1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 380: Equality and Inclusion is a Joke
The results of their “Creative Award” science fiction essay competition were announced in the latest issue of “Simulated Science Fiction and Reality”.

After 5 months of preliminary and re-examination, the magazine's competition committee finally came up with the winning results.

Among them, there was one first prize, two second prizes, and nine third prizes.

Jiang Xian saw at a glance that "The Hunger Games" was among the two second prizes, with a prize of 10,000 US dollars.

“You only got second prize?”

"Are there any masters?"

He glanced at the first prize, which was a novel he had never heard of.

The Pacific in Amber.

I don't have any impression of the author Jiang Xian. Her name is Felicite. The keywords of the novel are: bionic man/robot/revenge.

Jiang Xian wondered if a Cheng Yaojin might appear out of nowhere.
With a little depression and unwillingness to accept it, I read the novel "The Pacific in Amber".

The novel is also a futuristic novel, set tens of thousands of years later, when technology has developed rapidly and people no longer live in cities, but in pieces of "amber".

The setting of "Amber" is interesting, but in Jiang Xian's opinion, the novel is not particularly well-written. The writing style is rather old-fashioned and there is not much depth. If placed among a bunch of science fiction novels, "The Pacific in Amber" is mediocre and has no major highlights.

"Can this get first place?" Jiang Xian didn't quite understand.

Of course, Jiang Xian was not the only one who didn’t understand this.

Many writers participating in the "International Writing Project" have paid attention to the novel "The Hunger Games".

Firstly, this is Jiang Xian's novel. Jiang Xian is the most popular writer among their "writing project". Therefore, once a new work is published, it will spread quickly in the writer circle.

Secondly, The Hunger Games is really well written.

Although it is a science fiction novel and is mostly appreciated by teenagers and science fiction fans, the dystopian themes and cultural metaphors, for example, the obvious elements of Homer's epic, all add a lot of literary color to the novel.

"I heard that the prize Jiang Xian won is worth 10,000 US dollars!" exclaimed South Korean writer C.

Ten thousand dollars, how many kimchi can you make? !
"The first prize is $3."

Danika, a female writer from East Germany, said, "I totally think Jiang Xian's novel can win the first prize! He should be awarded just for his imagination. I've read the first prize winner, and it's very mediocre compared to The Hunger Games."

"How did he get first place?" Writer C asked curiously.

"You'll have to ask the tournament committee about that," Danica sneered.

Other writers quickly understood and sighed.

"It seems that not everything in the United States is free and equal."

In Edwin's office, several teachers also talked about "The Hunger Games" winning the award.

After all, the winner is an invited writer for their "Writing Project", so Edwin and others need to pay attention to this matter.

Professor William Yeh, who was sitting next to him, said, "Jiang Xian? The Chinese writer? Previously, I read his novel The Drifter on the recommendation of Professor Nie Hualing. It was really beautifully written. I also just read The Hunger Games not long ago."

Beverly teased, "So what do you think of this version of The Hunger Games?"

Professor Ye Weilian thought for a moment and said seriously:

"Jiang Xian has created a fascinating novel.

This novel is a mixture of science fiction, survival adventure, seemingly impossible love, and social criticism, but it does not feel confusing or abrupt to read, and each plot flows very naturally.

Although it is written as a game, one can always feel the high-pressure rule of the capital and the exploitation and oppression of various regions when reading it, which is always boiling under the surface. This kind of thing requires deep skills to write, and most of the authors who can write it are already in their 80s and no longer have such passionate imagination. Jiang Xian is an author who has both. "

Beverly wanted to make a joke, but she didn't expect Professor Ye Weilian's attitude to be so formal, so she gave up the idea of ​​joking.

"It's incredible that such an excellent novel only won the second prize. How good must the first prize be?"

Hearing her words, Professor Yip Wei-lian said, "What is good? What is bad? It is difficult to rank literary works. There is no good or bad literary work, only appreciation or disapproval. Just like The Hunger Games, you can read the good parts, but is there really no bad part? But if you appreciate this novel, you will ignore its shortcomings.

In the final analysis, the awards are based on comprehensive factors, not just the quality of the work itself. These comprehensive factors include all aspects, and may even be related to the author himself. "

Beverly quickly reacted, "Teacher Ye is saying that the competition committee is biased against the novel "The Hunger Games" because of Jiang Xian's Chinese identity?"

"There is a possibility."

William Yeh said, "The United States claims to be the freest, most equal, and most inclusive country, but whether in the literary or film world, it is difficult for Chinese people to be valued and their works to stand out. This is a consensus among everyone.

Moreover, which country is the oppressive Capitol in Jiang Xian's novel referring to? This is all obvious to readers.

If his novel wins first prize, the organizers of the competition will most likely get into trouble."

"It is possible. No matter how you look at it, it is too far-fetched for Pacific in Amber to win the award. Such a result is not convincing at all."

"The other novel that won the second prize is far inferior to Jiang Xian's novel in quality."

Everyone was talking about it, and they were all very moved to see their friend being treated unfairly.

California.

Nolan handed the small change to Bob, the kid next door, and said depressedly:
"That's all I have, Bob."

He had previously made a fifty-dollar bet with the kid next door that the novel "The Hunger Games" would win first place in this essay contest.

But what made Nolan depressed was.

He actually lost the bet.

And the first one was the movie "Amber" which made him fall asleep five times during the movie? !

Nolan was very angry about this.

If you put this matter into context, it's just like selecting a certain masterpiece.

Readers chattered and discussed enthusiastically.

"The first masterpiece should be someday, right?"

"A perfect world is fine too."

"Lord of the Mysteries, the results are not bad and acceptable."

"Infinite Terror, the founder of the Infinite Style is not unreasonable."

"The mysterious resuscitation is a little funny."

To the end:
"What the hell?"

"What the hell is this immortal work?!"

We are not discussing the novel "The Immortals' Exploitation" here, but just using this incident as an example to illustrate how Nolan might be feeling at the moment.

Not giving it to "The Hunger Games" first?
Does your race committee have any concerns?

This is really fucked!

Iowa City.

"I didn't even win the first prize?" On the way to Jiang Xian's house, Wang Anyi said to Ru Zhijuan with regret, "This is such a pity."

Ru Zhijuan looked up at her and said with a smile, "Jiang Xian didn't say anything, why do you feel sorry for him? It's pretty good to win a second prize, the prize money is 10,000 yuan." "The first prize is 30,000 US dollars, who would complain about too much money." Wang Anyi said, "I have read all the works in that issue of the magazine. The one that impressed me the most was Jiang Xian's "The Hunger Games". The quality of the other novels is very average. Jiang Xian's novel definitely deserves the first prize."

"Literary works are good in different tastes. Maybe you as a Chinese find it good, but foreigners may not like it."

"Writers from so many countries say that the writing project is good, so why is it not to the taste of Americans? Moreover, many writers have said that Chinese people are often suppressed in various awards selections in the United States." Wang Anyi said indignantly, "The Hunger Games must have been treated in the same way. It's such a pity."

"Alright, alright, let's just talk about this for a few more words, and don't mention it again. Maybe Jiang Xian is unhappy about this. If you keep mentioning it, won't that just make things worse for him?"

"."

When the mother and daughter returned home, they found that several mouth-watering Chinese dishes were already served in the restaurant.

"Oh, Teacher Ru and An Yi are back? Hurry up and wash your hands and get ready for dinner." Rao Yuemei greeted them warmly.

"Why is the food so rich today?" Ru Zhijuan and Wang Anyi were both surprised.

"Didn't Jiang Xian just win an award? At least it's an award, let's celebrate for him." Rao Yuemei said with a smile.

Ru Zhijuan and Wang Anyi looked at each other and said nothing.

After a while, Jiang Xian also came back. He went upstairs to play with his Little Majesty for a while and was in a good mood.

While eating, he said:

"I'm going to go out again in a while."

"Where are you going?"

"Los Angeles, I won an award, and the award will be presented there." Jiang Xian said calmly.

This surprised Wang Anyi a little.

In her impression, Jiang Xian is definitely a "thorny" type who is not easy to mess with. Take Liu Xinwu for example. When he first debuted, he was criticized for writing "rogue" novels. Jiang Xian did not give this predecessor any face and immediately responded to Liu Xinwu with another "rogue" novel. This is a well-known "good story" in the literary world.

This time, "The Hunger Games" was obviously suppressed by the organizing committee and was treated so unfairly. According to Jiang Xian's temper, he should have refused to accept the award.

Why did you go all the way to Los Angeles just to receive an award?

"You'd better not go to receive the award." After dinner, Zhu Lin said to Jiang Xian in the bedroom.

Zhu Lin also had a general idea of ​​what was going on this time, and of course she didn't want Jiang Xian to be nice to these people after being bullied.

"It's okay, just treat it as a paid trip. Besides, even if it's just to thank the readers who voted, I have to show up."

"."

Seeing how righteous he was speaking, Zhu Lin felt that he might have some evil ideas in mind.

She knew her husband, every pore of him.

Jiang Xian picked up their little Majesty and teased the little guy.

"Daughter, call daddy."

"Niannian is so young now, how can she be called that?"

Zhu Lin smiled and took the little Majesty from Jiang Xian's arms, "Let her sleep for a while."

As soon as she put the little Majesty into the crib, Zhu Lin felt a pair of arms passing through her waist and holding her.

"Jiang Xian."

She turned around, frowned and glared at Jiang Xian, "The child hasn't slept yet."

Jiang Xian's eyes were full of passion.

He gently stroked Zhu Lin's hair, kissed her neck, and whispered:
"The child is still young and can't call daddy. How about you take her place?"

"Ok?"

She was surprised for a few seconds, and then quickly reacted as Jiang Xian made a move.

"oops."

Zhu Lin was slightly angry and tried to resist, but she was no match for Jiang Xian and could not break free from his arms.

She slowly went limp, her hands and feet lost all strength, and her consciousness gradually became blurred.

Because of the pregnancy, the two haven't had such an opportunity to be close to each other for a long time.

At this moment, they all looked like weeds that had been dry for a long time and could catch fire at any time.

Another gust of wind swept the fallen leaves, and the rain smashed the banana leaves.

The next day, Jiang Xian flew to California, USA.

The name "California" may be derived from two words in Spanish.

One is "hot" and the other is "stove".

The combination means "hot stove".

There is no need to over-interpret this, as this word is probably related to the hot weather here.

Jiang Xian got off the plane in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles is fine.

It is the second largest city in the United States and the largest city in the West, and is known as the "City of Angels."

After arriving at the airport, someone picked him up. After Jiang Xian was arranged to stay in the hotel, he immediately went out for a walk.

The city is indeed prosperous.

I heard that Eileen Chang lived alone in Los Angeles in her later years.

Well, little-known fact: she's still alive.

However, it is still a bit difficult to find Eileen Chang. In her later years, she suffered from skin diseases and was very suspicious. She always felt that there were bugs in the room she lived in, so she moved frequently and always lived in motels.

A reporter whom she refused to interview once lived next door to her and pieced together her life by picking up the garbage she threw away:
"She wore clothes made of paper, lived in seclusion, and refused visitors. One sesame seed bun was enough for her to eat for two days."

It is not certain whether it is true or not, but Zhang Ailing's later years were indeed not satisfactory. She moved frequently, had an abortion at an advanced age, took care of her paralyzed husband, and had to endure loneliness and illness. It can be said that her later years were miserable.

After returning to the hotel, Jiang Xian asked about the award ceremony again.

"Simulated Science Fiction and Reality" still has a very high status in the science fiction world. After all, this publication symbolizes the golden age of American science fiction.

The competition committee invited several famous science fiction writers, including Asimov and Heinlein, two representatives of the golden age of American science fiction.

Both writers have deep roots with this publication, with most of their works published in it.

The World Science Fiction Society also sent representatives to attend.

This association is the organizer of the World Science Fiction Convention, and the "Hugo Award" and "Nebula Award", the highest international awards in the field of science fiction literature, are presented at this conference.

(End of this chapter)