I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 125 The Sin of Arrogance: Victor Hugo
When Turgenev finally thought of helping Mikhail with matters concerning his work, he was surprised to find that he had been abroad for quite some time. Looking at the time, 1844 was drawing to a close. In any case, Turgenev had to return before the important holidays at the end of the year, otherwise he might face the risk of having his allowance cut off.

For Russian nobles in those days, time wasn't really that valuable. They would casually go hunting, attend balls, and do other things, and a year would pass just like that.

This year, however, felt exceptionally long to Turgenev, mainly because so many things had happened during that year, most of which were related to Mikhail. No one could have imagined that the situation of a penniless young man would change so drastically.

Turgenev was close to Mikhail, and therefore felt it more acutely.

According to Turgenev, Mikhail had already reached this point, so all that was left was to enjoy life, at least he wouldn't have to be so busy with one thing after another like before.

However, for some reason, although Mikhail had a good attitude and was usually quite steady in his work, Turgenev could still vaguely sense a sense of urgency in him.

However, from another perspective, Turgenev felt that Mikhail was under considerable pressure. On the one hand, there had always been negative comments about his works, and even some important figures were somewhat averse to them. On the other hand, Mikhail's love life would probably face significant problems due to his status.

Thinking of this, Turgenev couldn't help but feel sorry for his friend. If he had known some of the other things in Mikhail's mind, he probably would have thought that his easygoing friend possessed an iron will.
In short, now that he had remembered Mikhail's matter, Turgenev, who had been a sycophant for quite some time, naturally perked up and began to work hard for Mikhail's cause.

Of course, Turgenev also had his own motives. At his age, he liked to mingle in what people called high society and get to know various influential figures. In addition, France was still the cultural center of Europe, and it was a very rare thing for a Russian to make a name for himself in the literary world there.

In another sense, Turgenev was also paving the way for his own future.

So Turgenev began attending salon events of all sizes in Paris through the husband of his favorite singer.

In this process, Turgenev was surprised by the flourishing of Paris's cultural industry, but he also witnessed the aggressive nature of Parisian writers.

First, let's talk about the former. Without a doubt, Paris is one of the most developed and progressive regions of this era.

Firstly, although advancements in printing technology led to a decrease in book prices and the emergence of inexpensive versions of some classic works, books remained expensive for a considerable period in the 19th century, unaffordable for the average person. Before the 1860s, newspapers were sold by subscription, with subscriptions starting in March or throughout the year, not individually.

As a result, during this period, the French people often read books and newspapers in public spaces, and reading rooms, pubs, and public libraries became important places for public reading.

During the July Monarchy period from 1830 to 1848, the number of reading rooms in France reached its peak, with more than 500 officially licensed reading rooms in Paris alone, the vast majority of which were located in high-traffic areas.

Meanwhile, for adult French men in the 19th century, especially male laborers, a significant form of entertainment and socializing after get off work was visiting pubs. In 1860, France boasted a staggering 50 pubs.

There, workers would drink, browse newspapers, or listen to news read aloud. It was in these taverns that workers were exposed to political propaganda and communist ideology, leading them to participate in strikes, social movements, and even revolutions.

It could be said that many strikes and revolutionary movements in old Paris were conceived in small pubs.

This shows that the fact that the mustachioed man later wanted to cause trouble in the beer hall had a long history.

As for the latter, Turgenev could only say that he was truly amazed after attending various salons.

Due to autocracy and insufficient development of capitalism, Russia's cultural industry is far less developed than that of Paris. In addition, most of Russia's writers today are of noble birth and still carry the arrogance and pride of the aristocracy, often feeling ashamed of their identity as writers.

In France, where capitalism has developed to a certain extent, the ruthless market and interests have gradually begun to tear apart everything from the past. In Paris, the circulation of top newspapers can even reach over 100,000 copies.

With such enormous profits and the ease with which they could enter high society, Parisian writers stopped pretending and it was perfectly normal for them to hate and attack each other.

Therefore, in Paris today, devoting oneself to literature means facing disappointment, ridicule, and gossip. Hatred comes from all sides like a raging flood. The Goncourt brothers said, "If readers could understand the price we paid for that little bit of fame, how much insult, slander, and defamation we had to endure, they would surely pity us."

Such attacks are either directed at the work itself, such as Dolvelli's view that Hugo's "Meditations" is "simply unbearably long!"

He also described Zola as "a Michelangelo who is like shit."

Personal attacks are commonplace. When criticizing their opponents, they can use anything as an excuse, even if it is unfair. Such attacks are often vulgar and despicable.

For example, Renard called a female writer "the Brittany cow of literature," and the Goncourt brothers described an elderly writer as "a failed clever fellow who has fallen into a dung bucket, a listless hippopotamus."

As for vanity and arrogance, these were symptoms that were all too common for writers of this period. On the one hand, Romanticism was about promoting one's own spirit and personal achievements; on the other hand, there were probably few groups more conscious than artists and writers.

In terms of arrogance and ego, Hugo was unparalleled, as evidenced by his response to accusations of arrogance: "Some accuse me of arrogance, yes. Arrogance is my strength!" This is essentially what Turgenev learned during his time attending Parisian salons. Beyond this, Turgenev fully utilized his aristocratic status and social skills to climb the social ladder in Parisian salons step by step.

Of course, the main purpose was to treat people to a meal.

Now, after a long period of effort, Turgenev has finally reached the edge of Paris's most prestigious salons.

All of this was truly difficult. After all, given the atmosphere of the Parisian literary scene mentioned above, Turgenev, a Russian writer who had not yet truly achieved fame in his own country, suffered a great deal of humiliation. Ordinary indifference and exclusion were one thing, but what he could not tolerate the most was the prejudice of true Parisians against Russia and Russian literature.

The gist of it is: what good stuff can you possibly produce from your backwater? Even putting aside other things, just in terms of literature, no one in your Russian literary world is even worthy of shining our old Parisian shoes!

Turgenev was so angry he wanted to point his finger at the other person and yell, "You're talking nonsense! Let's not even talk about the older generation; as for new talents, our Russian literary world already has Mikhail!"

He could think about it, but ultimately, even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. Turgenev could only talk about how some Russian writers are doing now to a limited extent.

Although others still didn't take it seriously, Turgenev gradually became more and more familiar with some writers in Paris, and by chance, this led to Turgenev's current itinerary.

On this unusual day, Turgenev set off from his residence in Paris and arrived at Building 6, Place des Vosges. He was actually quite early, but there were indeed many people who had arrived even earlier than him.

Most of these people are fervent admirers of Victor Hugo, a literary giant who now holds a prominent position in the French literary world.

In 1844, Hugo was already forty-two years old. As early as 1827, he wrote a long preface to his play Cromwell, which was a manifesto of Romantic literature. He put forward the literary propositions of Romanticism and became an important figure in the Romantic school. When he wrote Notre Dame de Paris in 1831, he had taken another step forward on the basis of consolidating his position.

Until 1841, when Hugo was officially elected a member of the French Academy, it was difficult to find a writer in France who was more influential than him, at least on the surface.

In this situation, a large number of young people naturally gathered around Hugo, and many people even tried their best to squeeze into Hugo's circle. However, strictly speaking, associating with Hugo was not an easy thing. This Prideful Sin valued his authority highly, and everyone in his circle had to abide by the rules he set.

These rules include, but are not limited to: 1. Applause after each reading of a Hugo work.

2. Betraying Hugo comes at a price; Hugo's followers are all quick-witted.

3. After Hugo finished reciting, the entire audience fell silent. Then, everyone looked up at the sky, grabbed Hugo's hand, and shouted "Cathedral!" "Dome!" "Egyptian Pyramid!" to express their admiration for the genius.

Aside from these rules, if you were a follower of Hugo, then for a considerable period of time you would have to accompany Hugo to climb Notre Dame Cathedral once a week and watch the sunset from there.

This was certainly a difficult task, but Hugo himself enjoyed it immensely because, in his eyes, the architectural shape of Notre Dame Cathedral resembled a capital H, just like Hugo's name, which he claimed inspired him.

Undoubtedly, this is a manifestation of narcissism. In the 18th and 19th centuries, a considerable number of writers enjoyed sanctifying themselves, and Hugo was no exception. He was always surrounded by admirers, leading to a joke at the time:
One day, Victor Hugo wrote the word "I" and then put a period. Those around him exclaimed: "How insightful!"
However, despite his many flaws, Hugo's irrepressible compassion for the people and his unyielding struggle for freedom and democracy are also genuine.

Thus, the assessment came to be: "Hugo is Romanticism itself, both sublime and absurd."

Although Turgenev later secretly mocked Hugo's flaws quite a bit, at least for now, Turgenev's feelings were not far removed from those of the fervent Hugo admirers around him.

Although he didn't know much about this authority in the French literary world, his numerous honors were enough to make any young person in the literary world tremble with fear.

Oh right, Mikhail might be an exception, but Turgenev could hardly contain his excitement. After all, for a foreigner like him who had only been involved in the Parisian cultural scene for a short time, this was undoubtedly a very valuable opportunity.

The content of this salon was even more valuable. In addition to the usual salon sessions discussing literature and politics, the great literary figure, who seemed to be sitting on a cloud, would also bend down to listen to the poems and novels of the young people.

Although he might be very inattentive, even preoccupied with talking to people and completely oblivious to what the young man was saying, it was still an excellent opportunity, and even Turgenev wanted to bring out his own work.

But as soon as he thought that, Mikhail's calm and collected face appeared in his mind, and Turgenev quickly gave up the idea of ​​reading his own work aloud.

Besides Mikhail being too tough on Turgenev, Turgenev also harbored some resentment.

To be honest, his works might be considered decent, but far from being impressive enough to impress these arrogant Frenchmen. However, with Mikhail's works, things could be quite different.
Although Turgenev was only in Paris on behalf of Mikhail to find a way to submit his work, how could the celestial bodies around him not be bathed in its radiance when the sun rises?
With this thought in mind, Turgenev and the other young people outside waited for a long time until the time was finally right. A door that, to some extent, symbolized the most authoritative place in the French literary world today, finally opened its arms to these young people.

(End of this chapter)