British writer

May 25, 1902, early morning.

London.

In the thick morning fog, the huge hull of the cruise ship gradually appeared in the sight of the dock workers.

"The ship has arrived!"

The foreman shouted: "Everyone move!"

In an instant, the port became bustling with people.

Accompanied by the sound of "clattering" and water being pushed aside, the cruise ship docked.

At the same time, the gangway was lowered.

British customs officers immediately approached and ordered the passengers to line up to disembark and not to run or jump.

On the other side, there is a separate gangway that Lu Shi takes.

When he came down with his luggage, the industrial stench unique to London entered his nostrils and inhaled his heart and lungs.

At this time, someone came up to meet him.

"Sir! Sir Lu!"

Looking sideways, I found that it was Montagu James, a professor in Cambridge.

Lu Shi couldn't help but be surprised,

"Professor James, why are you here?"

James stepped forward;

"Mr. Xiao told me that you would return to London today. Originally, I should have been waiting for you at LSE, but I really couldn't wait."

Yesterday, Lu Shi sent a telegram to Bernard Shaw,

The cruise ship is undergoing routine maintenance at the Port of Calais and will return to London this morning.

Lu Shi was curious,

"Is there something important?"

James hesitated slightly and replied: "It may not matter to you. But it is very important to the entire European and even world literary circles."

A tall hat was placed directly on Lu Shi's head.

He whispered: "Sir, the Nobel Prize needs you!"

Lu Shi:? ? ?

Why does it feel like I heard this sentence a year ago?

It cannot be said that they are exactly the same,

I can only say that there is no difference.

Lu Shi said: "This is not the place to talk. Let's go first, to Breya...to Palace Street."

The two got into the carriage.

James just sat down and took a breath before getting straight to the point:

"Sir, the last Nobel Prize in Literature caused some unpleasantness. I can still remember it vividly. Therefore, before judging this year, the Swedish Academy consulted various universities to see which works are suitable to be added to the long list."

The long list is the primary list.

Lu Shi nodded,

"Well, this is also an improvement."

James added: "But this is 'man-ruled' after all. What they are thinking now is whether they can come up with a universal mechanism to solve this problem once and for all."

As he said that, he looked at Lu Shi with hopeful eyes.

Eyes flickering,

Blingbling~

It seems like little stars are about to appear.

Lu Shi moved aside calmly and said, "They want me to be a judge?"

James chuckled,

"No. The people at the Swedish Academy haven't gone crazy yet."

Lu Shi laughed.

To put it mildly, the judges of the Nobel Prize can control a huge amount of wealth every year;

On a larger scale, they can control the direction of literature and the right to speak in the circle.

And Lu Shi almost lost the literature award last year.

If he were to be a judge, wouldn't that be asking for trouble?

Lu Shi said, "What does that mean?"

James lowered his voice,

"The Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy, Carl David Aff Wilson, sent a telegram and mentioned the "Preliminary Draft of the Charter of the Parliamentary Union" that you drafted. He said that he hoped you could help produce a similar one. Charter, standardize the evaluation standards, and implement them on paper.”

Lu Shi chuckled,

These Swedes are also smart.

They want to use their fame to endorse the Nobel Prize for Literature.

After all, he was the one who took the lead last year and forced their heads to award the award to Toweng.

Of course, the result is good,

Tuo Weng can convince everyone.

Lu Shi pondered,

"If they asked me to be a judge, I might say yes."

James was stunned for a moment, then laughed out loud.

Even though Sir Lu is young, looking at the entire European literary world, there are really few people who can match his influence.

Because its influence depends not only on works, but also on

He is also a scholar,

More importantly, he is also the most powerful media tycoon in the world.

Lu Shi whispered: "Professor James, it's not that I don't want to help the Swedish Academy. You are also a writer, and you must understand that literature and art are very subjective, at least, compared to scientific awards. Not to mention..."

At this point, he paused.

James asked curiously: "What's more?"

Lu Shi touched his nose awkwardly,

"What's more, the judges of the Nobel Prize in Literature are not that authoritative."

"puff!"

James laughed.

Lu Shi's implication was that the academicians of the Swedish Academy were not good enough?

If this word spreads, someone will definitely vomit three liters of blood.

He waved his hand,

"No, we don't discuss other people's level."

Lu Shi nodded,

"I think so too. If you don't ask, I won't tell you."

James complained: "You are good at passing the blame."

He asked curiously: "Then, how do you think the artistic value of a literary work can be judged?"

This question is very difficult to answer.

Lu Shi pondered,

As a time traveler, he can say some interesting things.

"I think time is the best judge of literature. There are too many writers who were prosperous when they were alive. They wanted to be best-selling and popular, but they were gradually forgotten after their death, and their works were swept into the history. Rubbish...uh..."

Lu Shi paused,

Because, at some point, James took out his notebook and was writing "rustling" notes.

He raised his head,

"Don't worry about me, keep talking."

Lu Shi has encountered this kind of thing many times and has long been used to it.

He continued: "On the contrary, there are many writers who are not well-known during their lifetime and are gradually promoted to a pedestal after they leave."

The representative of the former is Pearl Buck.

Her book "The Good Earth" was very popular in the Western world. Not only did she win the Nobel Prize for Literature, it was also adapted into a stage play and a movie.

But with the development of the times, the number of admirers is decreasing.

There are many representatives of the latter, and Kafka is the best example.

Lu Shi said: "There is a saying in China, 'There is no first in literature, no second in military'. Literary evaluation is very subjective. Except for a few recognized great writers like Towen, in many cases, selection is inevitable Controversy and upsets are very normal.”

James said "Yeah\

,""You're right. The selection of the Literature Award can only represent the highest achievement that the judges think in a certain year, and it cannot represent the following decades."

He seemed a little depressed, and opened the curtains of the car.

The wheels pressed against the road, making a "gurgling" sound that was transmitted into the car, which seemed quite interesting in the silence of the early morning.

Not long after, the carriage passed by the Lu Museum.

Lu Shi said: "It's almost here. Professor James, do you want to come in and sit down?"

James hesitated for a moment before saying, "That's annoying."

Things didn't work out, and he didn't want to bother him.

But it is rare to communicate with people like Lu Shi through the Nobel Prize, so it would be good to talk more.

Waiting for the carriage to stop, the two got out of the car.

Strangely, the door to Lu's house was half open.

Two guards stood at the door.

Lu Shi was a little confused. After greeting them, he pushed the door open and entered.

Unexpectedly, Margarita was in the hall, staring at a painting on the wall.

It was a portrait of her,

In the painting, she is graceful and charming, with long hair draped smoothly over her shoulders.

The face is exquisite and the facial features are clear and distinct, as if carved.

Especially those eyes, which are deep and bright, shining with extremely charming light, as if showing unparalleled confidence and charm to the world.

Lu Shi couldn't help but chuckle,

Unexpectedly, PS existed in the early 20th century.

It’s not that Margarita isn’t beautiful, but she is too perfect in the painting.

Lu Shigang was about to call Margarita.

As a result, Her Royal Highness the Princess began to talk to herself and said: "The effect of hanging here is average... Hmm... It should be taken to the study room. The teacher uses the study room a lot. Seeing me all the time will definitely make me feel better." Incredibly bright.”

James:? ? ?

Everyone was confused.

Was that what Her Highness the Princess could say just now?

Lu Shi quickly cleared his throat.

"Ahem..."

Margarita didn't look back, but she obviously heard her.

Looking from behind, you can see that her ears twitched to a very small extent, and then turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye until they were bright red.

She turned back slowly,

"Teacher. Are you back from Japan?"

Lu Shi said "hmm" and then said, "This is Professor James from Cambridge. We have something to talk about."

Margarita nodded,

"Okay. Let's go to the study."

After saying that, he naturally led the way towards the second floor.

James was even more confused,

Why is Her Royal Highness behaving like the mistress of the mansion?

The world is so crazy.

He clenched his fists and dug his nails into his palms. He found that it still hurt, so he was sure he was not dreaming.

Lu Shi winked at James,

Then, the two of them went upstairs together and entered the study.

The rooms are elegantly furnished and give a peaceful and comfortable atmosphere.

There is a beautiful oil painting hanging on the wall, depicting an autumn forest, with Margarita walking through the forest as a girl. The colors of the painting are rich and soft.

This painting is the finishing touch of the study.

Margarita poured tea for the two of them, then walked backwards out the door.

James held the teacup,

Thought,

Should I drink the tea made by the princess or should I not drink it?

This is harder to answer than the propositions of survival and destruction in Hamlet.

The room fell into silence,

"..."

"..."

"..."

The atmosphere is eerie.

After a few seconds,

"That..."×2

The two said in unison.

after,

"You say it first."×2

Again in unison.

Lu Shi and James stared at each other.

There was no way, Lu Shi could only continue the previous topic, and said: "Just now we talked about... um... time. Professor James, you may not know that with the development of time, the value of literature has been rediscovered or forgotten. There are a lot of them in China too.”

How does James understand China?

But the impact Her Royal Highness the Princess had on him just now was too great, and his mind was still confused, so he continued the conversation as Lu Shi said.

"Sir, please speak."

Lu Shi: "..."

Unexpectedly, the other party actually let me speak.

His mind was racing and he said: "There is a writer named Tao Yuanming in China. In his time, he was only known as a hermit. It was not until the Tang Dynasty that he was recognized as a great poet by the literary world."

James counted on his fingers.

The Tang Dynasty must have happened more than a thousand years ago. Wasn't Tao Yuanming earlier?

"Tsk..."

He couldn't help but be speechless,

"Chinese culture has a long history."

As he said that, he looked at Lu Shi and asked: "Sir, as you said, literary and artistic appreciation is subjective, and specific standards cannot be set by regulations. So, can you write a motto for the Nobel Prize in Literature? "

Lu Shi pondered,

It’s just a sentence, so there’s nothing wrong with it.

James reminded: "As you just mentioned, time is the test criterion for literary artistry."

Lu Shi said, "No problem."

He opened the desk drawer,

As a result, it was empty inside.

He couldn't help but mutter: "It's true that Rita didn't even prepare any writing."

James next to him listened, and the corner of his mouth twitched,

Even though she called the princess "Rita", she even scolded her for not doing housework.

Sir Lu is really awesome.

He looked away and pretended not to hear.

Lu Shize opened the suitcase, took out all the writing-related things inside, and then asked: "If I remember correctly, starting from this year, will the Nobel medals be redesigned?"

James recalled,

"Well, Mr. Wilson seems to have mentioned it. It is going to be made of pure gold. The relief of Mr. Nobel will remain unchanged on the front, and some differences will be made on the back. The design of the Literature Award Medal is a young man sitting on a table. Under a laurel tree, I listened to and recorded the songs of the Muses in fascination. However, apart from the patterns, I have not yet decided what mottos or inscriptions to carve. "

Laurels, muses...

These are all European designs.

The same goes for medals in physics and chemistry, which are engraved with images such as the goddess Isis.

On the contrary, the Medal of Physiology and Medicine is very international. The image shows a doctor collecting water gush from a rock in order to quench the thirst of a sick girl, with an open book on her lap.

This pattern is suitable for any cultural background.

Lu Shi thought for a moment and wrote on the paper:

“May your work stand the test of time.”

This sentence is in English.

James nodded,

"It fits what you just said. Very good."

Lu Shi nodded, smiled, and wrote another line of Chinese characters:

"Don't waste the eternal flow of rivers."

This is a quatrain by Du Fu,

"

Wang Yang Luluo was in good condition at that time,

The frivolous nature of literature continues.

Ercao's body and name were both destroyed.

Don’t waste the eternal flow of rivers.

"

The articles of Wang, Yang, Lu, and Luo, the four outstanding figures of the early Tang Dynasty, were criticized by their contemporaries.

However, those "critics" are dead and unknown, but they cannot prevent the articles of the four heroes of the early Tang Dynasty from being as famous as the rivers.

The gold medal is in English on the front and Chinese on the back, just right.

But Lu Shi was worried that his behavior might be embarrassing.

Then, he shook his head and cursed himself:

"Worrying is unfounded."

Radiating Chinese culture to the outside world has never been said to be embarrassing or not.

Just like the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Mr. Chang Pengchun advocated adding the Confucian idea of ​​"benevolence" to avoid over-Westernizing the origins of the bill.

He even suggested that staff spend some time learning about Confucianism,

As a result, "benevolence" was translated into "conscience", and together with "reason" as the basic human quality, it was reflected in the first article of the "Declaration" and was read, understood and remembered by the world.

The Nobel Prize in Literature is not only awarded to Europeans.

Why not add an ancient poem to the medal?

(Although Nobel probably never had non-white people in mind when he created the prize.)

Lu Shi said to James: "Professor James, look at these two sentences... Professor James?"

I saw James looking at the manuscript on the table,

He was so focused that his eyes were almost unfocused.

Lu Shi leaned over and said,

"That's my new book, Lord of the Flies."

"Ah this..."

James came back to his senses and asked, "Can I take a closer look?"

Lu Shi replied: "Okay. Don't forget the French version, it's still difficult to read. There is an English version at the back, you can find it by flipping through it."

James nodded like a chicken pecking at rice,

"well!"

After saying that, he picked up the manuscript,

After that, he read carefully and made no other sounds except for breathing, turning pages, and occasionally swallowing saliva.

After all, it is a long novel, and even a rough reading will take two or three hours.

Lu Shi left the study without interrupting.

Unexpectedly, James, like Liang Qichao and others when they first saw "Lord of the Flies", couldn't stop reading it and didn't even eat lunch.

That lasted until evening.

When Lu Shi entered the study again, he found James lying in a chair without sitting up.

His eyes were dull, as if his soul had been sucked out.

Lu Shi couldn't help but laugh,

Good books have such an effect.

He came forward,

"Professor James, how are you?"

James raised his fingers, as if he had just regained consciousness from a coma.

He looked at Lu Shi,

"Sir, I'm glad I didn't ask you to help set the judging criteria."

Lu Shi said "Ah..."

"By the way, I was just about to tell you about this."

He pointed to the paper on the table,

"Proverbs, I've already thought about it."

James shook his head,

"Let's not worry about that!"

He pointed at "Lord of the Flies" and said: "Sir, after "The Hunt" and "Lolita", you wrote "Lord of the Flies". This can definitely be regarded as a childlike trilogy!"

Lu Shi was speechless,

The Japanese call this the Childlike Trilogy;

The British call this the Innocence Trilogy.

I don’t know who is more absurd.

He asked: "It does count as a trilogy in a sense. But so what?"

James said: "You can definitely participate in the selection! The Nobel Prize needs you!"

It’s this familiar phrase again.

No wonder James said just now that luckily Lu Shi didn’t draft a review charter.

Otherwise, it will be like being an athlete and a referee at the same time.

Lu Shi said nothing.

Seeing his silence, James said: "Sir, I know what you are worried about. Frankly speaking, Mr. Xiao and I have discussed this before. One is that you are from China and have cultural attributes; the other is that you are too young and have too little qualifications. .But……"

James took another look at the English version of "Lord of the Flies";

"Which senior writer can write better than you? Which English writer is as versatile as you?"

Lu Shi pondered.

According to those "borrowed" works, they are indeed qualified to win the Nobel Prize.

However, he didn't want to be so anxious,

His plan is to accumulate a few more years and then win the Nobel Prize.

After all, the literary world also talks about seniority.

Although his current prestige can suppress everyone, it is difficult to guarantee that the petty literati will feel dissatisfied.

It's perfectly normal to use stumbling blocks in secret.

When James saw Lu Shi, he thought and couldn't help but become a little anxious.

He said: "Sir, you must participate in the selection of this Nobel Prize. The Nobel Prize cannot lose you, just like the West cannot lose Jerusalem!"