Gao Xiaobai smiled.
A very tolerant smile.
"Teacher Yu, I know there's been a lot of talk online about why García Borges might be Chinese. There's a lot of reasons, right? I just have one word: impossible."
Yu Hua turned around and asked him, "Why is it impossible?"
Gao Xiaobai waved his fan, his expression calm:
"There are only two reasons why people online say he might be Chinese. First, his novels were all published in Chinese first, followed by other languages. Second, he has never appeared in public, not even to receive an award."
He went on to say, “However, when we analyze it carefully, we know that these are simply untenable.”
Yu Hua pretended to listen attentively.
"Publishing the Chinese version first only shows that he has a deep affinity for China. In fact, his Western version is more delicate and fluent in terms of writing style. The Nobel Prize in Literature is also based on Western writing, not Chinese."
"Besides, there are so many unique writers who don't show their faces, like Hemingway, Faulkner, and Haruki Kawabata. They're so elusive, they didn't even show up to receive the award. That doesn't mean anything."
Gao Xiaobai said to the camera: "Also, maybe you are not very clear, let me give you some basic knowledge about the status of García Borges in Latin America."
"Macondo appears in many of his novels, including One Hundred Years of Solitude. Based on the content of the books, I speculate that it should be a seaside village in Colombia."
"But in Colombia, there's no place called Macondo, only places that are very similar."
"In order to compete for the title of authentic Macondo, several villages changed their names one after another. Overnight, there were three Macondos in Colombia."
"These places all claim to be 'the setting of One Hundred Years of Solitude' or even 'the hometown of Gabriel García Borges' just to prove that they are the real Macondo."
"Another village took out a massive debt and spent a fortune to build a full-length statue of García Borges."
"Based on the village's previous income, it would take 50 years of the village's financial revenue to pay off the statue."
"After the statue was built, the village's tourism industry exploded, and all its debts were paid off in just five years. It's still thriving."
“Of course, since García Borges never appeared in public, the statue was an imaginary creation, carved from the image of the sculptor.”
Jupiter covered his mouth and said, "Oh my god, Teacher Gao, what you said is so funny."
Gao Xiaobai said seriously, "It's a completely true story. There's not a single fabricated element in it. I went to Colombia a few years ago and saw the statue with my own eyes."
"Most tourists who go to Macondo do so on a pilgrimage, and Americans are particularly prevalent. There are a lot of souvenir pendants on the roadside, like gypsy magnets and insomnia notes. They sell for $5 each and they're quite popular."
Jupiter asked, "Do Americans like García Borges very much?"
Gao Xiaobai said: "Americans particularly like it. In the United States, if a wealthy family doesn't have a book by García Borges, they are considered nouveau riche, New Money, and are looked down upon."
He then laughed and said, "Hasn't South America always been considered America's backyard? But in the case of García Borges, it's a case of cultural reverse importation."
Jupiter laughed: "The Americans have also suffered this day."
Gao Xiaobai fanned himself and said, "This is just the impact in Colombia. Elsewhere, the impact is even greater!"
“In fact, Argentines believe that García Borges belongs to them, that he is Argentine.”
“In Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, there is a National Museum of Argentina.”
"Here is all of Argentina's literature, art, history, and cultural relics... all the essence is gathered here."
"In the eyes of Argentines, this museum symbolizes their country and nation. It is their pride and beacon."
“And at the entrance of this museum, there are two and a half sculptures.”
"The one on the left is José Hernández, a well-known poet in Argentina. By analogy, he can be considered Argentina's Li Bai."
"The one on the right is Domingo Faustino Sarmiento. He was the first civilian president in Argentina's history and was deeply loved by the Argentine people. He was also a writer."
"In the middle stood no statue, only an empty stone pillar, on which was carved only a name: García Borges."
“It’s empty because García Borges never shows his face.”
"Although he never stated his nationality, his writings seemed to boil naturally in the blood of Argentines."
"Argentines firmly believe that he is Argentine!"
“Once García Borges is officially revealed, they will place his portrait between the greatest poet and the most famous president in Argentina’s history, and let him stand there forever.”
When Gao Xiaobai said this, everyone watching the show listened. Liu Ruyan listened too.
Everyone had different thoughts in their minds, only Liu Ruyan was stunned, recalling the past.
Chen Ya said that love is an instinct, but creation is not.
This is a paraphrase of a line from "Love in the Time of Cholera".
In the book, the original words are:
“Love is an instinct. You are either born with it or you never have it.”
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