I am a literary giant in Japan

"It's the second book in Alyosha's autobiographical trilogy, 'My Apprenticeship'," the secretary said succinctly.

Upon hearing this, Vladimir sat up straight instantly and waved towards the door: "Quick, quick, let Professor Igor in!"

“Okay, I’ll go tell the guard right away.” The female secretary noticed Vladimir’s fondness for the novel and kept it in mind. She planned to investigate Alyosha’s autobiographical trilogy thoroughly later to see if she could invite the original author to meet with Secretary-General Vladimir.

Moreover, since Secretary General Vladimir was so interested in this book, she naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity to speak with Professor Igor face-to-face.

She would only entrust the handling of those who annoyed the secretary-general to a tall, burly bodyguard, since befriending such people was pointless anyway.

As for people like Professor Igor who can make the Secretary-General happy, she would take the initiative to approach them and see if she could make her presence felt by them.

Igor, who had been anxiously waiting outside, finally saw his female secretary return. He looked at her and asked worriedly, "What did Secretary General Vladimir say? Would he like to take a look at this translation?"

"The Secretary-General would love to read this novel. Please come with me." The female secretary smiled and gestured for him to follow.

Igor sensed the change in the female secretary's attitude, and his anxiety immediately subsided.

When he first came to see this secretary-general who held almost absolute power in Tsarist Russia, the female secretary had a visibly grim face and seemed too lazy to say a word to him.

But now, the female secretary is more enthusiastic than anyone else, which is clearly not Igor's own charm.

As for why he suddenly approached Secretary-General Vladimir, who had transitioned from intelligence to politician, we have to start from when the manuscript of "My Apprenticeship" came into his hands from Japan.

After the pleasant collaboration on "Childhood," Kitagawa Hide directly contacted the editorial department of "New World," hoping that Igor would continue to translate the next two installments of the series.

For Igor, this would allow him to read the novel first and gain both fame and fortune—why not?

After receiving the manuscript from Alexei, Igor immediately took a long leave of absence and devoted himself to translating it at home.

He first spent three days and three nights reading through the entire book "In the World," which has a total of about 32 words.

After reading it, Igor was completely stunned and couldn't shake off the shock that "My Apprenticeship" had given him for a long time.

After spending a whole day getting back into the swing of things, Igor couldn't resist reading "My Apprenticeship" again in order to better translate the original work.

So he was delayed for another two days, plus half a day of rest.

When Alexei came to his door and learned that a week had passed and Igor hadn't written a single word, he couldn't help but ask why.

Since there was no translation available, Igor could only dictate the plot of "My Apprenticeship" and rack his brains to describe its greatness.

"If it were just 'Childhood,' I don't think Kitagawa-sensei would be comparable to those top literary figures in history, but if you add 'My Childhood' to that list..."

This is what Igor said to Alexei.

Alexei was dumbfounded.

"You mean, he can really be compared to those 'legends'?" Alexei thought those names could be counted on one hand: "Tolstoy, Shakespeare, Goethe."

"This is not something I can comment on. I can only say that in my personal opinion, after reading 'My Childhood,' Kitagawa-sensei is qualified to stand on the same level as them and overlook the current world literary scene from the same height."

Igor is not one to make such pronouncements lightly. The fact that he gave "My Apprenticeship" such high praise indicates that this novel represents a further step forward from "Childhood," truly deserving the title of "the foremost novel of contemporary Tsarist Russia."

Upon realizing this, Alexei immediately said he would contact the publishing house's senior management to see if the publicity and distribution resources for "My Apprenticeship" could be raised to the highest level.

When "Childhood" was first published, "New World" showed great sincerity, but it did not treat it as a top-level novel. Instead, it increased Kitagawa Hide's share of the profits and the price of the copyright buyout.

If we mention the highest level, it's as if "The New World" implicitly acknowledges that this novel is the greatest masterpiece of contemporary Tsarist Russian literature!
That's alright. Igor felt that "My Apprenticeship" deserved this honor, and indeed, there was no better pure literary work in the entire Tsarist Russian literary world.

But he still managed to stop the anxious Alexei.

Igor believed that it was questionable whether "The New World" could even get "My Childhood" published.

"Why do you say that?" Vladimir couldn't help but ask in a low voice after listening to Igor's explanation in the office.

He originally wanted to read "My Apprenticeship" as soon as possible, but Igor, who came to see him, deliberately used a translated manuscript of "My Apprenticeship" to "lure" him into meeting him. In reality, the manuscript was the original Japanese version.

Upon meeting Vladimir, Igor recounted the entire story.

When it came to his opinion that "The New World" might not be able to get "My Apprenticeship" published, Vladimir finally became interested again.

"The plot of 'My Apprenticeship' mainly tells the story of Alyosha's life during his adolescence from 1871 to 1884."

During this period, in order to make a living, he had to sell wild fruits with his grandmother while also working as an apprentice draftsman, a dishwasher, and a worker in an icon workshop.

He must have thoroughly researched the materials and done this work during his field research. The era depicted by Mr. Beichuan is incredibly vivid, and his descriptions of customs, traditions, and typical characteristics are very moving.

When discussing "My Apprenticeship," Igor couldn't stop talking, showering praise upon praise like a never-ending flood.

"Isn't that a good thing? This kind of rigorous and serious creative behavior deserves to be commended and promoted. Wouldn't it be better for our writers to learn from him?"

Vladimir became more and more confused as he listened.

If this novel is so good, why can't it be published in "New World"?

"The problem is that a great deal of the novel's plot focuses on the harshness and darkness of the lives of the lower classes at that time."

The first book, "Childhood," is set primarily in the grandfather's small workshop and home. It uses a group portrait style to depict the larger picture from a small perspective. Although it intentionally or unintentionally portrays the hardships of life for the lower classes during the period of serfdom reform, it does not offer much positive description.

The second part, "In the World," is completely different.

Kitagawa-sensei set the story in the bustling city of Nizhny Novgorod, where Alyosha encounters all sorts of people and witnesses many injustices.

I can sense that Professor Kitagawa is criticizing the Tsarist autocracy in every line of his writing.

The Tsarist autocracy refers to a form of dictatorship in the Grand Duchy of Moscow, in which all power and wealth were controlled by the Tsar alone, similar to the feudal system next door.

Unlike its neighbors, however, even though this system had long been overthrown and replaced, there were still a large number of supporters in Tsarist Russia.

This group, centered around conservatives of the old era, Russian nobles, and pro-neighbor and anti-American individuals, wielded immense influence across all sectors of Russian society.

The core of the Tsarist autocracy was the Tsar himself, who possessed absolute authority and enjoyed unlimited legislative, judicial, and executive powers. He was also considered the father of all his subjects.

Furthermore, unlike Western Europe, Tsarist Russia did not have a power struggle between religion and politics, which is the main reason why its supporters firmly believe that the Western political system is unsuitable for Tsarist Russia.

Its main advocates and theorists also included world-class writers such as Dostoevsky, Nikolai Karamzin, and Aksakov. These literary pioneers have long since passed away, but their successors and descendants are still active in the Tsarist Russian literary world.

The fact that "My Childhood" so clearly points out this problem and criticizes it without any hesitation is bound to provoke strong opposition from these people.

The Russian financial group behind "The New World" included many supporters and beneficiaries of this system, and the literary group associated with it was basically inherited from Dostoevsky and his ilk.

This issue is present in "Childhood," but it's not a major problem, so everyone turns a blind eye; no one would turn down money.

However, "My Childhood" directly addresses the issues, and in addition, during that open lecture at the Swedish Academy, Hideki Kitagawa also directly criticized another major Western force, the "white left group."

Igor was genuinely worried that the manuscript would be withheld by "New World" or that it would be heavily revised before being published.

"Professor Kitagawa hoped that I could continue translating, and even sent me his own manuscript."

This is because he trusts me enough, so I should also shoulder this responsibility.

Igor told Alexei not to inform the editorial department too early, but simply mentioned the problem and the difficulty of his translation.

It was only with Vladimir that he fully explained the seriousness of the problem.

"Hearing you say that, I even think that the most qualified publisher, Modern Man, might not be able to handle this hot potato."

Vladimir's expression turned grave; he understood Igor's concerns and worries.

As for why the other party contacted him.

Because he happens to be the one among the powerful figures most likely to help this book, and also the one with the strongest position and reason to help.

Vladimir was different from most of the Tsarist nobles.

He was born into an ordinary working-class family; his mother was a factory worker, and his father served in the navy.

During his junior and senior high school years, his science grades were average, but his literature and politics grades were excellent, which is why he loved literature so much.

After transitioning from intelligence agent to politician, Vladimir single-handedly took down several Tsarist oligarchs, sending those incompetent officials to prison one by one.

The reason he was able to do these beneficial things for the people and the country while holding a high position was entirely due to his childhood and adolescence, which were similar to Alyosha's.

Those who support the authoritarian system are mostly his political enemies and adversaries.

In Tsarist Russia, politics and literature were closely intertwined. Without the support and endorsement of powerful officials, many writers simply dared not publish their works.

Igor approached him hoping Vladimir would endorse Alyosha's autobiographical trilogy.

"The Modern Man would definitely not agree. The financial oligarchs behind them are the 'remnants' of the old days," Igor said dismissively. "I think the only one left that can take over this series of novels is the Moscow International Publishing House, which you personally control."

The Moscow International Publishing House was the official media of Tsarist Russia, similar to the XX Daily next door.

Vladimir currently oversees all of the country's security oversight bodies, including the crucial media.

However, the Moscow International Publishing House currently only publishes official documents, newspapers, magazines, and official novels, and has never published any purely literary works before.

"Is this novel really as sensitive as you say?" Vladimir was intrigued, but convincing those stubborn old men at Moscow International would take a lot of effort.

He needs to have a fairly good reason.

"This is a short passage I translated on the spot, please take a look." Igor, who was prepared in advance, immediately handed over several fresh sheets of paper.

Vladimir took it and read aloud: "One day, old Paul returned from town soaking wet. It was autumn and rained a lot. He shivered like a sparrow at the doorstep and solemnly said, 'Hey, you two idlers, you'd better pack your things and move tomorrow!'"

"Where are you sending us now?" Grandma asked angrily.

'Go to your sister Mattriona, go to her son.'

'How could you even think of that!'

"Shut up! You idiots! How long have you been freeloading off me? Go there; maybe he'll have a chance to become a draftsman."

Grandma lowered her head without saying a word.

That night I told Lyudmila that I wanted to go to the city and live there.

"I'm going to the city soon too," she said, her face filled with fear. "My father wants to amputate my good leg and sell it, saying that would make life easier."

Throughout the summer, she lost a lot of weight because of the leg she had lost. Now, when she talks about her good leg, her face turns pale and her eyes become even bigger.

'Are you scared?' I asked.

'I'm scared,' she said, and began to cry silently.

I didn't know what to say to comfort her; I myself was afraid to live in the city.

We sat close together, silently lost in our melancholy for a long time.

In the summer, I would persuade my grandmother to go home and beg for food, just like she did when she was young, so that she could take Lyudmila with her.

I can put her in the stroller, and she won't have to worry about losing a leg.

But it was autumn, and a damp wind was blowing through the streets. The sky was covered with dark clouds, and the earth looked wrinkled, dirty and desolate.

When I finally mustered the courage to tell my grandmother about Lyudmila, she had already gone to the city.

"That's a good thing, Alyosha," Grandma comforted me.

As Vladimir read this, he praised Kitagawa Hide's delicate writing and couldn't help but nod in agreement.
"This is indeed a good thing."

Then he paused.

"'This is a good thing,' I tried to reassure myself."

Until I saw a dilapidated handcart loaded with garbage come up to me, Lyudmila, long lifeless and incomplete, was thrown inside like a rag doll.

'This is not a good thing.' (End of Chapter)