Back to 80: My literary life.

Chapter 250 Attacking Zi’s Shield with Zi’s Spear

This morning is Zhang Xianliang’s lecture.

IWP arranged lectures for each visiting writer. Zhang Xianliang was the oldest among all the visiting writers. As a sign of respect, he was the first to give a lecture.

When he got up in the morning, Zhang Xianliang started getting ready. He put on a white shirt and blue trousers, looking formal.

Fang Minghua looked at each other from the side.

"Brother Zhang, are you going to dress so formally today?" Fang Minghua asked with a smile.

"Haha, you don't know, Minghua, today in addition to our visiting writers, there are also handsome guys and beauties from the University of Iowa. Of course, you have to pay attention to your image." Zhang Xianliang replied while tying his tie in the mirror.

Fang Minghua smiled but said nothing.

According to rumors, Zhang Xianliang is talented but also very romantic, and there are many women involved in scandals.

Don't tell me, even though he is nearly fifty years old and wears gold-rimmed glasses, he still looks like a handsome old man.

Today’s lecture is not at the University of Iowa, but at a bookstore called Prairie Light Bookstore.

However, as soon as Zhang Xianliang finished his opening remarks, there was a little commotion at the venue.

This is Iowa City's landmark bookstore, which was later named one of the top ten bookstores in the world by National Geographic Magazine.

the young black man said loudly.

Fang Minghua, who was sitting in the back row, frowned slightly after hearing this.

Because of this, Light of the Prairie Bookstore has been able to make a name for itself by taking advantage of the local literary location.

There was a sudden commotion in the whole place.

Although Prairie Light was opened in Iowa City, a small Midwestern town with a population of only 60,000, the University of Iowa in this town has the number one original writing major in the United States and participates in the "unique" program in the United States. "International Writing Project", in this Midwestern town that has no boundaries with anywhere, the density of writers, poets, and literature professors is so high that it's dizzying.

However, there was no reading at the bookstore today. Instead, there was a lecture in the lobby on the second floor. In addition to visiting writers, the audience also included students from the creative writing class of the University of Iowa, both white and black.

Prairie Bookstore has two major features. First, it has a comprehensive collection of literary books. As long as they are published in the United States, you can basically find them here. The supply of poetry collections is especially abundant, because several American poet laureates once visited Iowa. I hung out in college, and this place is considered a small cradle of American poetry.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, classmates, the topic I am talking about today is "Dialectics of Writing Novel."

Suddenly a young black man stood up and asked, "Mr. Zhang, please allow me to ask you a question."

Lisa hesitated for a moment, then translated it truthfully.

After Lisa translated, Zhang Xianliang said with a smile: "Please speak."

“Do you Chinese always keep a whip?”

The host was an employee of IWPS. He first introduced Zhang Xianliang to everyone, including his works, and there was a round of applause at the venue.

The second major feature is the endless recitation activities. In China, we only know that poets publish books and occasionally do poetry recitations. But here, it is said that all genres can be recited, including novels, poems, essays, travel notes, and popular science. , political commentaries...anything that can be printed into a book can be "explained" in a decent way here.

Zhang Xianliang's English proficiency was not high and he didn't understand the other party's meaning, so he turned his questioning eyes to Lisa standing next to him.

Fang Minghua and Zhang Ling were sitting in the back row, and they saw Zhang Xianliang walking gracefully to the makeshift podium in front, with Lisa standing next to him as the translator for Zhang Xianliang's lecture.

“Do you Chinese all have braids in your country?!”

Zhang Xianliang was stunned when he heard this.

He didn't expect the other party to ask this question. Just as he was about to answer, a young man with blond hair and blue eyes stood up next to the black man. He said loudly:

"Reginald, you are wrong, the Chinese people today should be a group of blue ants!"

There was an uproar on the field.

Zhang Xianliang's face changed drastically, and he immediately retorted loudly: "You are wrong, China today is not what you said at all!"

Lisa hurriedly translated, but the black college student named Reginald shrugged.

"Mr. Zhang, please don't get excited. This is how it is described in the book."

Zhang Xianliang is so angry.

I really don’t know whether these two young foreigners are really ignorant or intentional?

The host smiled and seemed to have no intention of stopping.

Free discussion.

At this time, a man's voice suddenly came from the back row: "This classmate Reginald, I once read a novel written by an American."

Everyone heard the sound and saw a young oriental man.

Fang Minghua.

Fang Minghua spoke in Chinese. He nodded to Lisa and motioned to translate into English, which Lisa immediately did.

"There is a description in the book like this: Tom was still wearing the clothes he wore at the auction, a fine woolen uniform, a well-washed shirt, and polished leather boots on his feet. Simon ordered succinctly: " stand up! "Tom stood up. "Take off the scarf! "Tom obeyed and went to take off the scarf, but it was inconvenient to be handcuffed, so Simon roughly pulled the hard scarf off his collar and put it into his pocket."

"Classmate Reginald, are all black people like this?! Nice woolen uniforms and well-washed shirts, you're an upper class person."

Lisa looked a little surprised, but quickly translated into English.

There was an uproar in the hall.

The passage Fang Minghua just said is from the classic "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by American writer Harriet Beecher Stowe (Mrs. Stowe)!

"Uncle Tom's Cabin" mainly tells the tragic fate of the old black slave Tom and the tragic experiences of other black slaves, exposing and accusing the evil of inhumane slavery in the American South. The novel revolves around Tom's experiences of changing owners several times and Eliza's struggle for freedom.

Called the best-selling novel of the 19th century (and the second-best-selling book, after the best-selling book The Bible), the novel became a household name in the United States.

Fang Minghua singled out one of the passages describing the protagonist Uncle Tom in the slave exchange, which is particularly dazzling.

As a sold slave, Uncle Tom was so well-dressed, just because the slave owner wanted to sell him for a good price!

"You" Reginald was suddenly so angry that his veins bulged, but he couldn't say a word.

"Reginald, please don't be angry. This is how it is described in the book. If you think what I said is wrong, I suggest you read this book again. It is available in bookstores." Fang Minghua said leisurely.

Use your spear to attack your son's shield.

Everyone understands.

Some students couldn't help but laugh softly.

Who is he?

Some people even looked at this handsome oriental young man curiously.

"Classmates, this gentleman is the famous Chinese writer Fang Minghua." The host fulfilled his obligation very faithfully and introduced everyone immediately. After a pause, he added: "In addition to his pure literary works, he is also a science fiction novelist. Writer, his "Country Teacher" just won this year's Nebula Award."

Wow. Science fiction writer!

(End of this chapter)