I am a literary giant in Japan

[Exploring existentialist themes in the style of slow fiction, Jørn Fursser's poetry collection "Seven Parts," written in New Norwegian, will be officially released on May 30th!]

[Without Dag Solstadt, Norwegian literature would be unimaginable—stay tuned for the latest masterpiece from the bravest and wisest Norwegian writer, *The Eleventh Novel, The Eighteenth Book*!]

The Nordic Council Prize for Literature and the Swedish Academy Prize for Nordic Literature will begin voting in early June. Please cast your vote for your favorite author!

Such billboards are ubiquitous near the airport, and their exquisite craftsmanship impressed Saito Rena and her companion.

"What a wonderful literary atmosphere!" Riko Kawada couldn't help but exclaim softly.

Japan is a country that places great importance on the literary market and has high respect for writers.

But compared to Norway, Japan's literary atmosphere pales in comparison.

Previously, Rena Saito was curious about how a country with a total population of only 500 million could hold the highest honor in the world's literary hall of fame for a century, and how no other award could ever take its place.

Looking at it now, although the population is not large, Norway's overall literary atmosphere far surpasses that of Japan, and the prosperity of its literary market is probably beyond their imagination.

The two strolled around the airport area and discovered that Norway was not just putting on a show, but had literature ingrained in the very bones of its people and the nation!
Even when airport bus drivers and taxi drivers talk about literature, they can chat with them casually, demonstrating their considerable literary knowledge.

An airport bus heading to downtown Oslo had at least half the passengers holding newspapers or magazines, and the bus's television screens were constantly looping the results of the Nordic Council Literature Prize and the Swedish Academy Nordic Literature Prize selections.

All of these factors have increased the pressure on Rena Saito, who is preparing to sweep the Norwegian literary market with Hideki Kitagawa's new work.

The two women's beautiful faces and attractive figures drew the attention of many Norwegian natives, but they merely admired them politely and did not display any disgusting expressions.

Last year, Rena Saito took her subordinates to India. Because of its large population, India seemed like a promising literary market, so Shizuko Kawade invested a lot of money there.

However, shortly after their arrival, several female employees were subjected to varying degrees of sexual harassment by the Indian men.

The most outrageous thing is that not only low-caste sleazy men do this, but also some middle- and high-caste professionals.
These Indians left a very bad impression on the employees of Kawade Shobo who came to explore the market, and also made Saito Rena refuse to go to that country again.

In comparison, Norway suddenly seems like paradise on earth.

Of course, despite her goodwill, Saito Rena would never forget how disgusting the left-wing forces led by Pete Dimon and his son were.

As the airport shuttle bus traveled along, it frequently saw protesters holding up brightly colored signs and dressed in outlandish costumes.

Norway's small population, good economic conditions, and developed and wealthy national situation have led many native Norwegians to become idle, rebellious youths or idealists.

After school and get off work at 3:30 pm, these angry young people would gather together, change into their respective organization's clothing, and march from street to street, mostly advocating for things that sound like pointless whining.

For example, calling on the government to abolish the death penalty, arguing that death row inmates are also human beings and should be given human rights and appropriate treatment.

In short, Saito Rena and her companion found these things absurd and completely pointless.

Occasionally, some of the diverse parade groups are mixed in with literature-related groups. They are mostly campaigning or promoting their favorite authors. This kind of spontaneous fan-driven behavior also exists in Japan, but it is usually done by underground idol fans and is not as large-scale and impressive as it is here.

Half an hour later, the airport bus stopped at the terminal station. Saito Rena and her companion got off the bus and soon saw the female representative of the Norwegian Literature Society who came to greet them.

"Welcome to Norway, Saito-sensei, Kawada-sensei."

The Norwegian woman in charge of reception spoke fluent Japanese. After formally greeting them, she winked at Saito Rena and then smiled.
"Long time no see, Rena-chan."

"Long time no see, Unsett."

Saito Rena gave her a friendly cheek kiss, then introduced her to Kawada Riko.
"Her name is Sigrid Unsett, and she was my classmate at the University of the Norwegian Academy of Sciences. She now writes reportage for the Norwegian Times while also writing novels on the side. She is a very famous female writer in the Norwegian literary world."

"Ah, nice to meet you." Riko Kawada found it hard to believe that a Norwegian could speak such fluent Japanese.

No wonder Minister Saito told her not to worry about being unfamiliar with the place before she came to Norway.
Minister Saito's overseas connections are beyond his imagination.

Riko Kawada secretly raised Reina Saito's priority in her mind.

She originally thought this young woman was a "lucky one" who rose to power by clinging to the coattails of Kitagawa Hide and Kawade Shizuko.

She was a disciple of the former "Nation's Best Scholar," Arima Yoriyoshi. Her literary appreciation and creative abilities are not weak, and her academic qualifications are also high. In any aspect, she should be no worse than Saito Rena.

Therefore, after defecting to Kawade Shobo, Riko Kawada firmly believed that she could soon become the second "Rena Saito".

But the longer she spent time with her, the more she admired this woman who was gentle on the outside but strong on the inside.

She was far more complex and formidable than I had imagined; she was a senior worthy of my respect and emulation.

No wonder Kitagawa-sensei entrusted her with such an important task.

Riko Kawada secretly watched Rena Saito chatting enthusiastically with Unsett, wishing she could imitate her every word and action!

Reina Saito, who was walking ahead, had no time to notice Riko Kawada's little thoughts.

Upon meeting Unsett, she couldn't wait to tell her the purpose of her trip, and then took the opportunity to inquire about the recent situation and the words of Pat Dumont and his son.

"To be honest, most members of our literary society were quite happy to hear Kitagawa-sensei say that he would teach those white leftists a lesson."

Unsett stated the truth.
"White Dumont's Socialist Democratic Party has a subtle attitude toward the Society. On the one hand, they are very wary of the Society's influence in the country, as well as the connections and resources of the teachers in the Society in various fields. Therefore, on the surface, they admire and respect the Society."

On the other hand, they look down on the work of the society, especially dissatisfied with the recent literary trends of the society, believing that we are going against their party.

Therefore, while the Socialist Democratic Party appears to support the work of the society, once in power, it will most likely first cut the society's budget and then suppress the influence of literature domestically.

Rena Saito nodded, understanding that this was a contest between literature and politics.

Parties with a leftist tendency, such as the Socialist Democratic Party, primarily target neurotic leftists and the so-called "underclass" people they protect in their united front efforts.

Most of the writers belonged to the middle class and the awakened faction, and their positions were opposite to those of the middle class.

This is also the unusual thing that Saito Rena and Kitagawa Hide discovered after gaining a deeper understanding of the Norwegian literary scene.

They originally thought that the Norwegian literary world was also one of the strongholds of the left-wing forces, and that they would most likely block the publication of Kitagawa Hide's novel.

But upon closer examination, they were surprised to find that these people were actually "their own people".

After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

"In short, if Kitagawa-sensei's new book can effectively strike at these arrogant politicians, we are willing to fully support and allow it to be published."

Unsett is also the permanent president of the Norwegian Literary Society, and her attitude basically reflects that of the society's higher-ups.

Saito Rena continued to smile and nod, feeling that the trip had gone more smoothly than she had imagined.

Since that's the case, she simply took out some of the concept art from "July 22nd" and let Unsett take a look.

Upon learning that it was a new book setting collection personally written by Kitagawa-sensei, Unsett treasured it like a precious gem and carefully accepted it. At the same time, in Moscow, Russia, at the editorial office of *The New World*, the editor-in-chief's office...

Alexei stared at the messy pile of translations on the table, his head spinning, and he was speechless for a moment.

Below him, in addition to the core members of the editorial department of "New World", there were also industry giants from well-known literary magazines such as "Modern People", "Russian Literature", and "Literary Window".

It could be said that this small office brought together almost half of the publishing industry in Tsarist Russia.

Alexei wasn't the only one with a head as big as a bucket; these other prominent figures also looked embarrassed and hesitated to speak.

The pile on the table is the Russian translation of Igor's "My Apprenticeship," which he sent a few days ago.

They had all read the first book in Alyosha's autobiographical trilogy, "Childhood," and no one disagreed or showed disrespect.

But this film, "In the World".
I admire them, and I respect them even more.

but.
What kind of writer puts a novel like this?!

Everyone present knows very well what Tsarist Russia was really like in the 1870s and 1880s.

This is a topic that Russian nobles and powerful figures are most reluctant to discuss, and it is also a thorn in the side of conservatives and royalists.

Even powerful figures like Vladimir and Yeltsin dared not mention this in front of those people.

"In the World" is quite something; it not only speaks frankly but also elaborates on it extensively, as if afraid that others wouldn't understand or know it.

The suffering of people at the bottom of society mostly stems from the exploitation by capitalists, but there were no capitalists in Tsarist Russia.

Who are you implying is a capitalist by writing this?!
"We at Modern Man dare not publish or release this book," the editor-in-chief of Modern Man stated bluntly, directly rejecting the possibility of "In the World" appearing in the magazine.

Before reading the translated manuscript, he was the one among everyone most willing to compete with "The New World".

After all, in the last sales battle, "Modern Man," which had been ahead of "New World," unexpectedly suffered a crushing defeat.

Their highly recommended novel, "Exile," became the strongest backdrop for "Childhood."

As the leading official media outlet and literary magazine, Modern Man is determined to win back this reputation.

But after reading the translation, he decisively gave up!
The editor-in-chief of "Russian Literature" also gave up with a wry smile.

If he could, he would even like to declare to the public that "My Apprenticeship" does not belong to "Tsarist Russian literature" in order to avoid this evil fire burning him for no reason!
Two bigwigs expressed their opinions one after another, and others also spoke their minds in turn.

They genuinely loved "My Childhood" and truly believed it to be a masterpiece worthy of being recorded in the history of world literature.

But liking someone is useless.

Looking at this novel now, whoever takes it will die.

After going through all the rounds, "In the World," which was originally sought after by countless magazines, has become a hot potato that no one dares to touch.
Everyone turned their attention to Alexei.

The publisher that signed a deep cooperation agreement with Hideki Kitagawa for "New World" is undoubtedly the most likely to take over.

Moreover, if they also choose to give up, the losses will be enormous.

But Alexei resolutely shook his head.

"The themes and content of 'My Apprenticeship' are too sharp. If we publish it without making any changes, we will not be able to withstand the pressure from high society."

"Sigh, even you guys aren't willing to publish it?"

Others are hoping a publishing house will be willing to take over.

After all, this is a masterpiece that is clearly visible to the naked eye. If it can be published, it will definitely set off a reading frenzy.

As professionals in the literary industry, no one wants to see a potential masterpiece fail to be published.

"Teacher Kitagawa said that not a single word can be changed. Since that's the case, then we can only let this gem remain untouched."

After reading the translation for the first time, Alexei clearly stated his position—

Either revise and publish it, or find another publisher to publish it.

Kitagawa Hideki chose the latter.

Since Kitagawa-sensei is so insistent, he can only apologize for the inability to cooperate.

Another sigh rang out.

After discussing "My Apprenticeship," everyone fell silent. Finally, Alexei had the translations on the table cleared away, and then personally escorted his disappointed colleagues out of the editorial office one by one.

After everyone had left, Alexei returned to his office alone and dialed Igor's number.

"I'm sorry, Professor Igor, I've done my best to persuade them."

"But," Alexei said helplessly.

Even after his last meeting with Vladimir, Igor did not give up on these publishing houses, since the more times the novel was published, the better it would be for Kitagawa Hidekazu's novels themselves.

Upon hearing Alexei's words, he replied helplessly, "Alright, then we'll have to let one Moscow International Publishing House publish it exclusively."

"Hmm, hopefully Moscow International can wait! What did you just say?"

"Just now?"

"Yes! You just said you wanted Moscow International to publish 'My Apprenticeship' exclusively, right?"

"Huh? Yes."

On the other end of the phone, Alexei held the receiver in a daze for a long time before he finally reacted after Igor urged him a few more times.

"You mean the Moscow International Publishing House, which is overseen by Secretary General Vladimir?"

"Yes, that's it."

"."

In that instant, Alexei suddenly realized that he might have personally squandered the only chance for *The New World* to surpass *Modern Man*! (End of Chapter)