The works are published by Guowen Publishing House, the first publishing house in the field of literature. The royalties are high and it is glorious to talk about it. However, the writers have to bear the consequences of overly fierce internal competition during the awards.
"Okay, that's all I have to say. There are definitely some shortcomings in the work of our study class, and I hope everyone will understand."
Cheng Jiangong finished his speech, and Chen Changben observed the reactions of everyone in the conference room.
At this time, Zhai Taifeng said, "The works submitted by Guowen Publishing House are of outstanding quality, and there are many works on the shortlist, which is understandable. The principle set by Mr. Ba for the jury is: rather have nothing than something mediocre, not to be partial, not to make do, everything starts from the works, and since there is no problem with the level, it is reasonable for them to be selected."
He was the highest leader present and he made the final decision. There was no need to discuss the selection criteria any further.
The meeting continued, and the next thing to be discussed was the "Awarding Plan for the 4th Yanbing Literature Award."
The situation of the first meeting of the Yanbing Literature Award and the news that all 10 works submitted by Guowen Publishing House were shortlisted became the focus of heated discussion in the domestic literary and publishing circles within a few days after the meeting.
The Yanbing Literature Award has been established for fifteen years.
After three awards, no matter how controversial the results are, its influence is undoubtedly the top domestic literary award.
As the highest institution in the domestic literary world, Guowen Publishing House has played a considerable role in the awards judging process in previous years and can be said to be the biggest winner of the awards.
Looking back at the first three award ceremonies, there were a total of 16 winning works, and 9 of them were from Guowen Publishing House alone.
Wei Wei's "East", Mo Yingfeng's "General's Song", Zhang Jie's "Heavy Wings", Lu Yao's "Ordinary World" and Lin Weimin's "Farewell My Concubine" and "Horse Catcher"...
Such brilliant achievements have made Guowen Publishing House famous. Now that the fourth Yanbing Literature Award has just begun, it has been reported that Guowen Publishing House has won 10 of the 30 shortlisted works, causing many local literary associations, cultural departments, publishing institutions and large publications in the country to wail.
Is this not enough to let people survive?
The quality of Guowenshe's works has always represented the highest achievements in the domestic literary world.
Over the past few decades, the literary world and domestic readers have adapted.
But this year's Chinese Literature Society is truly abnormally powerful.
To be frank, the other 20 works are not at all as heavyweight as the top 10 shortlisted works by Guowen Publishing House.
Even though 10/30 is not as high as the previous winning numbers of 9/16, the upper limit was higher in the past, so there were probably only four or five films that Guowen Publishing House had the chance to compete for the final spots.
But this time, Guowen Publishing House has set a high standard. Any one of the 10 works is worthy of the Yanbing Literature Award.
Even if the jury does not want to dominate, the works at the top are all from Guowen Publishing House. Do you dare to exclude them all at once?
Why was the award that was so close to Lin Weimin taken away last time?
Isn’t it because he has won two consecutive terms? Isn’t it because the Chinese Literature Society has been the leader for several terms?
Now, they are making a comeback even more fiercely than in previous years and are unmatched.
The most terrifying thing is that these 10 works have actually been screened by others.
It’s so fucking infuriating!
Whether it's wailing or anger, the 30 shortlisted works have been confirmed. Local literary associations, cultural departments, publishing organizations and large publications can only accept the reality that they are inferior in skills and can only pray that Guowen Publishing House does not sweep all the awards in the end.
In fact, the jury is more troublesome than the local literary associations, cultural departments, publishing houses and large publications.
It is not a good thing for any award if one company dominates the award.
The works of this year's National Literature Society are so strong that it is not easy for them to find a balance.
The most terrifying situation is that the Guowen Publishing House takes all the awards. If that happens, the Yanbing Literature Award might as well be called the National Literature Award.
After receiving the shortlist, the Yanbing Literature Award jury has fallen into an unprecedented passive situation.
As November approached, the temperature in Yanjing dropped sharply, and it seemed as if winter had arrived overnight.
When going to work in the morning, a cup of tea, a newspaper and some good conversation are the beginning of a good work day.
Most people have arrived at the editorial office of Contemporary Magazine.
With so many years of people coming and going, there are a few new faces in the editorial department.
News about the Yanbing Literature Award has been circulating widely these days, and it has been a hot topic of discussion within the Guowen Society.
"This is going to be hard for the jury!"
Zhu Changsheng just talked about the judging of the Yanbing Literature Award, and Yang Xinlan's tone contained a hint of gloating.
"Xiao Yang, the jury is in a difficult position, why are you so happy?" Zhu Changsheng asked.
Yang Xinlan said, "Who asked them to ruin the editor-in-chief's honor of winning three first prizes in a row? They always like to balance things out, and now they are getting their comeuppance, right? Let's see what they do!"
She still felt unsatisfied as she spoke, and added: "We should really ask the editor-in-chief to submit all 22 works and take up a few more places. Let's see what they will do then?"
Upon hearing this, colleagues couldn't help but smile mischievously.
"You really are a person who enjoys watching the fun."
Zou Changyi said: "Even if there are many submissions, it doesn't mean that many will be selected. I think the editor-in-chief's move is very smart. He directly submitted the best works and left them with nothing. If they really do something like the last session, everyone will be able to see it clearly at a glance."
Yang Xinlan smiled and said, "Yes, yes, yes, why didn't I think of that? You know what, maybe the editor-in-chief really thought so, this trick is really great!"
Everyone was laughing and discussing the news about the Yanbing Literature Award. At this time, Haiyan suddenly walked into the office.
"Hey, Mr. Hai is here!"
Hai Yan's debut work "Plainclothes Policeman" was published through "Contemporary" and is known to everyone.
Although they have not been in contact much over the years, they have met quite often, especially after he was recruited by Lin Weimin to be the general manager of Wencheng Film and Television, he became a member of the Guowen Society.
He chatted with everyone for a while, and Yao Shuzhi asked, "How come you, a busy man, have time to come to the editorial office?"
Hai Yan said: "I'm going to the Copyright Operations Department to do some work."
"When will the TV series your company is working on be broadcast? My daughter is waiting to watch it!" Yao Shuzhi asked.
Haiyan knew she was talking about "Flower Season and Rainy Season" and responded with a smile: "Soon, soon, in just over a month, it has been confirmed to be broadcast on CCTV, a blockbuster for the new year."
"If you ask me, your propaganda method is too bad. You have persuaded my daughter to buy a bunch of magazines, and then cut out the photos of those child actors and actresses and pasted them together." Yao Shuzhi said indignantly.
Haiyan felt a little embarrassed when he heard this. Idol stars are indeed too powerful for children!
(End of this chapter)
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