I am a literary giant in Japan

"Reina, you don't look very well."

Beichuan Xiu walked in, closed the door, and then skillfully took two disposable cups and poured hot water into each.

"Well, thank you, Kitagawa. Oh, it's too hot, cough cough cough!" Saito Rena took the cup of water weakly, drank it all, and then coughed non-stop due to the scald.

"You bastard! Can't you feel that the cup is hot?"

Beichuan Xiu rolled his eyes at her speechlessly, immediately pulled out a few tissues and handed them to her, then touched her forehead with them. He felt relieved only after confirming that she didn't have a fever.

"S-Sorry. I think I stayed up too many late nights and I'm a little confused."

Saito Reina lowered her head to wipe her mouth, straightened the collar of her suit, and then looked up at him apologetically, her eyes full of fatigue and loss, like a child who had made a mistake.

".You, you used to remind me every day not to die young. Now I think if I don't pay attention, you will be the first to die."

Kitagawa Hide knew from her expression that the situation was very difficult, but he did not rush to ask. Instead, he pulled a chair over to Saito Reina and gently patted the back of her hand, just like at the beginning.
“I’ve said it before, whether it’s the Akutagawa Prize, the Naoki Prize, or even the Nobel Prize in Literature, as long as we work together, there’s nothing we can’t win.

If you didn’t get it last time, try hard this time. If there’s no hope this time, there’s always next time.

I always believe that as long as we are alive, there will be no obstacles that we cannot overcome.

But if you die for no apparent reason one day, I will be very distressed. "

"Yeah, I know. But, but I just find it a little hard to accept."

Saito Rena felt warm in her heart, and she turned the back of her hand over and touched her palm with Kitagawa Hide's, feeling each other's warmth and determination.

This is pure friendship without any mixed feelings between men and women.

It's more like comradeship.

Every time she was hit hard, Rena Saito relied on Hide Kitagawa's strong heart and comfort to get through it.

I had been promoted to acting editor-in-chief, becoming an unprecedented female executive in the publishing industry. I should have been more stable than before.

But after receiving the news from the Swedish Academy, she still became a little impatient.

She didn't expect things to turn so suddenly in this direction.

"So what's going on? Why are you looking for me so urgently?" asked Kitagawa Hide.

Reina Saito took out an exquisitely designed invitation letter from the drawer. On it was the word "Forum" written in Norwegian, with a smaller row of notes attached to the back: Arnault Private Cultural Club.

When he saw this name, Kitagawa Hide's memories instantly emerged.

Jean-Claude Arnault, general manager of the Stockholm Cultural Center, is married to Katarina Frostenson, one of Sweden's most popular poets and a lifetime member of the Swedish Academy.

Sex scandals about this guy have become common since 00.

The most notorious of these was the sexual assault on Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, for which he was arrested and interrogated, and ultimately revealed a whole mess of scandals.

These bad things include using the Nobel Prize in Literature shortlist to hype and run the family business, using his wife's position to create factional divisions in the Swedish cultural circle, etc.

In short, because of this guy, the 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature was no longer awarded.

In fact, this guy's ugly behavior has not stopped since the 80s.

In particular, the various violations against women in the cultural circle were based on the private cultural club called "Forum" which he and his wife co-founded.

When they went to Stockholm before, Kitagawa Hide and Saito Rena deliberately avoided this shitty couple in the literary world.

Their social circle is also different from the formal literary circle. After deliberately avoiding them, Kitagawa Hide has never even seen them at the Stockholm Concert Hall.

In addition, the current Swedish Academy is still controlled by a few old guys. The power of the Arnault couple should not be great and they cannot have much influence, so Kitagawa Hide ignored them.

No one wants to be too close to smelly dog ​​poop. Even if you don’t step on it, when people see you in the future, they will always think that there is an lingering smell of dog poop on you.

Now it seems that stinky dog ​​shit is stinky dog ​​shit. Even if you keep your distance from it, the other party will stick to you like sticky candy and disgust you.

"This club has a very bad reputation. Why did they invite you?"

Kitagawa Hide took the letter and opened it.

It was a simple and straightforward invitation, and there wasn't much to suggest from the words, but the time and place of the invitation were very subtle.

The end of April is almost the time when the Nobel Prize in Literature shortlist is announced. This last month is the final moment for literary circles from all over the world to try to get their nominees onto the list.

The meeting place was Arnault’s private mansion in Stockholm, which was specially used for debauchery - what serious writer would place such a formal cultural exchange in a place of debauchery?

As to whether there is a possibility of manipulation in the shortlist for the Nobel Prize in Literature, there are still different opinions on this issue.

Anyway, judging from the information obtained from Ma Yueran and others, it is extremely difficult to manipulate the situation behind the scenes - the eighteen lifetime judges have different positions and are top figures in the literary world of their respective countries. It is difficult for them to be affected by any conflicts of interest.

It can be viewed from a historical perspective.

When Nobel established the prize, he wrote in his will: "All the property I leave that can be converted into cash, its interest will be distributed annually in the form of prize money to those who have given the greatest benefit to mankind in the previous year. The distribution method is as follows: one for physics and one for literature. The person who has created the most outstanding works with idealistic tendencies.
In awarding these prizes the nationality of the candidate is of no account, and the prize shall be awarded to the deserving individual, whether he is Scandinavian or not."

The will clearly states that the literature prize should be awarded to "the person who has created the most outstanding work with idealistic tendencies."

The most outstanding!

And in fact.

Over the past 100 years, many well-deserved great writers have been included in the ranks of Nobel Prize winners in Literature, but the jury has also missed many world-class writers.

For example, Leo Tolstoy, a great writer who can be considered among the top three in the world literary world;

Kafka, Joyce, and Proust, the three masters of modernist literature, have never won any award;

The famous Argentine poet Borges (who praised Kitagawa Hide as the best in the Argentine literary world in the previous article) and the great novelist Calvino have also always missed the Nobel Prize.

There must be some room for manipulation when it comes to the shortlist, but Eastern literature has never been accepted by Western literature, and Japanese literature is the weakest among them.

Before Kitagawa Hide, only Ichiro Tanizaki had been reluctantly accepted.

People in the Japanese literary world are not qualified to engage in behind-the-scenes manipulation.

Arnault's invitation letter is simply "Sima Zhao's intention is known to everyone."

Kitagawa Hide was so angry that he laughed. He didn't expect that this bastard would be so rampant in 1998!

Judging from the subsequent history, if he hadn't gone crazy and stretched his paws towards the Crown Princess, perhaps these bad things could have been concealed.

In his eyes, this Arnault private club is as stinky as South Korea's Room N, the United States' Lolita Island, and Cambodia's prostitution tour groups!

"If I don't go there, will your book fail to be shortlisted, Beichuan?"

This is what Rena Saito is most worried about. She has already asked her literary friends at home and abroad about the Arnault Club.

It is said that the Arnault couple have extensive contacts in the Swedish cultural circle. Although they are not yet able to cover up everything, it is still possible for them to manipulate Kitagawa Hide.

But if I go there alone
"I'll call Teacher Ma Yueran and the others in a bit."

Now Kitagawa Hide himself was in a dilemma.

There have been endless troubles surrounding the Nobel Prize in Literature. In the original history, it was not awarded to top writers. Later, it was deliberately awarded to a singer. There have also been various scandals, which are enough to prove that this award is not as sacred as the public imagines.

But the problem is that among the three major awards in world literature, it is unique.

It's just like Dazai Osamu who was rejected for the Akutagawa Prize three times and was unable to win the prize in his entire life, and even kowtowed to beg for the prize when he was dying.

For writers in the world literary world, the Nobel Prize in Literature is like a tight hoop. Although they know it is uncomfortable to wear it, everyone wants to be wearing it, and they all want to use it to prove themselves and complete their literary career.

Winning the award or not is not that important to Kitagawa Hide himself, but this extends to the Japanese literary world, to people like Saito Rena, Kawaide Shizuko, Agatsuma Yumeko, and even his fans and disciples.

Everyone hopes that Mr. Kitagawa can have a happy ending.

"If it doesn't work, I'll order it."

Saito Reina has been struggling with whether to go these days. She is not married yet, and the probability of getting married in the future is also very small.
"Decide your head!"

Beichuan Xiu slapped a stack of draft paper on her head in annoyance, then said to her word by word with a firm look in his eyes,
"Reina, go back and have a good sleep first. Don't think about anything. It's best to take three days off. No, I'll talk to Shizuko directly for you.

Then, while you're waiting, just focus on accompanying Lily and Ningning, and don't worry about anything else."

"But." Saito Rena covered her head.

After listening to Kitagawa Hide's words, she felt much more relaxed.

I have always faced everything as a strong woman, but deep down, I actually hope that there is someone I can rely on.

But if you don't care about anything
When she looked up, she could see a calligraphy and painting of "The Best in the World" on a bookshelf not far away, which was exactly the same as the one on the "Peter Cat" honor display cabinet.

This is Kitagawa Xiu, and it has always been her motivation and goal.

How could she not move?
"Snapped!"

“Ah! It hurts!”

"No buts. I'm not asking you to do nothing. Here is the beginning of the new book and the setting collection. You have to cheer up and help me continue to check it!

Without your review, I wouldn't be able to write the best pure literary novel.

So Lingna, don't worry about those messy things anymore, I'm here to take care of them.

Just help me read the book!
Remember, we are the most perfect literary duo in history!"

"Beichuan. Hmm!!!" (End of this chapter)