Back to 80: My Literary Life

The National Book Critics Circle Award is one of the three major literary awards in the United States. It is the most authoritative literary award in the United States. It was founded by the American Book Critics Circle in 1975. It includes the Fiction Award, the Non-Fiction Award, the Poetry Award, the Memoir/Autobiography Award, and the Biography Award. Awards, review awards, etc.

Unlike the other two awards, the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, which only reward literary works by American writers, the National Book Critics Circle Award includes books translated into English and published in the United States.

Song Tangtang also told some news on the phone.

"Minghua, at the same time, we also received a personal letter from John, the vice president of Simon \u0026 Schuster Publishing Company, welcoming you to the United States. They have conducted a series of promotional activities for this book and would like to invite you to participate in it. Said that all expenses in the United States will be paid by their company.”

Oops

This business is hard work.

This English translation of "Crossing Guandong" was commissioned by Fang Minghua to contact Li Li and Simon and Schuster Publishing Company. It was officially published in March this year. It is obvious that Simon Company is planning to use this award as a publicity and promotion.

Of course it's a great thing to win an award, but even if you don't win the award and are just nominated, that's still a small benefit.

You should know that the National Book Critics Circle Award only awards one book in the fiction category each year!

They take care of food and drink, so why not go?

Besides, there are other things you can do in the United States.

Fang Minghua agreed.

"Okay then, you send me the invitation letter, and I'll go to the Writers' Association to see if I can help with applying for a visa." Fang Minghua expressed his thoughts.

Going abroad is much simpler now than it was in the early 1980s, but it is still a headache. If nothing else, there is a long queue in front of the US Embassy on Xiushui North Street every day, which makes people feel how difficult it is. .

After hanging up the phone, Fang Minghua hurried back to the table to eat and said to the two old people: "Grandpa, Grandma, I can't leave today, I have to do something."

"Then you can stay here for as many days as you want." Grandma looked loving and asked with concern, "What's the matter?"

"Tangtang called just now and said that the English translation of "Enter Guandong" I wrote was shortlisted for this year's National Book Critics Circle Award."

Fang Minghua briefly explained what happened.

Grandma was very happy to hear this. "It's a good thing. It's great to win an American literary award."

My grandfather, who was engrossed in eating, interrupted and said, "Is this National Book Critics Circle Award very powerful? Is it as powerful as our Mao Dun Award?"

"That's different. Our country's Mao Dun Award rewards literary works written by our country's writers, but this American Book Critics Circle Award is open to the whole world. As long as it is an English book published in the United States, it can participate!" Grandma explained patiently .

"Yes, the United States also has the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. These two awards only reward American writers, similar to our Mao Dun Literary Award." Fang Minghua added.

"In this case, why doesn't our country set up a literary award similar to the American Book Critics Circle Award? No matter which country your book is from, as long as it is translated into Chinese and published in our country, you can participate in the competition!" said the old man.

After hearing what the old man said, my grandma replied in a teasing tone: "Well, why not establish a Chinese Nobel Prize in Literature?"

"Why not?!" I saw the old man waving his hand: "Now that we are engaged in reform and opening up, we can both go out and invite in! The same is true for the economy, and the same is true for culture! Foreigners judge us, and we can also criticize foreigners. ! Those people in the Writers Association are too old! Xiaohua, the future depends on your generation."

"It seems like you are not very old, you are eighty years old." Grandma muttered.

"But my mind is not old!" Grandpa said with eyes wide open.

"Okay, okay, you are young, as young as Xiaohua."

The two old men started to quarrel again, and Fang Minghua was busy eating at this time.

Three days later, Song Tangtang sent both invitations by express delivery.

Just in 1985, the country established the China Express Service Company, and the time for receiving mail such as letterhead documents was significantly shortened.

After getting these two invitation letters, Fang Minghua immediately rushed to the Chinese Writers Association and reported the matter to Executive Vice Chairman Feng Mu.

These days, winning a foreign award is a matter of bringing glory to the country, let alone an important award in literature? After hearing Fang Minghua's request, Feng Mu immediately agreed and asked the national foreign affairs department for help in the name of the Chinese Writers Association, which could shorten the time for going abroad.

Fang Minghua is going abroad again!

Before he returned to Xijing, the news spread throughout the magazine. As soon as he went to work, Bai Miao came to his office and asked him to treat him.

Fang Minghua was helpless.

"What kind of treat are you asking for? The novel is only a finalist but not an award-winning novel? At least it has to win like Jia Pingwa's "Impotent" before you can invite me? Wouldn't it become a joke if you didn't win the award?"

Jia Pingwa's "Impotence" won the 8th Mobil Pegasus Literary Award in the United States at the end of last year. However, due to various reasons, Jia Pingwa did not go to the United States to receive the award in person. Instead, the award certificate was sent back to China.

For this reason, Jia Pingwa also invited guests for several days.

After hearing what Fang Minghua said, Bai Miao immediately said: "Editor Fang, I bet that this book of yours will win an award. Do you dare to bet with me?!"

"Do not hit."

Fang Minghua answered simply and neatly.

"Well, let's not talk about going to the United States to win the award. Editor Fang, you are now a director of the Chinese Writers Association, so you must invite this guest, right?"

Me@#￥￥%

This guest has to be invited. If you don't, you can't explain it.

As a result, Fang Minghua stayed drunk for a few days.

With the help of the Writers Association, it was relatively easy to apply for the visa. Besides, I was invited to go abroad. Compared with the people queuing up to apply for visas at the embassy gate, the Americans approved the procedure quickly.

Despite this, Fang Minghua took the political review materials and his household registration book to Yanjing again, and finally got the visa to go abroad in mid-June, and the time to go abroad was 20 days.

Fang Minghua will go abroad tomorrow, and the work in the unit has been arranged. Song Tangtang will help her husband pack his luggage in the evening.

In fact, there was nothing to pack, just a few changes of clothes and toiletries.

"Minghua, will you meet Emily when you go to the United States this time?" Song Tangtang asked while packing up.

Fang Minghua was reading the newspaper, and when he heard his wife say this, he smiled and said:

"Why should I look for someone else when I have nothing to do? Emily is in Los Angeles now, and I went to New York. We are far away from each other across the entire American continent."

In the past two years after Fang Minghua returned to China, Emily wrote several letters about her current situation, so the couple probably knew about her situation.

Since Emily wrote the book "Before Sunrise" which became an overnight sensation, she subsequently wrote two books, "The Summer With You" and "Time Please Don't Take My Memories Away", both of which are about young people. The love story is deeply loved by young men and women, and he has become a best-selling author.

After hearing Fang Minghua's answer, Song Tangtang glanced at him.

"Maybe someone knew you were in the United States and came to see you specially."

"It's possible." Fang Minghua didn't shy away from it: "After all, we are friends. I traveled all the way to the United States, so it's normal to meet. Tangtang, are you worried about some kind of super-friendship relationship between me and her? "

Fang Minghua said finally.

Song Tangtang looked at him.

"It's a lie to say you're not worried. But I won't let you go to the United States because of this, right? You have your own career. Okay, let's not talk about it. I have one more thing to tell you. Yesterday I My aunt called me and told me that Lili had gone to the United States."