Chapter 523: Breaking the Curse
Chapter 523: Breaking the Curse (6000 words)
“I have two things to say”, “I’ve changed a little after watching it”, “I didn’t fully understand “The Man Who Wrestled with the Devil” yesterday”…
As soon as the chairman finished speaking, the six people present, including Vice Chairman Conis, began to speak.
As expected, Orr had a premonition of the current scene, and everyone present was knowledgeable.
"Let me first express my humble opinion." As usual, the chairman spoke and Conis took over first.
"Mr. Gu Lu focuses on people who are possessed by demons, and writers with mental illness in our medical sense as the protagonists. However, in Mr. Gu Lu's writing, there are no words such as depression and bipolar disorder. Nietzsche, Cletus, Hölderlin, and Nietzsche are all "people possessed by demons." Such a unique perspective makes Mr. Gu Lu's biographical works extremely attractive, just like the attraction of kissing my little granddaughter when I saw her when I went out this morning." Konis said, "Only after reading all three articles can you experience it - experience the typology of human nature. I'm sorry, I gave it a name privately."
German jokes always come at inappropriate times and are often not funny, just like the metaphor of attraction.
"Anthropology? It's a very appropriate name." Seeing that Bedconis had no intention of speaking, she continued, "It is not only applicable to the field of literature, but also has inspiring significance for analyzing and understanding geniuses in other fields. I was wondering yesterday, what magic does Mr. Gu Lu have?"
Translate: Translate, what's wrong with Gu Lu?
Yes, Gu Lu must be sick. After all, his talent is even greater than that of the three masters.
Her speech distracted everyone present, and they soon realized that they did not know much about Chinese writers.
Then everyone took turns speaking.
"Mr. Gu Lu actually wrote about four writers in the book."
"Yes, Goethe is a more perfect and rational creative model, while Hölderlin, Kleist and Nietzsche are passionate, impulsive and controlled by the devil."
"If you think about it carefully, Gu Lu might be in the form of Goethe."
"That's unlikely. I remember that Mr. Gu Lu had a very tragic childhood."
……
Seeing that the discussion of the roundtable meeting was about to go off track, Chairman Or immediately corrected it.
Orr said, "At first I didn't know what the title of the book, "The Man Who Fights the Devil," meant. Now I know that "The Man Who Fights the Devil" is a battle between creativity and destruction. The connotation is very profound, so I think it should be put in high school textbooks, not middle school textbooks."
This is consistent with what Hua Xia has been doing for some time, which is to reduce the number of Lu Xun's articles in primary and junior high school textbooks. The reason is the same, that is, it is believed that this age group cannot understand Lu Xun's articles well.
"I have an idea," said Cornis. "The length of the three articles cannot be included in the junior high school textbook. We should excerpt the brilliant passages. Just like the excerpt of Beethoven's biography from the three biographies of giants in the textbook."
"First select excerpts, and then select the complete works in high school," Conis said quickly when he saw everyone's approval. "Then select Kleist. I believe you have no objection, right?"
The Nietzsche chapter was indeed a stroke of genius, Kniss admitted, but Kleist, like being chased by a hunter, touched his heart more and made him feel a little urgent. Of course, it was definitely not that exaggerated, and he was not obsessed.
I believe that people who love reading will always have this feeling: the one they like about a writer is often not his best-received and best-selling works.
"Mr. Cornis, what are you talking about? It must be the Nietzsche article. The emotions and writing style of the Nietzsche article are obviously superior to the other two. As scholars of the Strict Education Committee, we must focus on professionalism."
"The Nietzsche article is good, but Nietzsche's theories and his works are not suitable for high school students at all. Kleist's article is more suitable. This is called professional."
"I think the Hölderlin piece is good, too."
……
Yes, now it is not a question of whether it can be included in the textbook, but a question of which one to choose.
Even with Orr's mediation, the other six people still held their own opinions.
That's right, the more knowledgeable a person is, the more persistent he will be in his choices.
The roundtable discussion lasted for half a month.
The writer Gu Lu almost forgot about it. He checked his email every day in the first few days, expecting some response, but after that - just let it go.
Gu Lu was not very idle either. After finishing "The Biography of Dostoevsky", he started writing "To Live".
There was no way, he didn't get any serious or long stories.
Having said that, it is not easy to draw a serious long novel, for example, if there is no One Hundred Years of Solitude in the parallel world, he would draw One Hundred Years of Solitude - this work is really inappropriate for him to create.
Being alive is not very suitable for him to write, but fortunately he has taken Professor Tong’s course for more than half a year, and has completed the compilation of "History of the Development of Scar Literature".
Because Gu Lu had a good reputation and helped a lot during the process, Professor Tong included him in the editing team, with his name just after his.
This is the only book in China that provides a complete summary of the development of scar literature. It is no exaggeration to say that it is the authoritative statistical book on domestic literature from the 20s to the 70s.
With this experience, it is much more reasonable that "To Live" was written by him. Of course, even if it is unreasonable, with his current status, no one will question it, mainly because Gu Lu himself has a solid foundation.
I was originally going to start writing in the second half of the year, but it was moved to May, a month earlier, thanks also to the efforts of President Wang of the New Youth Publishing House.
President Wang calls me on average once a week.
"Xiao Gu, universities are expanding their enrollment. Now most college graduates can only rely on food delivery and express delivery. We need a book to give them strength."
"Luckily, the one in my family graduated a few years ago and has a stable job."
"The overall economic situation is bad. The real economy is getting worse and worse. Many middle-aged people are unemployed. In fact, middle-aged people also need comfort."
He remembered Gu Lu's joking remarks: "This will be a healing book that can give people the most primitive power."
"Stop talking, President Wang. I'm starting to write." This was the only way Gu Lu could respond.
Upon hearing that the writer had started writing a month in advance, President Wang immediately launched the publicity campaign.
It doesn’t matter whether you know the title of the book or not. The four words “New Work by Gu Lu” are more effective than any other title.
"In the relationship between publishers and writers, there is always a first come, first served order." President Wang suddenly sighed.
"?" Manager Xiao was standing by, his eyes searching. His words sounded a bit awkward.
"Works like The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, which are very popular around the world, are published by Shanghai People's Publishing House. We..."
Before President Wang could finish his words, he was interrupted by Manager Xiao.
He interrupted, "President, you can't say that. No matter how popular The Lord of the Rings is in the international market, the overseas organizers are Puffin and others, and the Magic City People's Publishing House only publishes in China. Besides, the sales of The Lord of the Rings are far from the best of Mr. Gu Lu. This also indirectly proves that Europe is more interested in fantasy themes."
"And Mr. Gu Lu's new work is a healing one, set in China, so its sales will definitely be higher than The Lord of the Rings." Manager Xiao said with confidence.
Confidence is not only about believing in Gu Lu, but also about understanding one's own business level.
That makes sense, President Wang thought about it.
"Besides, President Wang, you are already very capable. Look at the Children's Literature and Art Publishing House. A few years ago, all of Teacher Gu Lu's books were published by them. Now that the five-year copyright has expired, there is no cooperation at all. How many publishing houses are begging for cooperation with Teacher Gu Lu?" Manager Xiao said.
That's not an exaggeration. Even though Gu Lu's books are still selling one or two million copies, the current environment is an era of physical desert. With a big father like Gu Lu, who wouldn't want to?
Take New Youth Publishing House for example. Last year, the best-selling publication was From the New World, which sold over 2 million copies. The second best-selling publication was Miscellaneous Talks on the Tang Dynasty, which sold 370,000 copies. Both are not in the same league.
"That's for sure. Gu Lu is an outstanding young man trained by the Communist Youth League of our Bing Province." President Wang boasted.
No matter whether Gu Lu admits it or not, President Wang dares to say so.
After chatting about daily chores, President Jian and Manager Xiao also started discussing serious matters, namely the promotion plan for the new work.
Gu Lu’s fame has almost reached its peak, so the promotion is not focused on expanding the circle, but on how to attract known people.
After all, Gu Lu cannot escape the "famous writer's curse".
What is the "famous author curse"? It means that when you read books written by famous authors whose names you often hear, you feel pressured.
Thoughts like “his book must not be easy”, “I just want to read something that doesn’t require much thinking”, “I’m so tired from work, I’d better not read his book”.
Break the curse!
Manager Xiao, as a well-known sales manager in the industry, has prepared a series of careful plans.
The plan was implemented on an ordinary morning and it was very peaceful at the beginning.
The writer Gu Lu was chatting with his good friend Li Guyuan whom he hadn't seen for a long time.
"I feel like I'm not a human being." Gu Lu said.
"You are self-aware." Li Guyuan said immediately, "You should be a monster in the eyes of most people."
"No, no, no, I feel that the new work "To Live" is a bit like sending shaved ice in the snow." Gu Lu rarely felt guilty.
"Isn't shaved ice delicious?" Li Guyuan said, and Gu Lu told him to write a very sharp work to heal the clear-minded college students.
Very cool? So far, the coolest work of King Gollum is "Flowers for Algernon". Li Guyuan feels that this level is completely fine.
"I support your approach. Please send the book to me first when it is published," said Li Guyuan.
Seeing the other party's surprised eyes, Li Guyuan said, "I have been slaughtering fish in RT-Mart for ten years. What kind of knife can hurt me?"
Li Guyuan is confident in himself.
"OK," Gu Lu said, "I will definitely let you be the first reader." "Don't worry, with me as your shield, there will be no problem at all." Li Guyuan said.
"Okay, let's talk about serious matters. What did you come to Sijiu City for this time? You didn't tell me on WeChat, and you didn't tell me when we had dinner together. You're so secretive." Gu Lu asked.
"The main thing is that this matter still needs some sense of ceremony." Li Guyuan took out an invitation from the black shoulder bag he carried with him.
Red invitation.
"Gu Lu, you have to be there this time, and you have to be my best man." Li Guyuan said, "A great writer is my best man, hahahaha, I can brag about it for a long time."
Wedding invitations?
ha?
Gu Lu looked up at the other person and said, "Tangyuan, are you getting married?"
"I am one year older than you, born in 26, so I am years old this year. Isn't it normal to get married?" Li Guyuan said, "I made these invitations in advance and sent them to my most important friends. The wedding arrangements have not been finalized yet."
The best man is also part of the wedding banquet, so he must have received an invitation during the preparation. Li Guyuan just wanted to add a sense of ceremony to the invitation of the best man.
"You know this bride." Li Guyuan continued.
Well, in a blink of an eye, I’m already 25, and Gu Lu is also . After traveling through time for ten years, he became a world-class writer. He didn’t bring shame to the army of time travelers, did he?
Suppressing all the random thoughts in his mind, Gu Lu continued the conversation and asked, "Were we classmates before?"
"No, we are not classmates." Li Guyuan shook his head.
If they didn't talk, then Gu Lu and Li Guyuan would have very few common friends, and he couldn't think of one for the moment.
"Do you remember He Yan?" Li Guyuan asked, "The girl I failed to confess my love to in high school."
He had a vague impression of Gu Lu. He looked okay, but the most attractive person in his high school class was his deskmate.
People's memory is always like this. They remember those who are related to them and the beautiful ones. As for those ordinary classmates, they are hard to find in the pile of memories.
"Although the confession failed, He Yan has a first-grade sister named Zhao Mingming, and we went out together." Li Guyuan said, "Gu Lu, you were there at that time, do you remember?"
"...How could I possibly remember?" Gu Lu said, "You think too highly of my memory."
"Anyway, it was Zhao Mingming. When we were in the second year of high school, she was in the first year. I also specially invited He Yan to thank her for giving me this opportunity even though she rejected me!"
"?"
Gu Lu felt something was wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was.
"Okay, okay, when will it be held? Do you want me to help you get married? My Hongqi should be good enough, right?" Gu Lu said, "It doesn't matter if it's not good enough. I'll help you get a few."
"Yes, yes, yes, I just find it difficult to deal with the vehicle. If you have any way, please help me." Li Guyuan accepted it frankly. After all, his wedding only happens once in his life... I think so, it would be best.
Anyway, this is a very important moment, so there is no need to be polite to good friends.
Then, he and Gu Lu discussed some details of the wedding.
Anyway, Gu Lu was very positive and talked a lot until Li Guyuan asked, "By the way, Gu Lu, when are you and Zhou Lin getting married? You two are the celebrities in our school."
"Uh……"
When Gu Lu was writing his words, he talked about the curse-breaking promotion arranged by Manager Xiao. The initial effect had already come out.
Zhihu has launched a question: "Who do you think is the most concerned writer among contemporary college students? Please explain why."
Shen Dong Yue Han: [Personally, I think it’s Liu Zhenyun. I often see him attending some events and talking about the current life of college students. I also think his "One Sentence is Worth Ten Thousand Sentences" is also a serious literature suitable for fragile college students.]
Can it be reincarnated: [It must be Zhang Jiajia. In recent years, many of his works have been adapted into movies and TV series, especially "Passing By Your World", which has a good box office. College students account for a large part of the audience watching this drama. The writing is very warm, and many of his works contain campus plots, which college students can resonate with! ]
Waiting for Fenglai: [Can foreign writers be nominated? I am most concerned about college students. This is a false proposition. I think the question is mainly about who can keep up with the trend. I think Kazuo Ishiguro is very strong. Ishiguro's "Klara and the Sun" just released this year, which reflects on artificial intelligence and lays the groundwork for the plot. This is a work that can feel the combination of literature and technology.]
Everyone nominated their favorite writers, and of course netizens thought the question was vague. But as more people answered, the page views went up, and more netizens were willing to type.
Soon, when the post reached its peak number of views, a highly-praised answer appeared.
From the netizen "Thinking about what to eat", he said this.
[It must be Gu Lu. When I saw this answer, I thought it was Gu Lu. There was no other choice.
The answer has nothing to do with Gu Lu's age being close to that of a college student, but rather... I wonder if anyone remembers the sci-fi novel "2023", which mainly tells the story of online car-hailing drivers being replaced by smart driving and then a dispute. At that time, the three elements of express delivery and online car-hailing appeared here.
At the same time, the birth of group buying websites and food delivery websites was predicted by Gu Lu. Today, Gu Lu knows that college students are facing a devaluation of their academic qualifications, so I heard from my wife that the dog she raised, the dog's breeding partner, and the owner of the breeding partner, who is a publisher. I heard from him that Gu Lu's seclusion in writing is to cheer up people who are currently facing difficulties, including college students. ]
"Really? You're even using your dog's connections at home, is that reliable?"
"I don't know whether it's for postgraduate entrance exams or job hunting. I really need some encouragement. Let's just sit back and wait for Gu Lu's new work."
"I definitely don't believe those nominees, such as Kazuo Ishiguro and Liu Zhenyun, who said they wanted to cheer us up, but I believe King Guru more."
"I had never heard of 2023 before, but I went to read it right away. It's amazing. It's hard to imagine that Gu Lu predicted the current situation eight or nine years ago. Isn't this the same as Jules Verne? Everything in the novel has come true."
……
The purpose of this post is to bring out the theme of Gu Lu’s new work, so that everyone can know what the novel is about first. Only if you are interested, will you buy the book!
Once the theme is almost clear through the entire platform, Manager Xiao will proceed to the next step.
However, there are smart people on the Internet who see through that this is an advertisement for a new book.
[Looking forward to it, although the themes of Gu Lu's works vary, the content has never disappointed us. Especially in the fields of fairy tales and popular science, they are the strongest in contemporary times.]
The netizen who saw it and gave it some praise was Professor Chen from Guangdong University of Foreign Studies.
When talking about Professor Chen, we must introduce his identity.
First is a part-time job: professor of Spanish at Guangdong University of Foreign Languages.
Main job: Founder of Guxue
For a person like this, the better Gu Lu is, the more valuable his research will be.
Having said that, Professor Chen is not exaggerating indiscriminately.
With "The Little Prince" and "The Borrowers" as his foundation, it is hard to find a living fairy tale writer who can match him in China.
"Flatland" and "Mr. Toad Goes to See a Psychologist" are unique in the field of popular science.
"There are more and more lectures on Gu Lu's research," Professor Chen said, and then turned to his own mailbox, which was filled with rows of unread invitations.
How to say it, he studied Gu studies alone and proposed theories such as dependent creation, attachment-type creation, and Gu-Lu type decomposition thinking.
There are now three or four universities offering courses on Gu studies, and eleven famous professors conducting related research.
Here we will only talk about the famous ones, and not mention the unknown professors.
"I have to teach another course: Gu Lu and Literary Diplomacy." Professor Chen said to himself, "I'm so tired."
In fact, his voice was so loud that he was not just talking to himself.
This was said to a colleague sitting next to me, Professor Wu, who studies Shakespeare.
It's Shakespeare's literature.
More than a decade ago, Shakespeare studies were popular in China, and once suppressed the study of the Dream of the Red Chamber. The main reason may be that European and American literature was highly respected at that time, and Shakespeare was a banner of European and American literature.
But now the situation has changed, and Shakespeare studies is in a miserable state. There are only a few large-scale discussion activities related to it in a year.
Of course, Shakespeare studies is still better than Spanish. If there is no official activity with Spain, there is basically no large-scale event, so Professor Wu often said, "I really envy Professor Chen, who can arrange his weekends by himself."
What's there to brag about? Isn't it just betting on a writer? I can do it, Professor Wu thought.
But we can go one step further...it is very difficult for modern writers to achieve what Gu and Lu did, because Gu is a model of the right time, right place and right people.
First of all, there is diversity. Gu Lu's works are of many types, with various writing styles, and there are many research angles. Secondly, he is very well-known abroad and has a high level of research. Finally, he is very helpful to diplomacy and has implicit official support. Who can combine these three into one?
When Professor Wu was about to get up and leave, he suddenly received a message and his face turned from cloudy to sunny.
"The Shakespeare Research Conference held in London this year invited more than a dozen scholars on the writer," Professor Wu said. "I need to arrange time to meet with international scholars. I only speak English, French and a little Italian, so communication is really a problem."
"Professor Chen probably won't have such concerns when he participates in activities. I'm so envious," said Professor Wu.
The two of them are over a hundred years old in total, but they are just like elementary school students when it comes to being sarcastic with each other. This also proves that men are teenagers until they die...
Professor Wu saw that the other party was silent and a smile appeared on his face. He won this round.
"Gu studies is currently a popular school of literature research in China, but we also need literature that can go abroad and have exchanges with foreign countries." Professor Wu followed up, "and I think the latter is more important."
Indeed, the only shortcoming of Gu's school of thought is that it is regional. Professor Chen opened his mouth, but he could not lose the battle, so he decided to say something.
Before he could open his mouth, the president of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies came rushing over.
Principal Lu is a little - not that thin, and the sweat on his forehead shows that he walks faster.
Did the president come to give instructions because he knew about the Shakespeare Research Society? Professor Wu thought to himself, it makes sense. Professor Lu is a cautious person. He would repeatedly remind professors or students when they go abroad for exchanges.
(End of this chapter)