The literary era since 1979

Chapter 282 The Originator of Title Party

Hong Kong, Kai Tak Airport.

When Fang Yan, Bai Ruoxue and the others walked out of the exit, they saw people holding signs to greet them.

Most of the people who came were from Sanlian Bookstore, led by Xiao Zi, the general manager and editor-in-chief of Sanlian Bookstore.

"Congratulations, Mr. Fang. This trip to the United States really brings glory to the country! It brings glory to the country!"

"Where, where."

"Teacher Fang, please don't be so modest. You are so young, and you have won the National Book Award. That's amazing! It's really amazing!"

"If you keep praising me like that, I'm going to blush."

Fang Yan and Xiao Zi smiled at each other, and then, under his introduction, they shook hands and got acquainted with other people from Sanlian Bookstore.

At this moment, two figures suddenly jumped out from the crowd, claiming to be reporters from the Hong Kong Wen Wei Po and wanting to do a simple interview.

Fangyan was stunned. Is there also a Wen Wei Po in Hong Kong?
Xiao Zi whispered to him that the Hong Kong Wen Wei Po was founded as early as 48, and has always been based on the purpose of "loving the country and Hong Kong". Literary celebrities such as Shen Yanbing and Jian Bozan have participated in the editing and publishing work, and have cheered for the birth of New China. They are of good origin.

Even if he didn't want to give face to the monk, he had to give face to the Buddha. Fang Yan immediately agreed to the interview and sat in the back driver's seat of the taxi.

The reporter came to the front passenger seat and sensibly gave up the rear seat to Xiao Zi: "Teacher Fang, first of all, congratulations on becoming the first Chinese writer to win both the National Book Awards."

"Thank you."

“How did you feel when you received the award?”

“I am honored and surprised. I didn’t expect that American judges and readers would give such high praise and support.”

"Why do you think your film Saving Private Ryan received such high praise and honor?"

"Maybe American society lacks reflection. I brought some reflection to them, so they can reflect on themselves."

"what?"

This answer completely stumped the reporter from Hong Kong Wen Wei Po. It was such a strange answer!

This feeling became stronger and stronger as question after question was raised.

Mr. Fang’s answers are always unexpected, humorous and interesting, and it is impossible to guess them.

"You have written Chinese novels and English novels, so you must have some understanding of both American and Chinese literature." The reporter asked, "So, what do you think is the biggest difference between the two?"

"The biggest difference is that American writers write in English, while Chinese writers write in Chinese." Fang Yan said, "Chinese was created by us Chinese. As for English, hehehe."

"Hahaha!"

Seeing the reporter's frustrated look, Xiao Zi laughed, "Teacher Fang is teasing you. This answer may seem simple and strange, but it actually has a profound meaning. It directly points out the most fundamental difference between the two types of literature."

Fangyan was stunned. I really hadn’t thought about it that way.

The reporter became excited and asked:

"What's the difference?"

Xiao Zi looked like he had seen through it. "Of course it's the language. Language is the foundation of culture and literature. Different languages ​​carry different cultural backgrounds, ways of thinking, historical traditions, etc. Therefore, the difference in language directly leads to differences in literary expression and content, and even involves many aspects such as way of thinking, aesthetic concepts, and social customs."

"The classical language of China began in the Qin Dynasty, while the modern language began with the birth of vernacular Chinese after the May Fourth Movement in 1919. This historical process is different from the language history of the United States, which has led to the uniqueness of the two languages ​​in terms of expression..."

"..."

Seeing that he spoke so clearly, Fangyan fell into deep thought. Emm, you passed this reading comprehension question!
"I see, Teacher Fang is indeed worthy of being Teacher Fang!"

The reporter's eyes were full of admiration. While taking notes, he asked, "As a writer, can you talk about your creative experience?"

"The things writers say about creation are just watermelon rinds thrown to you, so that you can slide further and further away, and even fall flat on your face." Fangyan changed his previous joking attitude, "If you want to gain experience in creation, there is only one word, and that is 'write'!"

After asking the last question, the reporter said with satisfaction: "Thank you, Mr. Fang, for accepting our interview."

"You're welcome."

Fangyan waved his hand.

At this time, Xiao Zi asked in a low voice whether the Chinese version of Saving Private Ryan could be published by Sanlian Bookstore. Fang Yan wanted to compare prices from three different stores and buy the one with the highest price, but considering the nature of Sanlian Bookstore in Hong Kong, he had to reconsider.

Sanlian Bookstore is a subordinate unit of People's Publishing House. The Sanlian editorial department is actually equivalent to the "sub-brand" of People's Publishing House. Most of the books that People's Publishing House is not convenient to publish are published under the name of Sanlian Bookstore. The Hong Kong Sanlian Bookstore is also the official window connecting the mainland and Hong Kong.

You have to give some face, no matter what.

When asked about manuscript fees and royalties, Xiao Zi immediately said that the royalties could be based on the standards of the top Hong Kong writers such as Ni Xu and Jin Yong.

In terms of royalties, it is fixed at 15%, and half of it can be paid first. Then, within two or three months after the publication of "Saving Private Ryan", the reimbursement will be made based on the actual sales volume. However, in terms of manuscript fees, it cannot be compared with those of Ni Xun and Gu Long, who often earn hundreds of Hong Kong dollars per thousand words.

The Hong Kong Joint Publishing Company has set a standard for manuscript fees, and the maximum amount is only HK$40 per thousand words.

40 is fine! It is already double the standard fee for The Grandmaster Huang Feihong.

Fangyan nodded in agreement and then asked about the sales of "The Grandmaster Huang Feihong".

"Okay!"

Xiao Zi smiled and said that during the time he became famous in the United States, his sales had been rising steadily and had exceeded 9000 copies.

In Hong Kong, if a writer can sell 10,000 copies, it is equivalent to a Hong Kong singer setting a gold record.

As for a platinum record, it has to be around 30,000 or 40,000.

"That's just a little bit short."

Fangyan was thinking about what to do.

Xiao Zi said that once "Saving Private Ryan" is published and Hong Kong media such as "Wen Wei Po" give it more publicity, the sales of "The Grandmaster Wong Fei Hung" will naturally increase slightly.

"Brother Yaoming said that the publisher in Taiwan will publish the manuscript within 10 days after receiving it."

Fang Yan's eyes lit up, "I wonder how many days it will take in Hong Kong?"

Xiao Zi said seriously, "It's about 10 days."

"That'll be in 10 days."

Fang Yan slapped his thigh and said, "Manager Xiao, you have lived in Hong Kong for so many years, and you must have entertained many friends. If I want to invite some foreign friends to dinner and discuss business, I need a place with good food and a quiet and secluded place. Can you recommend one or two?"

“Jumbo Floating Restaurant, Peninsula Hotel…”

Xiao Zi said five in a row.

Fang Yan glanced at the reporter in the passenger seat, and then asked softly which was the largest entertainment magazine and newspaper in Hong Kong.

Xiao Zi was confused and felt that the two questions were unrelated, but he still told the truth.

"Ming Pao Weekly"!
After Lei Weipo took over as editor-in-chief, Ming Pao Weekly changed its previous intellectual and elegant literary style and began to hire a large number of female reporters and editors to cover entertainment and gossip news. Under his leadership, the circulation of Ming Pao Weekly continued to rise, and advertising revenue in the 80s soared to to million yuan a year.

The success of Ming Pao Weekly has attracted many imitators.

There are "Hong Kong Weekly" and "Fresh Weekly", but none of them can shake the leading position of "Ming Pao Weekly".

"Thank you."

Fang Yan gave a mysterious smile and planned to tell Ming Pao Weekly about his meeting with Spielberg and Lucas.

Make good use of the opportunity when Spielberg discusses the script and hype it up with the help of Hong Kong media.

After all, Hong Kong's entertainment gossip is quite "professional" and just reading the headlines is hilarious.

For example, when Yang Tianbao was suspected of being pregnant, the Hong Kong media gave it the title "Artificial human, cone-faced girl chasing child", how mean!

The Hong Kong media also described the costume that Deng Ziqi wore at her concert in Hong Kong as "Blow up the earth, cosmic diaper".

Fang Yuan and Aaron Kwok got married with a baby, but the headline of Hong Kong media was, Aaron Kwok marries Fang Yuan with a baby.

It even implies that a certain female star is marrying a wealthy man, and the rich bus is entering the rich family.

It's like a panda ordering takeout, so shameless!

(End of this chapter)