Chapter 314 Neon Achievements
Chapter 314 Neon Achievements
Let’s talk about the domestic record of Flowers for Algernon.
32 copies on the first day.
75 copies in the first week.
168 million copies in the first month.
The fastest book to reach one million copies since 2007 ( days).
It has been on the market for almost two months, and the sales have exceeded two million, even surpassing the sales of The Little Prince. When the royalties are paid, King Guru will be financially comfortable again.
So what about travelling overseas?
The translator, Taishan Kobayashi, was sleeping at home and had not gotten up even though it was already four o'clock in the afternoon.
Working overtime every day to translate "Flowers for Algernon" was too tiring, and he wanted to have a good sleep after finally putting down the burden.
But not long after, the doorbell rang.
Under normal circumstances, he lives in seclusion and rarely sees friends. The place is remote, so no one comes here except the cashiers of NHK TV station.
Maybe I found the wrong one? Xiaolin Taishan, who was very sleepy, did not get up.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but the honking of vehicles and the noise of people outside the door kept him awake.
What's going on? Don't you know that honking a car horn can cause anxiety to others?
Kobayashi Taishan, who was in a bad mood after waking up, jumped up from the tatami and rushed to the window angrily - his expression was stiff, and he silently pulled the curtains.
He was scared. There were people everywhere outside, more than 20 guns and cannons were set up. The one who honked the horn just now was a reporter, so it was okay, reporters often did this kind of thing.
"Are there any famous people in this area?" Kobayashi Taishan couldn't help but wonder.
He had no clue, and the next moment it became even noisier. He could vaguely hear—
"Teacher Kobayashi Taizan, do you have time for an interview?"
"The readers are very curious, Kobayashi-san."
"I'm a reporter for Weekly Bunshun."
……
Are you here to interview me? Are you calling my name? Kobayashi Taishan's head seemed to be hit by an air hammer.
That’s right, all that big scene outside is for him.
The reason why the scene was even more boiling was that the reporters had just seen me from the window, which was like adding fuel to the fire.
After thinking for a long time, Kobayashi Taishan opened the door.
A certain magazine tabloid immediately came forward, and before the original owner had time to ask a question, he had received the question, "Xiao Lin-san, did you communicate with Teacher Gu Lu when you were translating?"
Teacher Gu Lu, when translating? Xiaolin Taishan seems to understand again. The "Flowers for Algernon" sold this morning is popular?
"Flowers for Algernon is the first novel you translated. May I ask why you were able to translate it so brilliantly?" Not to be outdone, the Weekly Bunshun reporter also squeezed forward.
Is it exciting? Xiaolin Taishan feels that he is working the same way as he usually does.
At the beginning, Kobayashi Taizan's translation is: ストラウスはかせわぼくが卡えたことや思いだしたことやこれからぼくのまわりでおこたことわぜんぶかいておきなさいといった.
The correct way to write it should be 覚えている (I still remember), but he used 思い (recall).
As we all know, the protagonist of the book, Little Deer, had a lot of typos at the beginning.
The English version has one or two letters wrong, like Progress.Report becomes Progris.Riport, which is extremely simple.
In Chinese, it can be replaced with homophones, such as "progress report" becomes "jinbu baogao", to express that the protagonist's IQ was not high at the beginning.
How to make mistakes in Japanese is a real test of the translator's ability. Kobayashi Taizan chose to misunderstand the meaning of similar words, and the progress report was also translated as "けえかほおこく".
I have to say that Kobayashi Taizan is talented in translation. Even the Japanese version is at a level where 1+1 is greater than 2.
"Professor Yoshinoze thinks you are a rising star in the translation field. What do you think?"
Continue asking.
Rising star?
Who is Ryognose?
Kobayashi Taishan felt that this world was so strange.
Why did he feel that the sky had changed after he woke up from sleep? The story starts in the morning.
"One liter of tears. If I shed one tear for science fiction today, I lose." Liang Huali thought to herself while buying books.
She has a single surname and her ancestors were good officials, but this is not important. What is important is that she has watched many pure love works. Her favorites are "Love in the Center of the World" and "Love in the Sky", and she is familiar with all kinds of sensational plots.
Just to see how Hua Xia Tiancai would stab people in their works, I bought some science fiction that I wouldn't normally watch.
Of course, another reason why Liang Huali was so confident was that she had never cried while reading a science fiction novel.
Liang Huali didn't get a seat on the subway. Under normal circumstances, except for the start of the commuting time, the chance of getting a seat is not much higher than the probability of winning the lottery.
The office workers in the carriage seemed like sausage stuffing, they were about to burst because of too much stuffing.
Many people looked at it, and Liang Huali saw a familiar cover - a little white mouse in the middle, surrounded by colorful flowers.
Looking around, there were at least three people holding Flowers for Algernon. This ratio was very scary, two high school girls and one office worker.
Since there are so many people reading books, Liang Huali feels that she won't be the only one if she takes out the book.
Leaning on the handrail, although Neon’s subway shock-absorbing technology is not as good as China’s, the subway is crowded and there is no shaking at all.
The story is very simple, it is the story of Little Deer, a mentally retarded person.
Liang Huali was immersed in the story, from "I will definitely not cry" at the beginning to "I will definitely not cry in the carriage".
In the end, I will definitely be able to hold it in!
Neon's pure love is to tear apart the beautiful love, just like in "Love Letter", Mika was raped, and she slowly walked down with Hiroki by her side. Later, Mika got pregnant with Hiroki's child, and thought that sweet love was about to come, but...
The most amazing thing is the ending of the novel, where the author states that "Love Letter" is her autobiography, the entire story is true, and the author is Mika in the story.
This book does not depict many beautiful scenes. Instead, the clever little deer looks down on the people around him, which makes Liang Huali dislike him. This book depicts helpless despair - but the little deer is already miserable, why throw him into despair?
Is this really the author of "The Prince at That Time"?
Tears flowed down her cheeks, and Liang Huali finally couldn't hold back any more.
Crying in public was really rude, so Liang Huali hurriedly covered herself. But she saw from the corner of her eye that the other two female high school students who were reading had their heads buried behind their books. They also didn't want to be seen.
But Liang Huali realized instantly that she was not the only one who couldn't hold back.
When Ryoka Rin got home from get off work today, she immediately recommended it to her father, who was none other than Ryosano.
"Dad, please read this article. It's very interesting! You must read it."
Professor Yoshinosuke is a professor at the Faculty of Letters of the University of Tokyo, and has in-depth research in the fields of literature, Chinese, and translation.
He has written books such as "A Study of Mono no Awai in Japanese Literature", "Literature Influenced by Tang Poetry", and "Do We Need to Learn Chinese?" Some of his books are even Japanese textbooks, so his words and deeds have a great influence.
Although Ryognose is quite busy, she still couldn't persuade her daughter to take time to read.
The reading process of almost three hours is as follows:
"The books of Chinese genius Gu Lu, whose The Little Prince is of high artistic value."
"Hmm? Who is the translator and why are there so many typos?"
"I think I understand. The author is taking advantage of a typo."
"Who is the translator who made such a typo? A genius!"
"Life is full of despair. For the person involved, even more despair is no big deal."
After reading it, the professor knew that this book would definitely be a bestseller in Japan. He took off his reading glasses and wiped them carefully with a glasses cloth.
Because some of it fits the Japanese national character of mono no aware.
So when Professor Yoshinoze published his evaluation of Flowers for Algernon, he first praised his own person, the translator Taizan Kobayashi.
As a professor, he can understand the Chinese version. Ryosuke praised the book for its accurate translation of professional terms, its consistency in style, and its consideration of readers' reading needs. The book review comes later.
[Flowers for Algernon] is a very popular book recently. You can see it whenever you pass by a bookstore, so I only know the name. But this time my family recommended it to me, so I decided to give it a try.
I almost cried after reading it in one breath.
It will probably be different depending on who is reading it, because everyone has desire, arrogance and deception in their hearts.
In the face of a desperate answer, cruel tenderness prevailed over the harsh truth. I recalled the moments when I was deceived in my childhood, and the forgotten memories were forced out again.
The book offers a thoughtful reflection on the universal theme of relationships with other people.]
After reading the entire review, I always feel that praising the book is incidental, and the main thing is the love for Kobayashi Taizan. This is why there are a thousand Hamlets for a thousand people. Ryosuke is more interested in translation because of his own research profession. Coupled with his populist personality, he talked less about Gu Lu.
It doesn’t matter. Gu Lu is no longer in Neon like last time. He needs celebrity recommendations to take off.
Gu Lu is now well-known.
Sato of Baitongsha had an initial print run of 50 copies.
He took a bold gamble and won!
On that day, two hot words "Translation Star" and "Luckily Fiction" were created in Japanese forums.
The former is self-evident, as the reporter had already gone to "harass" them in the afternoon. The latter is that many readers were glad that the experiment in the book was fake after reading it. At the same time, many people also understood what a certain celebrity said. There are seven things that can destroy humanity: 1. Politics without principles; 2. Knowledge without personality; 3. Wealth without hard work; 4. Science without humanity...
"I was wrong. I was really wrong. Science fiction tragedies are completely different from pure romance novels. It's heartbreaking."
"Although I just finished reading it, I cried at the last sentence. The sadness kept me awake for a long time. I am not very good at writing reviews, but I still want to recommend it to you. This is a masterpiece, and Gu Lu, you can never doubt the creativity of a genius."
"There is not much love content in the book, which may be related to the author's young age. But his description of love is so profound. Intelligence and education without the support of love are worthless."
"Give the little deer a bouquet of flowers, too. This is a devil book with a cute cover. He tricked me into it with the cover of a fairy tale, and then I cried. When the clever little deer said, 'I am also a little deer,' I was wondering, is the clever little deer the same person as the little deer whose IQ was only 60 before?"
"I am very excited. I am a nurse in a special hospital. This book writes about the views of special people on sex that other works have not noticed. The little deer cannot control himself, so he was beaten and kicked by his mother in the book when he was a child, and even locked in a cage. The smart little deer would have a closer contact with a woman, and this memory would emerge in his mind, so that the little deer would not dare to do so at all. Caring for special people is a long-term topic in society. I thank Mr. Gu Lu for writing such a book, and thank its translator. Let more people pay attention to special people."
……
There are rave reviews! There are negative reviews, but they are drowned out.
On this day, Gu Lu opened the sky gate with a "sword" and returned to Neon to discuss hot topics.
"How is the progress of your comics?" Fujimaki Tadatoshi asked Tsukuda.
"The character design has been completed." Futian said, "Ma Xuanyou will become one of the Ten Great Masters of Totsuki. As for Mr. Gu Lu, I have arranged a very magical identity for him."
As long as there is some clue, Fujimaki Tadashi nodded, "It would be better to release it soon. Have you seen Mr. Gu Lu's new work?"
"Of course I know. There's even a queue at the bookstore across from my apartment," Tsukuda said. "The last time I saw people lining up at a bookstore was when an idol group released an album."
"With sustained popularity, the new comic series can take advantage of the favorable conditions, which is a very good start." Fujimaki Tadatoshi doesn't need it at the moment, because Kuroko Basketball has become famous, so the No. 8 Middle School team will not be taken out for a walk.
But as expected, good things came to fruition. This summer, the Neon High School team played basketball against No. 8 Middle School and lost.
The media began to report that "Only Lu Ping, the killer crocodile, played in the double-walled basketball club of Huaxia No. 8 Middle School! Has Japanese high school basketball become so corrupt? Gu Lu, the writer on one of the double-walled courts, did not leave the court at all."
At that time, the high school basketball team was severely criticized, and Fujimaki Tadatoshi did nothing, but the comic became popular for no reason.
"I'll do it as soon as possible." Tsukuda added, "I really want to go to No. 8 Middle School again if I have the chance. I can't make the honeydew melon stewed with meat by myself."
At first, Fujimaki Tadatoshi felt that this was a dark dish, but when he saw his friend couldn't stop thinking about it, he wondered in his heart - is it really delicious?
Let’s go back and try! Fujimaki Tadashi thought.
It should be said that if my friend's new work can become popular, then the reputation of Huaxia Wudu No. 8 Middle School will definitely be further improved...
No one knows what will happen in the future, but at present, some people in Baitongshe have clearly made many progress.
"President Sato has a far-sighted vision!"
"I told you that President Sato's vision couldn't be wrong."
"Can you believe it? There are queues at the cash registers in some bookstores."
"Why is Gu Lu so good at writing? The transition from fairy tale to science fiction was not hindered at all."
The editorial department of Baitongshe was full of praise for Sato.
The bigger the waves, the more valuable the fish. Sato was the first beneficiary in this wave, and the second was definitely his immediate superior.
Sato accepted the compliments with satisfaction. In Sato's opinion, he deserved them.
"Is it possible for Flowers for Algiers to win the Naoki Prize?" Sato asked another question.
The editor who had just spoken fell silent. No one had ever achieved this before, so how could it be said for sure?
We will check Japan’s performance in two days, but the situation in the country is not peaceful either.
First day back home.
In the morning, "Teacher Zhang, you must have been exhausted from the journey. You should adjust to the time difference when you return home."
In the afternoon, “students don’t have to worry, substitute teachers are there to help.”
In the evening, "You've had enough rest, right? Please compile a copy of Dao Xiaogu's information in the UK and send it to me."
Just by looking at the title, you can tell who cares so much about Zhang Hanli.
Director Hu himself is not in a hurry at all, but his boss is extremely impatient!
"There's a lot of information and it needs to be sorted out. So it may take two days." Zhang Hanli responded.
This response - the information is so good, Director Hu is amiable, "Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Zhang, for coming all the way to London."
"It's not hard." said Zhang Hanli.
It wasn't really hard, it was more like a public-funded trip. The agent named Yao arranged things very well, so Gu Lu didn't need him to take care of her at all.
The only trouble is that Teacher Zhang has to select more appropriate news.
It took four days to compile the collected reports into a file package and send it over.
The director immediately reported it to the principal. After all, Principal Chang was very concerned about this matter.
Browsing Teacher Zhang's information, I realized that the last time Principal Chang was so serious was when responding to an inspection by the leadership.
"The Little Prince" was put on sale in the UK and caused a huge response, so Puffin Books invited Gu Lu to hold a book signing event.
The signing event was reported by several newspapers including The Guardian, The Times, and The Daily Mail, with photos as evidence.
The people of London were very excited about the arrival of China's most talented writer, and even gathered downstairs of the hotel where Gu Lu lived.
Everything that Teacher Zhang said above is supported by photos.
How could the photo be fake? Principal Chang was very satisfied.
Not only are there photos, but there are also data sheets.
Nielsen swept the weekly charts of thousands of books, and the data was clear.
It is obvious that since Gu Lu went to the book signing event, daily sales have increased for three consecutive days.
"Teacher Zhang is very careful in his work," said Principal Chang.
He silently dialed the number of an old friend, who was from the Global Times. You all know this newspaper, it's a subsidiary of Renren Daily that reports on international news.
Principal Chang thought, that is to say, for such a big matter, it is better to let the reporters investigate it more thoroughly and then report it.
“I don’t know if the principals of Bashu Middle School and No. 3 Middle School were angry to death.” Principal Chang was drinking tea, but it was Yongchuan’s premium Xiu Ya tea.
Why? Because having Gu Lu is a sure win. In terms of sports, which high school can exchange with overseas high schools during the summer vacation?
No!
As for clubs, there is no doubt that the school magazine "Youth" is the pinnacle of clubs. To put it bluntly, even if No. 8 Middle School collapses, "Youth" must still be there, which represents the youth power of the new era.
On the contrary, the reputation that Gu Lu brings to the school as a writer is the least noteworthy advantage.
All of the above are political achievements!
You should know that Gu Lu almost joined Bashu Middle School. Fortunately, he had a sharp eye and offered better conditions at that time.
The more Principal Chang thought about it, the more he felt that he was wise and powerful.
(End of this chapter)