Chapter 928 Nobel Prize in Literature
The completion of the second part of "Li Jianguo" brought joy to the editorial department of "Contemporary". Lao He was going to publish the novel in the 10th issue, which was an urgent task for the editors of "Contemporary".
The first part of "Li Jianguo" has 470,000 words, and the second part is longer, reaching 560,000 words, totaling 1.03 million words.
A work of a million words is considered a massive tome in the field of novels.
It is definitely a big challenge for the editors to complete the three reviews of a manuscript of more than 500,000 words in 20 days.
Fortunately, Lin Weimin's works rarely need to be revised, so the reviewing editors can read them to their heart's content, which in turn speeds up the review efficiency.
Before National Day, the 10th issue of "Contemporary" was printed as scheduled.
Finally, the manuscript of the second part of "Li Jianguo" was handed in. As the National Day was approaching, Lin Weimin was planning to take his family out for a trip, but suddenly he received a call from Roger Strauss.
Not making phone calls unless necessary has now become a tacit understanding between Lin Weimin and Roger Strauss.
As soon as the old man came up, he said to Lin Weimin mysteriously, "Lin, are you ready for your flight to Sweden?"
Lin Weimin was stunned for a moment, "What do you mean?"
"What else could it mean? That's it!"
Lin Weimin already had a guess in his mind, and he asked with a smile: "You are not trying to bribe the judges, are you?"
"I don't dare bribe the judges, but I have no problem getting information. You have a great chance of winning the Nobel Prize in Literature this year."
"You said the same thing in previous sessions," Lin Weimin said sarcastically.
Roger Strauss was anxious. "That's different. This time I'll use..."
The old man hesitated for a moment, "I promise you with my character."
"The Jewish character is worthless." Lin Weimin said to him sarcastically.
Roger Strauss was not annoyed, but a little impatient. "Really, you have to believe me."
Seeing that his tone was serious and not joking, Lin Weimin said, "Well, you are really well-informed. You can actually know the list of winners in advance?"
Roger Strauss explained seriously: "I don't have the energy to know the list of winners in advance, but you should know that there is something called probability statistics in this world."
Lin Weimin sneered, "Isn't that the same as fortune-telling?"
Roger Strauss was not angry when he was called "Jews with worthless character", but he was unhappy when Lin Weimin said this.
"You liberal arts students are really ignorant. You should believe in science. Do you understand science? Forget it. I guess you don't even know what statistical mathematics is."
In retaliation, Lin Weimin felt a deep sense of discrimination from science students.
After joking for a while, Lin Weimin said seriously, "You don't have to call me to tell me if there is no confirmed news. It will save me from worrying about the gains and losses."
"Haven't you always thought little of the Nobel Prize in Literature? Why are you so worried about it?"
"Who wouldn't be happy to win a prize, and a world-class award?"
"You liberal arts students are so hypocritical." Roger Strauss mocked again, and then said, "It is now widely rumored in the Swedish literary world that this year's literature prize winner will not be a European. Among the more promising writers in this year's nominees, only two are not Europeans, one is you, and the other is the Nigerian writer Nabol. Compared with you, the Nigerian writer Nabol has no chance of winning the prize at all."
"Doesn't the Nobel Prize in Literature also like to be unexpected? What if it's him?" Lin Weimin said with a smile.
Roger Strauss immediately stopped Lin Weimin's bad behavior. He was still counting on Lin Weimin to win the Nobel Prize in Literature and his works to sell well and make him money!
After the message was delivered, Roger Strauss hung up the phone.
Lin Weimin put down the phone and felt calm.
If he wins the prize, it will be a happy thing. Roger Strauss said that he has a high chance of winning the prize this year, but the list of winners has not been announced yet, so it is too early to be happy now.
However, the announcement of this year's Nobel Prize is getting closer, and discussions about the Nobel Prize winners are gradually rising in the domestic news media. This wave of public opinion appears every year and is not new.
During the National Day holiday, the new issue of Contemporary Magazine appeared on the shelves of many bookstores in China, on street newsstands, and in the homes and offices of readers who subscribed to this publication as usual.
After more than 20 years of operation, Contemporary Magazine has a readership of tens of millions in China. When the new issue of the magazine was released, it was immediately sought after by readers.
Many readers were surprised to find a familiar name when they opened the new issue of the magazine - "Li Jianguo", Part 2.
The readers who discovered this for the first time were ecstatic. They remembered that a year and a half ago, the first part of "Li Jianguo" came out and caused a huge response in the domestic literary circles and readers.
The novel is brilliantly written, using more than 400,000 words to describe the protagonist Li Jianguo's rough first half of life. It has a grand structure, and also integrates national affairs well into the plot, vividly showing the Chinese people's perseverance and self-improvement in the face of hardships.
It has received numerous praises from the literary world, made countless readers cheer, and amazed the press.
Now, the second part of "Li Jianguo" is back, and it is still a large volume of more than 500,000 words. Readers excitedly opened the publication, but after just a few glances, they felt relieved.
It still tastes familiar.
In fact, when writers write long novels, they should avoid publishing or distributing the work in parts, because no one can guarantee that the quality of the text can remain consistent. Writers who can do this undoubtedly have strong confidence in their own creations.
Like writers, readers are also worried about such problems.
This is like ordering a meal at a restaurant, and halfway through eating you discover a fly in the meal. Would you say it's disgusting?
Readers are very confident about Lin Weimin's abilities, but even so, they are still a little worried before reading the novel.
Now the second part of "Li Jianguo" is out, and it is still the Li Jianguo that everyone is familiar with. Even though there has been a year and a half in between, the story is still the original one.
However, although the second part follows the style of the first part, its storyline boldly moves ahead of the real timeline.
After reading the first part of "Li Jianguo" last year, many readers discussed this issue, that is, how to write the story of the second part of "Li Jianguo".
According to the timeline in the previous book, it seems that it is inevitable to write about the future period, and such content is extremely difficult to control.
Therefore, many of his colleagues are mocking Lin Weimin for asking for trouble, and readers and critics who like Lin Weimin can't help but worry about him.
There are a thousand Hamlets in the hearts of a thousand readers. The first part of "Li Jianguo" is at least based on reality, and its quality is obvious to all, but the foundation of the second part is entirely based on the deduction and imagination of reality. This creative method is too easy to be criticized.
After all, the future has not happened yet, and everyone has their own imagination of the future in their minds. To depict such a future world and have it recognized and affirmed by countless readers is as difficult as climbing to the sky.
Now, the second part of "Li Jianguo" has finally been published and everyone has seen it.
The story style has not changed, and the timeline has moved forward to the future. Many readers did not feel disobedient while reading. Instead, they were immersed in it and were moved by the characters' joys and sorrows. They had long forgotten whether the story took place in the present or in the future.
It was not until they finished reading the whole book that these people suddenly realized it.
The situation that everyone was worried about did not happen. Lin Weimin used superb writing skills and creative methods to handle the story that takes place in the future timeline in a detailed and thorough manner, as if those things were happening in the present, happening around everyone. This skill is admirable.
The 10th issue of "Contemporary" was published in early October. The second part of "Li Jianguo" is a large volume of more than 500,000 words. Even if an ordinary reader reads quickly, it will take four or five days to finish it. If some readers have little time and read slowly, they may not be able to finish it in ten days or half a month.
Lin Weimin has not received any response from readers yet. After completing the manuscript of "Li Jianguo", he had a rare period of relaxation this month.
That day, he got off work and returned home after having dinner. He just played with his daughter for a while when he was rejected, so he had to turn around and accompany Tao Huimin.
After watching TV, the couple washed up and went to bed.
At midnight, a rapid phone call rang, waking up Lin Weimin and his wife from their sleep.
His heart was beating fast. What people fear most in middle age is phone calls at night.
The last time Lin Weimin received a call at this time was when Shi Tiesheng’s father passed away.
Shi Tiesheng, Mr. Wan... a series of faces flashed through Lin Weimin's mind, but he did not stop. Suppressing the uneasiness in his heart, he picked up the phone on the bedside table.
Tao Huimin, who was beside him, saw that he was silent for a long time. He just listened to the person on the other end of the phone talking with a calm face and occasionally responded. She couldn't help but look worried and gently climbed up Lin Weimin's arm.
"Okay, I understand. Thank you."
After hanging up the phone, Tao Huimin asked hurriedly, "What happened?"
Lin Weimin smiled and said, "Nothing happened. It's a good thing. I won the award."
"Won an award?" Tao Huimin hesitated for a moment, then immediately reacted. Although she was not very interested in literature, she had been exposed to it over the years and had some knowledge of some awards.
"Nobel Prize?" she asked in disbelief.
Lin Weimin nodded gently, "That's right."
After getting his confirmation, the surprise on Tao Huimin's face turned into infinite joy, "Hey! You scared me. It's such a big happy event, but I thought something went wrong. You really can keep your composure."
Lin Weimin chuckled and said, "It's the middle of the night. If I shout loudly, will others be able to sleep?"
"Okay, okay, you have the demeanor of a great general!"
This great news made Tao Huimin feel relaxed from head to toe. Now even if Lin Weimin scolded her a few times, she would probably respond with a smile.
"What exactly did they say on the phone just now? Did they call you just because you won the award? And did they call you in the middle of the night?" she asked curiously.
"We are only announcing the winners now. They are announcing the winners in Stockholm, Sweden, and there is a time difference with us. The award ceremony will take another two months, until December. In a few days, the official award notice and invitation letter will be sent to Yanjing."
It turned out that just now, at 19:00 on the evening of October 12, Central European Time, the Swedish Academy announced in Stockholm that the 2000 Nobel Prize in Literature would be awarded to Chinese writer Lin Weimin in recognition of his literary achievements.
There is a six-hour time difference between China and Sweden. When the Swedish Academy announced that Lin Weimin had won the award, it was midnight in China.
"I see." Tao Huimin nodded.
When she thought about her husband winning a world-class literary award, she was overjoyed and kept asking Lin Weimin questions.
Lin Weimin's sweet dream was disturbed, and he started to feel sleepy after being asked by her for a while, "How about we go to bed first?"
"With such a big happy event, you can still sleep well?" Tao Huimin looked at him angrily.
"No matter how happy the occasion is, you still have to go to bed!" said Lin Weimin.
It is not easy to have a good sleep in middle age, so Teacher Lin cherishes his sleep time very much.
While the couple was talking, the phone at home rang again.
When Lin Weimin picked up the phone, he heard an excited voice coming from the other end.
"What did I say! What did I say! Congratulations, Mr. Lin Weimin, the new Nobel Prize winner for Literature!"
Roger Strauss's congratulations were sonorous and powerful, mixed with excitement and excitement. He seemed happier than when he himself won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Of course he had reason to be so happy. Lin Weimin won the award, and FSG Publishing House was going to make a fortune again.
(End of this chapter)
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