1980 My literary era

As old Comrade Qigong said, being a librarian at the National Research Center of Literature and History is indeed very relaxing, and you can also receive a very considerable allowance every month. However, this allowance is of little use to Lin Weimin, so he turned around and The stipend was donated to the foundation.

In August, Yanjing City was as stuffy as a steamer. Basking in the shade under the trees in the courtyard no longer relieves the heat, so turning on the air conditioner is the best option.

But Xiaodoubao has recently found a good place, and that is her roller skating rink.

The roller skating rink is a steel structure building, but it is different from the color steel buildings on construction sites that are cold in winter and hot in summer. The thermal insulation measures here are very good, coupled with the ten-meter-high lifting frame and good ventilation effect, it is Yanjing under the scorching sun can be called a paradise.

Xiaodoubao is on summer vacation recently, and she spends most of her time here every day. This girl has almost moved her family here, and she often hangs out with her friends. You can hear this group of Xiaodoubao almost every day in the roller skating rink. The sound of laughter and slapstick.

Among a group of little Dou Bao, Xiao Dou Bao is not the tallest, nor is she the strongest, but she is undoubtedly the eldest sister of the group.

On the weekend, Tao Huimin was going shopping, and Lin Weimin was responsible for picking up and taking care of the children.

He sent his daughter to the roller skating rink. The sun was too hot to keep her eyes open after eight o'clock in the morning. Everything around her was heating up. After walking into the shadow of the roller skating rink, the temperature suddenly cooled down.

"Your place is really nice!" Lin Weimin praised.

Xiaodoubao was very proud, "That's right."

Walking to the gate, the roller skating rink's gate is a six-meter by eight-meter steel fire-proof rolling shutter door. There is an antique plaque hanging on it with the words "Shufangzhai" written on it.

Lin Weimin was speechless. This girl was stunned while watching TV.

The second episode of "Huan Zhu Ge Ge", which set off a ratings frenzy last year, was broadcast in mainland China at the end of last month. It swept almost all viewing groups of all ages, and the ratings increased compared with the first episode.

"Who got you this plaque?"

"My classmates JZ did it."

Lin Weimin was shocked, but he didn't dare to talk nonsense.

"The classmates pooled their money to make it, right?"

"Yeah." Xiaodoubao nodded seriously.

Lin Weimin looked at his daughter suspiciously. How could he not know his daughter's virtues?

"be honest!"

Xiaodoubao had a playful smile on her face. Anyway, she had already been beaten by her old mother because of this matter, so she was not afraid to say it.

"I sent each of them a signed photo, and they paid for it for me."

Okay, these little Doudings are really quite mobile, so this can be regarded as a small project, right?

Just as Lin Weimin was about to scold her, Xiaodou Bao hugged his arm and said coquettishly: "Dad, mom has already criticized me."

The words that came to his mouth were blocked, and this girl had finally figured out his temper.

"Go and play."

Not long after, Xiaodoubao’s classmates also came to the roller skating rink one after another.

After the unremitting efforts of Xiaodoubao and his classmates this year, the roller skating rink is no longer just a roller skating rink, but more like a playground for these little Doudings. It not only has sofas, chairs, tables, TVs, and DVD players. , game consoles, slides, various toys...

Among them, Xiao Douding contributed the most. The sofa, table, TV and DVD player were all bought with her own New Year's money.

Compared with what's inside the roller skating rink, the plaque at the door isn't really a problem at all.

Lin Weimin has been busy with official duties in the past six months and has never been to the roller skating rink. He did not expect that the changes would be so drastic.

He looked at the many facilities in the roller skating rink, what is this? Shared playground?

This girl is so tormented.

At ten o'clock in the morning, the roller skating rink was noisy. More than 20 little beans gathered here, and the roof was almost lifted off.

Lin Weimin was so noisy that his head hurt. This place was cool, but it couldn't accommodate anyone.

He called his family's nanny, Sister Qin, to watch over the little cubs, while he drove for a walk.

He went to see the library and museum that were under construction. It had been more than two years, and the place was finally almost ready and could be completed before November.

However, the completion of the project does not mean that the library can be opened. Whether it is a library or a museum, completion is only the first step. Expanding the collection of books and collections is the most critical. Take your time. Lin Weimin is not in a hurry anyway.

Occasionally coming to see the changes in these two venues, Lin Weimin feels at ease. In the future, this will become a place where many children who love learning will linger.

After seeing the stadium under construction, Lin Weimin returned to the roller skating rink and organized a group of little beans to have dinner.

When he arrived, Tao Huimin told him that he would take the children to have lunch at a nearby restaurant.

When they heard that they were going to eat, these little Doudings were very enthusiastic, waving their banknotes and clamoring to eat KFC.

Xiaodoubao also grabbed Lin Weimin's hand and joined in the fun, "Dad, I want to eat KFC too."

Lin Weimin looked at the more than 20 people. The front door was several kilometers away. He didn't dare to take the bus with so many children.

"Then make a reservation." Lin Weimin said.

It was only after 2013 that the takeaway guys in yellow robes of later generations shuttled through the streets and alleys of Yanjing. Nowadays, there are takeout services in Yanjing.

Since 1992, many businesses providing food delivery services have appeared in Yanjing.

In front of the Yuexiu Hotel, some vendors sell box lunches on tricycles, and taxi drivers can have hot meals without leaving their posts.

There are also food trucks providing services in front of the foreign company office buildings in the Liangma River area.

Well-known restaurants such as Senlong Restaurant can also accept phone reservations and door-to-door food delivery services.

After 1995, Yanjing's food delivery field ushered in another evolution. Someone collected the phone numbers and restaurants of various restaurants in a certain area and printed them on flyers. The ordering range of diners was suddenly expanded a lot. The food delivery industry is also booming.

However, in addition to box lunches and fast food, the delivery of other types of Chinese food is very troublesome when ordering. There are usually requirements for the number of portions to be ordered, and the user experience is very poor.

In contrast, several foreign fast food restaurants in Yanjing are much more convenient to order, and they also have their own dedicated delivery staff, but the charges are a bit more expensive than ordinary restaurants.

There was a Pizza Hut less than two stops away from the roller skating rink. Lin Weimin called and ordered a meal. After more than half an hour, the delivery man arrived at the roller skating rink carrying dozens of boxes.

The two deliverymen were instantly surrounded by these little beans. Western fast food seemed to be more suitable for children's tastes.

Seeing the little beans in front of him gobbling up the pizza, Lin Weimin tasted the pizza in his mouth again, but it tasted like chewing wax.

This is probably the generation gap!

Happy summer vacation is always short.

In September, Xiaodoubao became a second-grade primary school student. He carried his schoolbag to school every day, and Lin Weimin and his wife felt relaxed.

During this winter and summer vacation, we still have to take less time off.

On the 3rd, Roger Strauss called Lin Weimin. He called directly without sending an email, which proved to be something important.

Roger Strauss first reported to Lin Weimin on the sales and response of "Li Jianguo" after its publication in the United States.

The first part of "Li Jianguo" was released on the American market in late July. Over the past ten years, Lin Weimin's works have built a strong appeal in the American book market and among readers. Once the novel was released, it was enthusiastically sought after by readers and critics.

The first week of its release, the first part of "Li Jianguo" topped the New York Times bestseller list and has remained there ever since. As of last week, cumulative sales had reached 550,000 copies.

The sales volume of 550,000 copies in one and a half months cannot be compared with the domestic sales, but it is enough to prove Lin Weimin's influence in the United States.

However, compared with readers' love, the first part of "Li Jianguo" seems to be more popular in the American literary circle and critics.

In just one and a half months since the novel was released, reviews of this novel have appeared in almost all major literary journals in the United States. Most of them are mainly positive, and many heavyweight critics have praised the first part of "Li Jianguo". Praise, don't hesitate to express your praises.

Since the early 1990s, a significant bright spot has gradually appeared in the study of American literature, which is that it has begun to pay attention to works with historical depth. In recent years, the American literary world has therefore produced a number of very in-depth literary history works.

Although the upper part of Lin Weimin's "Li Jianguo" is based on realist themes, it also adopts some novel narrative techniques in its creative techniques, integrating fiction and history, profoundly showing various problems faced by contemporary China, and showing It captures the joys and sorrows of ordinary people in the context of the times, which is in line with the tastes of many researchers and commentators who are obsessed with analyzing social problems in the United States.

Roger Strauss also specifically mentioned that John Updike, who is famous in the United States and the world literary world for his "Rabbit Quartet", wrote an article in the New York Review of Books to evaluate "Li Jianguo": It has a grand and broad vision of the times, The narrative method fully highlights the difference from traditional realism, and truly profoundly and seriously discusses the dialectical relationship between human beings and social development.

At the end of the article, Updike also summarized the creative style of "Li Jianguo" as a "masterpiece of neorealism".

John Updike is a famous contemporary American writer. His most well-known works are his tetralogy of "Rabbit Run", "Rabbit Comes Back", "Rabbit Gets Rich" and "Rabbit Rest". He happens to be one of the most famous writers in the American literary world. Representative figure of neorealism style.

After listening to Roger Strauss's narration, Lin Weimin couldn't help but complain.

"Is he praising me or himself?"

Roger Strauss smiled and said: "None of this is important. What is important is that the novel has a good reputation."

After chatting with Lin Weimin about the sales and response of the first part of "Li Jianguo" in the United States, Roger Strauss talked about another topic, which was also the main purpose of his call today.

"Lin, next year's Nobel selection is about to begin."

There is no doubt about the popularity and influence of the Nobel Prize for Literature around the world. The French may recognize the Goncourt Prize, the Italians the Strega Prize, and the British the Booker Prize, but Looking around the world, the Nobel Prize in Literature is the only literary award with truly global influence.

In recent years, the most frequently asked question to Lin Weimin in interviews is about the Nobel Prize in Literature.

When Roger Strauss was able to discuss cooperation with Lin Weimin, he promised that Haikou would help him get the Nobel Prize for Literature.

In fact, there has always been a joke in the European literary world that to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, you must first live long enough.

Except for some writers who are extremely talented and very lucky to win awards, most well-known writers have won heavyweight literary awards at an older age, and many of them have never been able to win awards in their lives.

There are many such people in the literary world, such as Borges, Kafka...

Every year before the Nobel Prize for Literature is announced, readers and media around the world discuss with great interest the potential winning writers. After the lottery is drawn, we will evaluate whether the selection was right or wrong, whether the selection was good or not, and we will feel sorry for whom and celebrate for whom.

Since ancient times, there has been no first place in literature and no second place in martial arts. No one dares to say 100% of the time when it comes to awards.

Lin Weimin's luck in winning awards has always been good.

When counting down the widely influential literary awards around the world, he has not won all, but he has won most of them. He is really not lacking in honors, so Lin Weimin has no obsession with the Nobel Prize in Literature.

It’s the best you can get, and it doesn’t matter if you don’t get it.

Seeing Roger Strauss talking about this matter again, Lin Weimin laughed and joked: "What's wrong? I'm nominated again this year?"

Lin Weimin said this as a joke, but hearing it from Roger Strauss made him very hurt.

"Lin, what you said is too much!"