Chapter 910: A Neo-Realistic Masterpiece
Just as Comrade Qi Gong said, being a librarian at the National Academy of Literature and History is indeed very leisurely, and one can receive a very substantial allowance every month. However, this allowance was of little use to Lin Weimin, and he donated it to the foundation.
In August, the city of Yanjing was as stuffy as a steamer. It was no longer hot to sit under the trees in the courtyard, so turning on the air conditioner was the best option.
However, Xiao Doubao has recently found a good place to go, which is her roller skating rink.
The roller skating rink is a steel structure building, but unlike the color steel houses on construction sites that are cold in winter and hot in summer, the thermal insulation measures here are very good. Combined with the ten-meter-high frame and good ventilation, it can be called a paradise under the scorching sun in Yanjing.
Little Doubao is on summer vacation recently and spends most of her time here. She is almost moving her home here. She often calls her friends over and the laughter and play of these little kids can be heard in the roller skating rink almost every day.
Among a group of little kids, Xiao Doubao is not the tallest nor the strongest, but she is undoubtedly the leader of the group.
On this weekend, Tao Huimin was going out shopping, and Lin Weimin was responsible for picking up and taking care of the children.
He sent his daughter to the roller skating rink. At around eight o'clock in the morning, the sun was so hot that people couldn't open their eyes. Everything around was heating up. After walking into the shadow of the roller skating rink, the temperature suddenly became cooler.
"Your place is really nice!" Lin Weimin praised.
Xiao Doubao was very proud, "That's right."
When I walked to the gate, I saw that the gate of the roller skating rink was a 6m*8m steel fireproof roller shutter door. There was an antique plaque hanging on it with the three words "Shufangzhai" inscribed on it.
Lin Weimin was speechless. This girl must have gone crazy watching TV.
"My Fair Princess", which set off a viewing frenzy last year, aired its second season in mainland China at the end of last month, sweeping almost all age groups, with ratings even higher than when the first season was aired.
"Who made this plaque for you?"
"My classmates did it."
Lin Weimin was shocked, but he didn't dare to say anything nonsense.
"The classmates pooled their money to make this, right?"
"Yeah." Xiao Doubao nodded seriously.
Lin Weimin looked at his daughter suspiciously. How could he not know what kind of person his daughter is?
"Tell the truth!"
Xiao Doubao smiled playfully. Anyway, she had already been beaten by her mother for this matter, so she was not afraid to speak out.
"I sent each of them an autographed photo, and they paid for it."
Well, these little guys are really capable of taking action. This can be considered a small project, right?
Just as Lin Weimin was about to scold her, the little girl hugged his arm and said coquettishly, "Dad, Mom has already criticized me."
The words were blocked at the tip of his tongue. This girl must have figured out his temper.
"Go play."
Not long after, Xiao Doubao's classmates also came to the roller skating rink one after another.
After a year of unremitting efforts by Xiao Doubao and his classmates, the roller skating rink is no longer just a roller skating rink, but more like a playground for these little kids, with sofas, chairs, tables, TVs, DVD players, game consoles, slides, and all kinds of toys...
Among them, Xiaodouding contributed the most. The sofa, table, TV and DVD player were all bought with her own New Year's money.
Compared to what's inside the roller skating rink, the plaque at the door is not a big deal.
Lin Weimin has been busy with work in the past six months and has not been to the roller skating rink. He did not expect such a big change.
He looked at the many facilities in the roller skating rink. What was this? A shared playground?
This girl is really capable of causing trouble.
At ten o'clock in the morning, the roller skating rink was bustling with activity. More than twenty little kids gathered there, and the roof was about to be blown off.
Lin Weimin felt a headache from the noise. This place was cool, but it was really uninhabitable.
He called the nanny, Sister Qin, to come and look after these little kids, while he drove out for a walk.
He went to see the library and museum that were under construction. It had been more than two years, and the place was finally almost completed and would be ready for completion before the National Day.
However, completion of construction does not mean that the building can be opened. Whether it is a library or a museum, completion of construction is only the first step. Expanding the collection of books and collections is the most critical. Just take your time. Lin Weimin is not in a hurry anyway.
Occasionally coming to see the changes in these two venues, Lin Weimin feels a sense of security in his heart. In the future, this will become a place where many children who love learning will linger.
After visiting the venue under construction, Lin Weimin returned to the roller skating rink and arranged to take the little kids out for dinner.
When they came, Tao Huimin instructed him to take the children to have lunch at a nearby restaurant.
When they heard that they were going to eat, these little kids became very active and enthusiastic. They waved the money in their hands and clamored to go to KFC.
Xiao Doubao also grabbed Lin Weimin's hand and joined in the fun, "Dad, I want to eat KFC too."
Lin Weimin looked at the twenty-odd people. Qianmen was several kilometers away, and he didn't dare to take so many children on the bus.
"Then let's order a meal." Lin Weimin said.
It was after 2013 that delivery guys in yellow robes shuttled through the streets and alleys of Yanjing. Nowadays, Yanjing does have delivery services.
Since 1992, a number of businesses providing food delivery services have appeared in Yanjing.
In front of Yuexiu Hotel, there are vendors riding tricycles selling boxed lunches, so taxi drivers can have hot meals without leaving their posts.
There are also fast food trucks providing services in front of the foreign-owned company office buildings in the Liangmahe area.
Famous restaurants like Senlong Restaurant also accept telephone reservations and provide door-to-door delivery services.
After 1995, the food delivery industry in Yanjing evolved again. Someone collected the phone numbers and restaurant information of various restaurants in a certain area and printed them on flyers. The range of diners' orders was suddenly expanded a lot, and the delivery industry became more and more prosperous.
However, apart from boxed lunches and fast food, ordering other types of Chinese food is very troublesome. There are usually requirements on the number of portions to be ordered, and the user experience is very poor.
In comparison, ordering food from the several foreign fast food restaurants in Yanjing is much more convenient, and they even have their own dedicated delivery staff, but the charges are a bit higher than those of ordinary restaurants.
There was a Pizza Hut less than two stops away from the roller skating rink. Lin Weimin called and ordered a meal. More than half an hour later, the deliveryman arrived at the roller skating rink carrying dozens of boxes.
The two deliverymen were instantly surrounded by these little kids. It seemed that Western fast food was naturally more suitable for children's tastes.
Looking at the little kids wolfing down their food, Lin Weimin tasted the pizza in his own mouth and it tasted like wax.
This is probably the generation gap!
Happy summer vacation is always short.
By September, Xiao Doubao had become a second-grade student. Carrying his schoolbag to school every day, Lin Weimin and his wife felt relieved.
We should take less time off during these winter and summer vacations.
On the 3rd, Roger Strauss called Lin Weimin. He called directly without sending an email, which proved that it was something important.
Roger Strauss first reported to Lin Weimin about the sales and response of "Li Jianguo" after its publication in the United States.
The first part of "Li Jianguo" was released in the U.S. market in late July. Over the past decade, Lin Weimin's works have built a strong appeal in the U.S. book market and among readers. Once the novel was released, it was warmly sought after by readers and critics.
In the week of its release, the first part of "Li Jianguo" topped the New York Times bestseller list and has remained at the top ever since. As of last week, the cumulative sales had reached 550,000 copies.
The sales of 550,000 copies in one and a half months cannot be compared with the sales in China, but it is enough to prove Lin Weimin's influence in the United States.
However, compared with readers' love, the first part of "Li Jianguo" seems to be more popular in the American literary and critical circles.
Within just one and a half months of the novel's release, book reviews about the novel appeared in almost all major literary journals in the United States. The vast majority of them were positive, and many heavyweight critics praised the first part of "Li Jianguo" with effusive praise.
Since the early 1990s, a notable highlight has gradually emerged in American literary research, which is the focus on works with historical depth. As a result, a number of very in-depth literary history works have appeared in the American literary world in recent years.
Although the first part of Lin Weimin's "Li Jianguo" is based on realistic themes, it also adopts some novel narrative methods in its creative techniques, integrating fiction and history. It deeply shows the various problems facing contemporary China and the joys and sorrows of ordinary people in the context of the great era. It fits the tastes of many researchers and critics who are obsessed with analyzing American social problems.
Roger Strauss also specifically mentioned that John Updike, who is famous in the American and world literary circles for his "Rabbit Quartet", wrote an article in the "New York Review of Books" to evaluate "Li Jianguo": it has a grand and broad vision of the times, and its narrative style fully highlights the difference from traditional realism. It truly deeply and seriously discusses the dialectical relationship between human beings and social development.
At the end of the article, Updike also summarized the creative style of "Li Jianguo" as a "neo-realism masterpiece."
John Updike is a famous contemporary American writer. His most well-known works are the tetralogy "Rabbit Runs", "Rabbit Comes Back", "Rabbit Gets Rich" and "Rabbit Rests". He himself happens to be the representative figure of the new realism style in American literary circles.
After listening to Roger Strauss's retelling, Lin Weimin couldn't help but complain in his heart.
"Is he praising me or himself?"
Roger Strauss smiled and said, "None of this matters. What matters is that the novel has a good reputation."
After chatting with Lin Weimin about the sales and response of the first part of "Li Jianguo" in the United States, Roger Strauss talked about another topic, which was also the main purpose of his call today.
"Lin, next year's Nobel selection will begin."
The worldwide popularity and influence of the Nobel Prize in Literature are unquestionable. The French may recognize the Prix Goncourt more, the Italians may recognize the Strega Prize more, and the British may recognize the Booker Prize more, but looking at the world as a whole, the Nobel Prize in Literature is the only literary award that truly has a global influence.
In recent years, the question Lin Weimin is most frequently asked in interviews is about the Nobel Prize in Literature.
When Roger Strauss was able to discuss cooperation with Lin Weimin, he vowed that he could help him win the Nobel Prize in Literature.
In fact, there has always been a joke in the European literary world that to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, you must first live long enough.
Except for some writers who are extremely talented and lucky in winning awards, most well-known writers are relatively old when they win major literary awards, and many of them will never win an award in their entire lives.
There are many such people in the literary world, such as Borges, Kafka...
Every year before the Nobel Prize in Literature is announced, readers and media around the world will enthusiastically discuss the potential winners. After the announcement, they will evaluate whether the choice was right or wrong, good or bad, and who to feel sorry for and who to celebrate.
Since ancient times, there has been no first in literature and no second in martial arts. No one dares to say that the awarding of awards is 100% certain.
Lin Weimin has always had good luck in winning awards.
If we count the widely influential literary awards around the world, he has not won all of them, but he has won most of them. He is really not short of honors, so Lin Weimin is not obsessed with the Nobel Prize in Literature.
It’s best if you can get it, but it’s okay if you can’t.
Seeing Roger Strauss talking about this again, Lin Weimin smiled and joked, "What? I'm nominated again this year?"
Lin Weimin said this as a joke, but Roger Strauss felt deeply hurt when he heard it from his mouth.
"Lin, you're going too far!"
(End of this chapter)
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