Back to 80: My Literary Life

It started to rain again.

The weather in England is like this, it rains all the time.

Holding an umbrella, I walked in the old town of Edinburgh, where there are medieval castles and buildings everywhere. Fang Minghua wandered inside, giving people a sense of poetic melancholy and loneliness.

To be honest, Fang Minghua didn't like it very much.

It was a bit refreshing at first, but after a long time, it will make people feel very depressed. The dry and hot sunshine in Xijing City makes people feel comfortable.

The next day, the Edinburgh International Book Festival was held in a temporary tent set up in Charlotte Square. Unlike some other book festivals, it was quite casual here. It was not just writers and readers who came here, but also many people. Celebrities and politicians.

However, the book festival treats celebrities as ordinary people. Paparazzi and following photographers must put away their cameras, and bodyguards must keep a distance of more than 5 steps from celebrities.

It didn't rain today and the sun rarely came out in Edinburgh.

Under the guidance of Lucy, Fang Minghua participated in a keynote speech, mainly talking about the writing process of the book "Road Spike" and some insights.

However, the readers in the audience seemed to be more interested in Harry Potter - no way, this book is too popular in the UK. The daily life of the children and the architecture of the magic school in the book are simply British.

In fact, he had expected this because the original author of the book wrote it in Edinburgh.

Fang Minghua doesn't care. The staff at Heinemann Publishing House, where Lucy works, are a little depressed.

Although the "Tail Spike" and "Harry Potter" series are both works by Fang Minghua, the problem is that the latter is published by Longman Publishing Group!

Isn't this a dowry for others?

After the speech, there was a book signing event, and soon a long queue formed in front of Fang Minghua's signing table.

Readers all brought newly purchased or outdated novels for Fang Minghua to sign.

It's all about the book "Tail Spike".

Fang Minghua understood. It was probably because the staff of the publishing house repeatedly stated that it had to be "Road Spike" before the author could sign it.

Fang Minghua couldn't say anything about the rights of the publishing house.

After signing for a while, there was no queue in front of him. Fang Minghua took a breath, picked up his coffee cup,

Fang Minghua suddenly saw several girls standing not far away, looking over here. Fang Minghua recognized them as the female middle school students he met on the train.

The girl with some freckles on the bridge of her nose looked at him with a shy look on her face and a book in her hand.

Fang Minghua understood immediately.

Fans of Harry Potter.

This book is very popular among middle school students both in Europe, America and China.

So she smiled and waved, and the girl hesitated and walked over.

"Are you Mr. Minghua, the author of the Harry Potter novels?" the girl asked quietly.

"Yes, do you want a signature?" Fang Minghua asked.

"Thank you." The girl immediately became happy and handed her the four books she was holding on her chest.

It is the first four books of "Harry Potter" that have been published. Some of them are slightly curled up at the corners due to frequent reading.

Fang Minghua immediately picked up the pen and signed his name on each book. After thinking for a while, he wrote some ancient poetry on the first book:

"There is poetry and calligraphy in my belly."

flamboyant. Of course it is written in Chinese.

"Thank you." The girl was very happy and waved to her companions. Several other girls also ran over.

Fang Minghua signed one by one.

Lucy standing on the edge saw all this, her mouth moved but she didn't say anything.

"Thank you." The girls left happily.

Looking at the girls' backs, Fang Minghua picked up the coffee cup with a smile on his face.

It feels wonderful.

The book signing contract lasted for two days, and Fang Minghua had free time for the rest. He met James Kou that afternoon.

"Hi, Minghua!"

James Cole was as enthusiastic as ever, he came over with a smile, the two hugged, and they had dinner together at a small restaurant called Gaia Delicatessan near Charlotte Square.

This is a small Italian deli and cafe that specializes in Italian cuisine: pasta, cheese, and antipasti.

The two ordered pasta, Paninis (grilled paninis) and beers and chatted while drinking.

James Kou came to Fang Minghua for no other reason than to reminisce about old times.

From the pasta they ate, they talked about how they met in Vento, Italy, to the pleasant experience of visiting the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the Terracotta Warriors in Xijing, and finally to Fang Minghua's latest novel "Mountains and Mountains".

After the book was published in the country last year, the English version was simultaneously released in the United States and the United Kingdom.

"Minghua, I have read this novel you wrote. It is so well written. I like the poem in the book very much." You know, Minghua, I feel as if I am writing about myself! "James Kou said.

"Write about you?" Fang Minghua was slightly surprised.

"Don't forget, I am also a member of the working class!"

Oh?

This reminded Fang Minghua of James Kou's early experience as a truck driver.

He said that the work was very tiring at that time. He started at 8 a.m. and worked for 12 hours. When he got home, he was exhausted both physically and mentally.

From this perspective, we are indeed members of the working class.

"Worker brother!" Fang Minghua joked and picked up the beer glass and touched it lightly.

"Minghua, your novel reminds me of everything described in Italian new workers' literature:

James Cole began to recite again:

"I thought of the sea and its deep blue. The grand, elegant brilliance, the boundless, rich and unfathomable sea, the blue starry sky. I thought of blue-collar workers. So much history, so many struggles, so many workers marching in the streets! I really like this blue."

An excerpt from the novel "Daughter of the Blue Worker Dress" written by Italian writer Simone Baldanzi.

The blue worker dress refers to her mother's work clothes.

Fang Minghua discovered that James Cole is not only a writer, but also a very powerful orator, and his words are full of infectiousness.

Finally, James Cole broke another big news: "To be honest, I am now a member of the CPGB (Communist Party of Britain)! Our goal is to overthrow this evil capitalism!"

Oh my God

Fang Minghua was stunned for a moment, and immediately stretched out his right hand: "Hello, Comrade James!"

"Hello, Comrade Minghua!"

After the two shook hands, James Cole was so excited that he sang the popular "Internationale" in a low voice, of course, the English version.

Arise, ye workers from your slumber,

Arise, ye prisoners of want.

For reason in revolt now thunders,

People in the small restaurant heard something strange.

Fang Minghua couldn't help but drink a Chinese version.

It's very cool to sing this with some beer.

This thing should not be in the palace, but in the beer hall, and it is more meaningful in the streets.

The two finally returned in high spirits.

The next day Fang Minghua came to Charlotte Square again, but this time he didn't sign the task, just wandered around.

He saw James Cole standing on the podium again, reading aloud the poem in "On the Hill and Down the Mountain":

"I will stand on the high tower of the factory or stand on the steam drum room and sing loudly,

Or play the cantabile andante on the piano keys like Tchaikovsky,

Or write the cantabile andante on paper like Yu Xian..."

Propagating his political views to the crowd below.

This, no one cares in the UK.

Fang Minghua stayed at the book festival for a total of three days. He was about to leave and return to London and then go to the United States, but unexpectedly he met an acquaintance of his, Bei Dao.