I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 261 Hans Christian Andersen and the dedication to Mikhail
Dear Hans Christian Andersen:

I am incredibly grateful to receive the book you sent as a Christmas gift. I love it dearly and am deeply honored by it. It's hard to express how much respect I have for a writer as talented as you.

Your book brought joy to our family Christmas celebrations; we were all captivated by it. The old man, the child, the tin soldier—they were my favorites. I read it again and again with indescribable delight.
—A letter from Dickens to Andersen at the end of 1847

As an English gentleman who had been repeatedly plotted against and murdered by despicable Russians, Jasper was eager to see Mikhail make a fool of himself at a charity literary reading, but seeing him would bring back bad memories, and he felt obligated to donate some money to maintain appearances.

So Jasper finally decided to read the Russian joke in the newspaper.

So, on the second day of the literary reading, Jasper, who was so excited that he couldn't sleep, got out of bed early and then eagerly awaited today's newspaper.

In Jasper's opinion, it was simply a pipe dream for this Russian literary reading to raise any money.

After all, what does it mean for a writer born in a country with a slave system to want to raise money for charity because London children are living in such a miserable state? Does he mean that children in Britain are living worse than slaves?

That's utter nonsense! It's a veiled insult to the British Empire!
Jasper thought so, and he was clearly not alone in holding this view. Therefore, the upper-class gentlemen and ladies who attended this literary reading were probably more out of curiosity about the author, and as for donations, they would probably just keep a basic level of decorum.

Meanwhile, many people who hadn't attended the literary reading were waiting to see the joke or satire of the Russian in the newspapers. After waiting for quite some time, Jasper finally got his hands on the Times he had been longing for.

However, after searching for a while, Jasper's heart skipped a beat when he saw the headline of a certain news article: "An Extraordinary Night of Literature and Philanthropy".

Although he wanted to throw the newspaper away, Jasper still read on with some hope:
Last night, a unique charity reading was held to support "poor schools" and the "Eastern District Relief Fund." Although the event was not widely publicized, it achieved some of the most amazing charitable results in recent years.

The speaker was the recently renowned author, Mr. Mikhail, who recited a deeply moving piece—"The Happy Prince." This story blends moral beauty with poetic tenderness, bringing many in the audience to tears.
After the reading, the author gave a speech about poverty. Although he lacked a deeper understanding of British society, and his remarks were somewhat rash and distorted, his kindness still earned him prolonged applause.
That evening, a fundraising event was held on-site, with Lady Harberry leading the way, followed by the Duke of Beaufort, the Marchioness of Stafford, and several members of parliament. By the end of the night, £2,500 had been raised—a meager sum for private charitable activities.
One lady exclaimed, "The author himself deserves more for his demeanor, his works, and his words." A gentleman remarked that "The Happy Prince" "is written as if by a poet incarnate as a saint."

The funds will be used to help impoverished children and improve living conditions in London's East End. This night will be remembered, not only for the generosity, but also for literature proving itself to remain the sublime voice of human compassion.

Jasper: "?"

You are The Times!
What are you bragging about?

Just as Jasper was about to unleash a torrent of abuse, he saw a long list of names below the article: "The following is a list of donors for that evening."

Looking at those dazzling family names and already impressive names, Jasper seemed to suddenly understand why the news report was so positive.
If that's the case, then he must have presented a new piece that night, and it really moved many people in the audience.
His detective novels certainly couldn't do this, so just how good is this "The Happy Prince"?!

Although this news article was something Jasper would find unbearable to read, and would make him feel nauseous all day if he didn't, he still couldn't resist wanting to see how "The Happy Prince" was written, despite the nauseating feeling it gave him, as if he had just drunk a mouthful of Thames water.
Whether to report on this charity reading in a positive or negative light has been a long-standing dilemma for many London newspapers and journalists. If the speaker were a British author, they could simply praise him in the newspapers, but if the speaker were a foreigner, they would have to think about it carefully.

Among them, several newspaper reporters had a sudden inspiration after thinking for a long time: hadn't there been rumors before that the writer liked London and wanted to settle there?
If these news reports aren't quite credible, then doesn't this writer's recent actions confirm these rumors?

Soon, several newspapers took a different approach, directly guiding the news in this direction and emphasizing Britain's powerful appeal.

If previous news stories were mostly gossip and rumors, this time, due to the very strong "evidence," such claims have undoubtedly spread at a rapid pace. It's estimated that they will reach France soon, and after a while, they may very well reach the general's family who are on their way to Paris.
But speaking of the present situation, apart from Jasper, more and more people throughout London have undoubtedly seen reports about this literary reading in the newspapers, or rather, it's hard not to see them, simply because the amount of donations received by this charity reading has shocked many people:
"My God! Two thousand five hundred pounds? That's almost a decade's income for a family like ours, and more than a hundred years' worth of money for some workers. And this writer raised it just by reading a few articles?!"

"So much? I remember that the gentlemen in high society would rather squander huge sums of money at the card table than easily give alms to the poor, but this time they are so generous?"

"This young writer has such an appeal; even Mr. Dickens might not have been able to do that."

"There are likely some complex reasons as well, as this news article also mentions the French high society."

"Will his next literary reading be open to gentlemen's families like ours? What are the ticket prices? I'm starting to wonder about the power of the pieces he reads."

If these news stories stirred shock and curiosity among London's middle class, they evoked a more complex and indescribable emotion among London's lower classes:

"Was this noble gentleman sent by God? I've heard his Christmas stories and detective tales, but I never imagined he himself was so much better than the stories he wrote!"

"Are these news reports true? Two thousand five hundred pounds, all donated to the poor? Am I dreaming?"

"It's true! Some schools for the poor have started hiring workers to repair their buildings, and the pay is said to be quite good!"

"Has another Mr. Dickens appeared in London? I really want to meet him! And then ask him in which issue Sherlock Holmes will reappear!" Besides these positive voices, there were also quite a few news reports criticizing and expressing dissatisfaction with Mikhail's remarks last night. However, Mikhail only glanced at these news reports while reading the newspaper and then put them aside.

Is that all the attack power you have?

As long as there was no physical harm involved, Mikhail didn't care about any of that. What interested him more was a news article in the newspaper "Observer," which reported on literature-related information:

"Incredibly, such a beautiful fairy tale written in English was written by a foreign author."

In this fairy tale, his grasp and expression of the beauty of the English language reached an extremely high level, something few writers in London can achieve today.
"The Happy Prince" is in no way inferior to many of Hans Christian Andersen's classic works. Genius writers often share many commonalities; even when writing fairy tales for children, they can still create exquisite beauty. These words shine with brilliant color.

In this enthusiastic review, what attracted Mikhail the most was undoubtedly the name Hans Christian Andersen. This "sun of world children's literature" has countless classic fairy tales, and Mikhail read many of his stories when he was a child.

Although the son of a shoemaker and servant had felt very inferior because he was ugly and poor, and spent a long time as the "ugly duckling," by 1846, Hans Christian Andersen had become a well-known figure in Denmark and even throughout Europe.

In Denmark, even the King believed that he could represent Danish literature, and offered to sponsor Andersen's travel expenses when he went on a trip. In other parts of Europe, his reputation was also growing.

In the UK, for example, many of Hans Christian Andersen's works have been introduced and published independently in the past two years, and literary newspapers such as The Observer have praised his works highly.

It's worth mentioning that Hans Christian Andersen was a very sociable person. He loved traveling around Europe, and his main purpose in doing so was to visit various literary figures, artists, and writers.
When visiting these people, Hans Christian Andersen seemed to view everyone through a lens of idealism. For example, when he first met Balzac, he described him as "a gentleman of elegant manners and impeccable attire. His teeth were so white that they shone brightly between his red lips."

And it was said that Balzac's hands felt "fine and soft" when held.

To this, Mikhail can only say, Hans Christian Andersen, don't be so biased. Balzac's huge stomach was practically bursting his clothes; where did his elegance and rosy lips and white teeth come from? Mikhail has never really paid attention to that.

As for Balzac's hands being delicate and soft, that's purely a psychological feeling. After all, Balzac drank coffee and wrote novels for decades, almost losing his life from writing, and his hands had long since become stiff from writing.

In this respect, Mikhail actually shares the same interests as Hans Christian Andersen. The only difference is that he doesn't have a strong filter and sometimes even has a bit of a wicked sense of humor.

Furthermore, if Mikhail is not mistaken, Andersen would likely spend some time in Paris at the end of 1846 and would travel to England in 1847 to visit Dickens, where he was personally received and hosted by Prince Albert.

Mikhail genuinely wanted to chat with this somewhat naive and romantic writer about his fairy tales, so he first wrote down the specific time in his notebook. Then, Mikhail had to start planning the various things he would have to face next.

First, Mikhail needs to strike while the iron is hot and hold one or two literary readings among the British middle class. Then, if it is appropriate, Mikhail would not mind reading those stories to ordinary people in London.

Next comes the question of how to conclude Sherlock Holmes' story and what the next chapter will be like. Then there's the matter of the factory needing to be inspected and production starting as soon as possible.
Just as Mikhail was starting to plan things out, somewhat troubled, a knock came at the door. When Mikhail went to open it, his first friend in England and publisher, Eliot, walked in happily and immediately said:

"Mr. Mikhail, congratulations on the great success of your literary reading! Half of London's high society is talking about it now! Not to mention the literary world! The influence you have shown is unmatched by many of them."

Besides these, I also have some good news to tell you. It is said that the Marchioness of Stafford, who donated the most money yesterday, hopes you can attend a banquet at her house, where many socialites gather.”

Mikhail: “?”

The top-ranked woman even made demands?
It seems I really have to give them face now. I hate rich people.
While they were happily discussing these matters, Elliott casually placed three bound manuscripts in front of Mikhail, saying, "These are the manuscripts of the three brothers' novels. You can read them at another time. Now, let me continue telling you about the Marquis de Stafford."

Without a doubt, in Eliot's view, what was more important than the situation of a marquis?

To his surprise, after he took out the manuscripts, Mikhail stopped listening to what he was saying and stared at the manuscripts for a long time.

Although he was quite busy during this period, Mikhail did not forget to correspond with the three sisters. While urging Eliot to send them the royalties from the poetry collection as soon as possible, Mikhail also readily expressed in his letters his willingness to publish their novels and that they could talk to him if they encountered any difficulties.

In fact, Mikhail offered quite a few suggestions for the novels they were writing.

With a rather peculiar feeling, Mikhail opened these manuscripts, which might still need some revision.

In Eliot's eyes, Mikhail's behavior seemed somewhat strange. It was one thing to ignore the Marchioness's affairs and focus on the novels of the three poets, but why did Mr. Mikhail show a somewhat indescribable smile after only turning the first few pages of these novels?
Just as Eliot was feeling somewhat puzzled, he took a few steps forward and looked at the manuscripts spread out on the desk. Before the three novels titled *Wuthering Heights*, *Agnes Grey*, and *Jane Eyre*, he saw a line of text:
Dedicated to Mikhail Romanovich Raskolnikov.

(End of this chapter)