I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 130 I will take you back from all the earth, from all the heavens.

Regarding the relationships between writers in the Russian literary world today, while it's not as harsh and filled with hatred and jealousy as it was in old France, it's true that writers tend to belittle each other, or that different people simply have different literary views. In any case, it's indeed unlikely that everyone in the literary circle will agree on one person's literary achievements.

By now, Mikhail's status as a writer has been largely solidified, and even though he has yet to produce a substantial work, most critics in the literary world are optimistic about his future.

Of course, this is on the premise that he might have to tone down certain tendencies in his novels, at least in Russia at present. Otherwise, it's hard to say whether he will cause a sensation in the literary world or be driven to a mental breakdown by the censorship system and delete his account and run away.

There are many critics in St. Petersburg, and quite a few can see the tendencies in Mikhail's novels. In fact, just by looking at all of Mikhail's works from his debut to the present, one can see that, without going into deeper levels, just on the surface, a little reflection reveals that they are all criticisms of social reality, with virtually no element of praise.

That's really impressive. So far, few fledgling writers have been as bold as him. When Pushkin, Lermontov, or Gogol first started out, they all had to write something mild or laudatory. But you don't even bother with that.
It's alright in the short term, but it's really hard to say what will happen in the long term.

However, while he is recognized as a writer, Mikhail's reputation as a poet is relatively weak. Even though his poems are all very popular and widely circulated, some professional poets believe that Mikhail is at best someone who has dabbled in poetry and does not yet deserve the title of poet.

At this moment, two or three young noble poets in the general's household held similar views. In addition, another reason why they were somewhat hostile to Mikhail was the commentary entitled "The Superfluous Man".

As mentioned before, for every person who agrees, there is someone who holds the exact opposite opinion. In the current literary circle in St. Petersburg, there are actually quite a few people who hold opposing views. After all, many people in the literary circle today come from landlord families, and it is obviously unlikely that they would easily deny their own living conditions.

The debate has always been ongoing, but because Mikhail is not very social, some people can't find the right person to express their dissatisfaction. The young nobles who are visiting the general's house just happened to be there, but out of a certain aristocratic reserve, they are naturally unwilling to speak up easily.

Unexpectedly, Mikhail did not seem to have any intention of talking to them much. After speaking with the general, he turned around and started talking to the noble lady!
Are those rumors really true?

What displeased one of the young noblemen, Boris, even more was that the noblewoman rarely spoke to them, and when she did, it was always just polite small talk. But everything changed after Mikhail arrived.

The general became more enthusiastic, and his daughter took the initiative to speak, saying a lot in one breath.

Even if he has some reputation in literary circles, so what? Are these people without reputation?
Moreover, in their area of ​​expertise—poetry—the poems they have written and their understanding of poetry far surpass those of Mikhail, who is more like a pure novelist.

So when Mikhail and Nadya discussed poetry, even though they only shared some ordinary thoughts and didn't intend to delve deeper, the young nobleman Boris was as if a switch had been flipped, and he eagerly joined the conversation.

"You know, writing poetry is not an easy thing. Even though it is rumored that you write poetry incredibly fast, I believe that you must have gone through painful contemplation and long-term polishing, but you just chose to write it in a relatively short period of time."

Mikhail: “?”

Although it's a bit inexplicable, it's rare that someone thinks I'm not a quick shooter.

Before Mikhail could say anything, the young nobleman, after laying the groundwork, continued confidently, "But what you just said to Miss Nadezhda, I personally find too frivolous. Poetry is such a solemn art; it is not something just anyone can write."

Moreover, in Russia, poetry written by women, or poetry expressing emotions from a female perspective, is extremely rare. There are practically no sources of inspiration, making it even more difficult to learn from and write such works. Perhaps it's better to focus more on other things.

After listening to the young nobleman's words, Mikhail roughly understood what the other party wanted to express.

Mikhail had initially thought it might be a love rival situation, but now it sounded like the other person was completely devoted to him, to the point that the young nobleman had inadvertently offended Nadya while refuting Mikhail.

Strictly speaking, Nadya was just expressing her admiration for the poems she had seen to Mikhail; she might not have actually intended to try writing them herself. However, this young nobleman went so far as to bluntly state that it was impossible to refute what he perceived as problems with Mikhail's words.

It was obvious that Nadya had been eager to try her luck because of Mikhail's affirmative answer, but after hearing the young nobleman's words, the smile on her face faded a bit. However, given the other party's status as a guest and the current social norms, she really couldn't refute anything.

However, she was somewhat unhappy, since she was having a pleasant conversation with Mikhail when the young nobleman suddenly said something rather unpleasant, which would be strange if she felt happy.

Just as Nadya was pondering what to say, Mikhail, who had already reacted, glanced at the young nobleman. The young man seemed to become somewhat nervous because of Mikhail's glance, but Mikhail didn't notice this and spoke directly:
“Every poet goes through a process of just getting started, and trying is essential. As for what you said later, I don’t think it’s uncommon. Tatiana’s self-narration in Eugene Onegin is very brilliant, and I think some emotions may be more powerful when expressed from another perspective.”

In fact, after meeting Mikhail's gaze, the young nobleman who had spoken earlier began to regret his rashness. Although what he said might be true, the timing of his words was indeed a bit inappropriate. Furthermore, considering Mikhail's current status in the literary world and the rumors surrounding him, the young nobleman's heart skipped a beat.

What if that invisible hand of the other party exerts its force?
So, although he was still somewhat skeptical of some of the things Mikhail said, he still managed a smile and nodded.

He stopped speaking, but Nadya, who was still in a bad mood, couldn't help but ask curiously after hearing Mikhail's words, "Really? You mean it will make you feel more powerful?"

If viewed from a female perspective, it is understandable that the expression is more delicate and profound, as is the case with Tatiana's self-narration in "Eugene Onegin." But what would be a more powerful form of expression?
Just as Nadya was about to hear Mikhail's insights on this matter, she discovered that Mikhail seemed to want to give her an example directly. The reason she was able to discover this was that Mikhail simply asked the servant next to him for paper and pen.

Could it be that?
As she considered a certain possibility, Nadya felt her heart suddenly beat faster, and even her fair face flushed pink.

Compared to her, the reactions of the young nobles beside her were noticeably stronger. Among them, the two young men who had greeted Mikhail enthusiastically earlier were still glaring at Boris, who had contradicted Mikhail, but after noticing Mikhail's actions, they jumped up from their chairs.

While urging the servants on, he also hurriedly took the paper and pen, then personally handed them to Mikhail as if on a pilgrimage. At the same time, Boris and the other young nobles who had refuted Mikhail, realizing what was about to happen, suddenly froze, their slight contempt and mockery of Mikhail's words. Even they seemed to freeze, though their necks still instinctively turned towards Mikhail's direction.

After receiving the paper and pen, Mikhail thanked them and began to write.

While I don't want to be labeled a quick shooter, sometimes giving an example is indeed the most effective way to answer a question.

In the unusually quiet atmosphere, Mikhail finished writing what he was doing and immediately handed it to Nadya.

Nadya took the paper with a lot of writing on it in a daze, and then she couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Her reaction only made the young men next to her even more anxious, and they even wished they could snatch the paper away.

Although less than the time it takes to smoke a cigarette has passed since the beginning, these young men felt as if a century had gone by.

Seeing that Nadja had already finished reading but was still holding onto the paper, Boris, who was getting impatient, couldn't help but remind her, "Miss Nadja, perhaps you could just read it aloud so that we can all hear you."

"That's it"

After glancing at Mikhail and receiving his permission, the seventeen-year-old girl felt a little embarrassed, but an inexplicable impulse led her to read aloud what she was holding after a moment of hesitation.

However, she didn't face the audience members directly, but rather vaguely turned towards Mikhail, who was standing not far from her:
“I will take you back from all the earth, from all the heavens.”
Because my cradle is the forest, and the forest is also a graveyard.

Because I stand on the earth—on only one leg,

Because no one can sing your praises like I do.

With just those two sentences, the young people who had been excited for so long suddenly felt that their waiting and anticipation had not been in vain. At the same time, a common thought involuntarily popped into their minds:

So all those rumors were actually true?!
At the same time, that seemingly reckless emotion still swept in like a tsunami:
"I want to come from all ages, from all the darkness,"

I will take you back from under all the golden banners, from under all the swords.

I will take you back from all the others—from that person.
You will not be anyone's groom, and I will not be anyone's wife.
From the person who was with Jacob in the darkness, ①

I'm going to fight you to the death and take you away—hold your breath!
But before I cross your arms over my chest—②
Ah, how awful! —You stay there alone for now:
Your two wings are already pointing towards space, eager to take flight—

Because your cradle is the world, and the world is also a graveyard!

①According to biblical tradition, Jacob wrestled with God and was blessed for it. Here, it refers to God.

②According to Russian custom, after a person dies, their hands are crossed and placed in front of their chest.

By the time the poem was finished, the seventeen-year-old girl seemed a little uneasy, but despite this, she still glanced at Mikhail every now and then.

After reading the poem, she truly understood what Mikhail meant, and at the same time, she felt that the same emotions she sometimes had existed within the poem.

Her reaction was one of surprise, but the reactions of the young noblemen beside her seemed even more intense. Boris, who had initially commented on Mikhail's words, stood frozen for a long while. When he finally came to his senses, he couldn't help but shiver. After struggling for a long time, he finally looked at Mikhail and said somewhat tremblingly, "Respected Mr. Mikhail Romanovich, you are right. I was simply too ignorant."

Undoubtedly, after this incident, everyone present forgot about the unpleasantness from earlier. Nadya, in particular, seemed to have completely forgotten her earlier displeasure. However, for some reason, she was no longer able to sit there and talk to Mikhail.

After saying hello, she hurriedly took the paper and headed to her bedroom.

Not long after she left in a hurry, the general finally finished dealing with the temporary matter and returned happily.

But as soon as he arrived, he realized that something was wrong. His daughter had left at some point, and the other young people on the scene were all flushed red. One of them was even more exaggerated, with his eyes seemingly moist, and he was staring straight at someone.

Following the gaze of others, the general noticed Mikhail, who seemed somewhat tense.

General: "?"

Five or six red-faced men and a Mikhail?
So what exactly happened?
(End of this chapter)