British writer

Gauguin's works were entrusted to the Royal Publishing House.

In the next few days, Lu Shi was busy with the publication of "Lord of the Flies".

Because it is multi-lingual, it took some time.

After finishing it, he went to the Royal Opera House early the next morning to watch the rehearsal of "Lolita" and studied with Bernard Shaw how to change the script.

Bernard Shaw complained: "This novel is too difficult to change. Compared with "The Hunt", it is not on the same level."

Lu Shi wanted to laugh after hearing this.

It is inevitable that it will be difficult to change.

The only film script in the original author Nabokov's life was "Lolita".

And his self-written introduction is:

——

A light and lively variant of the novel,

A mischievous fantasy, where words span into infinite possibilities of images.

——

It can be seen from this that if you want to put it on the big screen, even the author himself has to modify his original serious and literary style.

At the beginning of the 20th century, there were no feature films, only stage plays.

It’s harder to change the script.

Lu Shi asked the other party in a low voice: "What do you think are the main aspects of being difficult to change?"

Bernard Shaw said: "The text in the novel is too poetic and needs to be changed to be more popular. This is not difficult, I am very experienced. The key is that the script must be suitable for performance, and this is..."

He nodded in the direction of the stage,

"It's funny, Miss Dale played the role very well, but Henry, on the other hand, didn't feel like Humbert at all."

Henry Irving's previous roles include:

Dracula in "Dracula";

"yes! Humphrey in Prime Minister;

Lucas in "The Hunt";

…

Looking at this sequence, you can tell that the acting skills are fine.

Lu Shi asked in a low voice: "What's going on?"

Bernard Shaw sighed,

"Let him tell you himself."

After speaking, he waved to the stage, indicating that the rehearsal was paused.

For a time, the actors and crew all relaxed, resting when they needed to, and chatting when they needed to.

Phyllis trotted over,

"Teacher, I did a good job, didn't I?"

Lu Shi laughed loudly,

"of course!"

It can be said that Phyllis brought Lolita to life, with a girlish nature but a hint of maturity. Coupled with the appropriate makeup, it can't help but remind people of the so-called "pure lust style" in modern times.

And Phyllis' acting skills have improved significantly,

It must be admitted that this thing does have a sense of understanding.

After "Roman Holiday", Phyllis' acting skills became visibly stronger.

Owen was a little helpless,

"It's difficult to play a pervert well..."

Everyone laughed.

In fact, it is a bit too much to say that Humbert is a pervert, but it is certainly wrong to say that he is a normal person.

George Bernard Shaw asked: "Henry, what do you think?"

Owen looked helpless,

"I told you all my thoughts without reservation."

The two have had many discussions about performance, but each time they gained little benefit.

Fortunately, Lu Shi was here today, so he might be able to gain something.

Owen continued: "I am an experientialist, so the first thing I need to clarify is what kind of pervert Humbert is."

"puff!"

Phyllis on the side was amused.

Owen said: "Why are you laughing? You don't understand men, and there are many kinds of perverts. Desire type, psychological defect type, antisocial type..."

Phyllis pondered,

"Humbert seems to have a little bit of everything."

Owen continued to explain: "So this is the most difficult thing. Speaking of the desire type, as long as I release my original impulse, I will basically become a pervert."

There was a moment of silence,

"..."

"..."

"..."

Phyllis finally couldn't hold it back, turned her head away, and laughed again.

Owen was very helpless.

"Seriously! Let's get down to business!"

Phyllis smiled even louder, walked to the side, and said at the same time: "I'm going to the door to get some air. You men should digest the discussion about perverted types on your own, and I won't participate."

Looking at her back, Bernard Shaw smiled,

"Miss Dale has really matured a lot, and her appearance has changed a lot from the first time we met."

Owen waved his hand,

"Stop lamenting this. Help me first."

Bernard Shaw spread his hands and said: "I wanted to change the script before, but if you didn't agree, then I had no choice. You can ask Lu, is he the original author~"

Owen looked at Lu Shi expectantly.

Lu Shi pondered,

Recently, he has been studying Gauguin's "Whispers of an Art Apprentice", which gave him a deeper understanding of people's psychological ups and downs.

At the same time, the desire to write "The Moon and Sixpence" also arose in his heart.

But there have been a lot of things going on recently, so I have only written them roughly, and many details have not yet been written down.

He said: "We still have to figure out Humbert's psychology. Why did he become like this? Is it a lack of love? Or is there a history of being bullied? All are worthy of in-depth analysis."

This sequence is not even a question,

Because the novel has made it very clear.

Owen couldn't help it either.

"Sir Lu, I can almost memorize "Lolita" in its entirety, but I still can't help it."

Lu Shi said: "If you want to experience perversion, the most direct way is to force others. For example, go to school to bully children, steal their snacks, threaten them to help you contact the nun in the school... cough cough cough... Why do you look at me like this?"

Bernard Shaw's eyes were full of shock when he looked at Lu Shi.

Irving, on the other hand, is a little eager to give it a try.

Lu Shi hurriedly said: "Sir Owen, I am just giving you an example. You...you must not take it seriously!"

Owen nodded,

"I know!"

"hiss……"

Lu Shi took a breath, feeling that the other party didn't understand.

If I really go to snatch the children's snacks, my sin will be too great.

He was about to explain again,

At this time, Bernard Shaw nodded in the direction of the door,

"Lu, I should be looking for you."

Looking in the direction of his gaze,

I saw Jasmine Wood from the Royal Publishing House standing at the door.

Margarita is there too.

Her Royal Highness the Princess was chatting with Phyllis at this time.

The two chatted and laughed, and from time to time they gave out pleasant "giggles" of laughter. Lu Shi couldn't help but think of the scene where the upper and lower houses reached an agreement on joint governance.

"Girls in Cooperation" seems to have really become a girl in cooperation.

Lu Shi walked over.

Phyllis nodded to him, and then ran back to the stage to prepare for the next rehearsal.

The remaining three people said hello and took their seats in the last row of the theater.

Lu Shi said, "Mr. Wood is here to see me?"

Wood nodded,

"Sir Lu, you commissioned me to publish "Whispers of an Art Apprentice" and "Before and After". The sales were very... um... let me make it clear. Each printed 500 copies, but the total sold only seven copies. I was complained about by all the major booksellers.”

Lu Shi:? ? ?

"Only seven books!?"

Even in French, with the endorsement of the Royal Publishing House, it would not have ended so dismally.

Wood sighed,

"I heard from His Highness that you have read both books?"

Lu Shi nodded,

"Yes. What's the problem?"

Wood whispered: "When you were reading, you didn't realize that Mr. Gauguin's mind was a little confused..."

What I said next was really ungentlemanly and I couldn't say it out loud.

He changed his words,

"The logic of the two books jumps very much, and it feels like they are jumping from one sentence to the other."

Lu Shi was dumbfounded, probably understanding what was going on.

Margarita was puzzled.

"Mr. Wood, can you be more specific?"

Wood pondered,

He put his eyes on the stage, watched Phyllis and Irving perform, and said: "Your Highness, please see how Miss Dale interprets Lolita. Her performance has internal logic."

At this time, the rehearsal was for the last scene. The relationship between Humbert and Lolita had collapsed.

Humbert, played by Owen, tries to take the hand of Lolita, played by Phyllis, but is mercilessly avoided.

Wood said: "Seeing Humbert approaching, Luo immediately felt nervous and disgusted. These were feelings; then, she thought in her mind, 'Is this man going to be obsessed with me again?' This is judgment; only after judgment It was action, she backed away from Humbert.”

Feel → judge → act,

This logical chain is complete and clear.

However, Gauguin's writing always lacks one link, or even two links.

Readers will definitely be confused while reading.

Coupled with the language barrier, it’s no wonder it’s hard to sell.

But Lu Shi would not have this kind of trouble,

He was very familiar with "The Moon and Sixpence", knew Gauguin's life, and was proficient in French, so he didn't notice the various problems in Gauguin's writing.

What's more, in Lu Shi's mind, Gauguin was half mad and half genius.

Isn’t it natural that his works are obscure and difficult to understand?

Lu Shi sighed,

He found that the publication of the two books would deepen the world's prejudice against Gauguin.

Just like Van Gogh cutting off his own ear did not attract pity or recognition, but more disgust.

Something about this backfired.

Wood said helplessly: "Reading Mr. Gauguin's works is like watching the fantasies of a madman."

Lu Shi said: "Perhaps Mr. Gauguin really has some..."

He pointed to his head.

Gauguin's illnesses often caused high fevers, which affected his consciousness.

Lu Shi asked: "Mr. Wood, I understand the situation. You came to me this time to give me advice, right?"

Wood asked: "Her Royal Highness the Princess told me that a large part of Mr. Gauguin's paintings are stored in the Lu Museum, so I would like to lend a few to major bookstores to add gimmicks. Of course, this is a last resort. If it can be in the museum Holding exhibitions in-house and selling books at the same time will definitely have better results.”

Lu Shi nodded,

"That's no problem. However, Mr. Gauguin's paintings haven't arrived in London yet. We have to wait a few days."

Wood also knew the situation,

"Can."

After saying that, he touched his forehead with some depression and said without confidence: "But even so, I would be thankful if the two books together can sell for three figures. Alas... I'm afraid I will be scolded by those booksellers." For a while~"

Lu Shi couldn't help but laugh,

"Mr. Wood, with your current status, are you still worried about this?"

Because he had the big tree of Lu Shi at his back, Wood was responsible for publishing a large number of best-selling books.

So, he is now the editor-in-chief.

Wood spread his hands,

"Then I can't let my temper lead me to do anything."

His complaints are just right and not offensive.

Lu Shi curled his lips and said, "In this case, I will give you a book and entrust the Royal Publishing House to publish it."

Wood's eyes lit up,

"Lord of the Flies!?"

The story of the Innocence Trilogy has been spread,

As the final work after "Hunting" and "Lolita", it is full of gimmicks and is bound to sell well.

And at Lu Shi's level, the literary quality is not bad.

The Royal Publishing House will surely gain both fame and fortune.

But Lu Shi shook his head,

"Our own publishing department is already working on Lord of the Flies, and it will be available on the market in about ten days."

"Ah this..."

Wood felt a little sorry,

But I soon adjusted my mood,

Lu is not Gauguin,

Regardless of Toon's status as a big shot, this pen name represents the highest level of European literary circles.

So don’t worry if it’s not Lord of the Flies.

Wood asked: "Sir Lu, what subject are you going to write about this time?"

Lu Shi said: "I will create based on Mr. Gauguin. Don't worry, my thinking will not jump like his."

Wood was stunned for a moment, then laughed,

"Okay, okay!"

With Lu Shi's book as a gimmick, why do we need to hold an art exhibition?

If the three books are sold together, the sales volume will definitely be no problem.

Wood laughed so hard that he could hardly close his mouth.

"In that case, I'm waiting for the good news from Sir Landing! Moreover, if you write fast enough, the new book may be available on the market together with "Lord of the Flies". You know, in terms of publishing review, the Royal Publishing House has obvious advantages .”

As he spoke, he stood up and

When he was about to leave, he thought of something again and asked, "Does Mr. Gauguin's book need to be reprinted?"

Asking this shows that it is confident in Lushi's ability to drive sales.

Lu Shi pondered,

"No more printing."

"ah?"

Wood was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly realized: "Artificial scarcity will inevitably increase prices. Does Sir Lu want to recycle the first editions of "Whispers of an Art Apprentice" and "Before and After" and then increase the price?"

Lu Shi shook his head,

"It's not about making money, just sell it at the original price."

Wood looked at Lu Shi deeply,

Since it's not for making money, it can only be for fame.

Of course, it’s not Lu’s fame;

He does not need it.

In doing so, Gauguin's reputation will be enhanced.

As the topic increases, more and more people will definitely take the initiative to learn about Gauguin.

Wood said to Lu Shi: "Sir Lu, I admire you."

Lu Shi said with a smile: "There is an ancient Chinese poem, 'Give me a papaya and repay me with a jade.' Just like what I did to Mr. Wilde and Mr. Zola, it is what I should do. What's more, Mr. Gauguin gave me His paintings are priceless, so I should repay him."

Gauguin's paintings were not valuable at this time.

Therefore, Wood believed that Lu Shi had good intentions and admired him even more.

"I fully support Sir Lu's decision. In that case, I will prepare first and try to start printing as soon as possible."

Margarita covered her lips and smiled,

"Mr. Wood was too impatient. He started thinking about printing even before he saw the original manuscript."

Wood explained: "Sir Lu is known as a quick shooter, so of course I have to prepare early."

After saying that, he stood up and said goodbye to the two of them.

Not long after, the figure disappeared at the entrance of the opera house.

Margarita was curious,

"Teacher, have you already thought of the theme of the novel?"

Lu Shi looked at the performance on the stage and said thoughtfully: "Art and literature are not always aloof and aloof."

Margarita said "Yeah\

,""After meeting Mr. Picasso, I learned that art also needs packaging. Sometimes, art is even philistine, pandering, and hypocritical."

Lu Shi: "..."

"No, no, that's not what I meant."

"Ah this..."

Margarita was puzzled.

Lu Shi chuckled,

My heart said,

After Her Royal Highness became a strong woman, her thoughts changed and she always thought about making money.

He said: "Don't think about Mr. Picasso. Think about Van Gogh, think about Gauguin..."

Margarita blushed instantly and said in a coquettish tone: "Let me put it another way~ Sometimes, art even smells of blood, which is why there have been so many martyrs with ill-fated lives throughout the ages. "

Her Royal Highness becomes quite fast.

Lu Shi smiled and said, "This is the kind of person I want to create."

He closed his eyes and thought.

In fact, in his mind, "The Moon and Sixpence" is a work that is "more famous than real".

This has something to do with modern marketing routines,

If a book has a particularly prominent, chicken-soup-like title or famous quote, it will be easily taken out and consumed repeatedly.

And "The Moon and Sixpence" is right up there.

There is a widely circulated saying:

"There were sixpences all over the ground, but he looked up and saw the moon."

Many people are familiar with it even though they have never read the book, thanks to marketing.

This sentence was chosen for marketing because the two images are simple enough and used very appropriately.

Sixpence is money and represents reality;

The moonlight is out of reach and represents ideals.

You can understand it at a glance.

Therefore, this sentence can spread very quickly.

This also leads to the fact that when people read "The Moon and Sixpence" because of a certain sentence or title, they inevitably have high expectations, only to find that there are serious deviations from what they thought, resulting in the so-called "name exceeds reality". ".

This book also has another wonderful feature——

There is no psychological analysis or psychological portrayal of Strickland.

It is difficult for a platinum-level writer in the online literature world to write a protagonist who has no psychological activities.

(laugh)

Because there is no psychological activity, it is difficult to see the character's growth, and even harder to see the character's struggle.

Written like this, the character arc will definitely not be eye-catching enough.

After much thought, Lu Shisi decided to make some modifications to Maugham's original work in this regard.

This is not difficult for him,

Because I have two books on hand, "Whispers of an Art Apprentice" and "Before and After", which tell the story of Gauguin's mental journey, which can be used as a reference.

Lu Shi stood up,

"I want to go back."

Margarita asked: "Write a book?"

Lu Shi nodded,

"Well, actually I'm already writing it, but there are still many details to be perfected."

Margarita winked subtly,

Thought,

My guess was indeed good.

The parcel sent by Mr. Gauguin really inspired the teacher's creative desire.

That book will definitely be a classic.

She asked curiously: "Teacher, what is the name of the book?"

Lu Shi replied: "The Moon and Sixpence."

There are many types of British coins.

Among them, the smallest denomination of silver coins is sixpence. (Early 20th Century)

Margarita chewed the name carefully and murmured: "When people look up at the moon, they often forget the sixpence under their feet; but the converse is also true, when a person only pays attention to the sixpence under his feet, he inevitably forgets Look up at the moon.”

"Huh~"

She let out a long breath,

"What a good name."