British writer

time flies.

The weather is getting hotter and hotter, and pedestrians walking on the road are a little lazy, yawning loudly from time to time.

Lu Shi also started working on the adaptation of "Harry Potter".

There are many modern elements involved in it,

Cars, subways, phone booths...

The adaptation is not efficient.

As for "The Little Prince", of course it took Europe by storm.

It is a fairy tale written for children, and it is also a fairy tale written for adults.

Anyone of any age can be its reader.

There are other reasons for the rapid spread:

The length is short,

And no complicated vocabulary.

In this way, reading will not take too much time, resulting in a significant shortening of the word-of-mouth communication cycle.

In the viral spread of "The Little Prince", the time came to July 1st.

evening,

Lu Shi has roughly completed the first part of the "Harry Potter" series——

"Magic stone".

The next step is to refine.

Margarita and Picasso were there too.

The two of them were looking at the group painting "The Great Writer - Lu, when the new book is released\

,"Picasso told the story with great energy:

"At that time, the atmosphere in the bookstore was as enthusiastic as the blazing summer sun. Everyone gathered around the pile of books of "Lord of the Flies" as if they had found a treasure; on the other side, the pile of books of "The Moon and Sixpence" was empty... …”

Margarita coughed lightly,

"But the expression in your painting is too abstract. Corpses besieging the castle... it's weird..."

Picasso spread his hands,

"Your Highness, what we see are fragments that have been reintegrated mentally. Therefore, realism cannot show the original appearance of the world. But cubism can help people see the original appearance of the world from dynamic and different viewpoints."

Margarita understood, but it was a little difficult to understand.

But she won't pretend to understand.

When she turned to Lu,

"teacher?"

Lu Shi was revising the manuscript when he turned around in surprise.

"What's the matter?"

Margarita said: "Can you understand this group of paintings?"

Lu Shi said: "The title is quite good, "The Great Writer - Lu, when the new book is released", it is very direct~"

"Pfft~"

Margarita laughed and then said: "Okay, okay, the great writer and the great painter really have a good understanding."

Picasso was an artist and also had a businessman's philistine side, so he was not offended by Margarita's joking attitude.

He asked: "Well, Sir, is this group of paintings in your private collection? Or is it on display?"

Lu Shi pondered,

"Let's put it on display."

Although he did not have a deep understanding of the art of painting, he could tell that in addition to Cubism, this group of paintings also had Surrealism.

Its future historical status will probably be similar to "Girls in Cooperation".

Of course this kind of work must be exhibited.

Picasso also thought this was better,

He was just about to agree,

At this time, there was a knock on the door from the maid outside the study.

"Sir, Mr. Jasmine Wood from the Royal Publishing House is here."

Picasso got up at the right time,

"Then I'll leave first and we'll talk about the exhibition tomorrow."

He saluted Lu Shi and Margarita and then left.

Not long after, Wood came in.

His expression showed no urgency, and his movements of hanging up his hat and taking off his coat seemed slow and leisurely.

But vaguely, Lu Shi felt that the other party wanted something from him.

The three people in the room greeted each other,

Then, the air became inexplicably quiet,

"..."

"..."

"..."

The atmosphere is a bit strange.

Wood first pretended to study "The Great Writer - Lu, When the New Book is Released" for a while.

Then he lowered his head again, seeming to be very interested in his feet.

At this time, the maid came into the room to pour tea.

The silence in the room was broken.

Lu Shi coughed slightly,

"Mr. Wood, what's the matter?"

Wood said "Uh..." and said: "Sir, the sales of "The Moon and Sixpence" are very good. It has been reprinted for the fifth time this morning."

The drunkard's intention is not wine,

What he really wanted to say was obviously not here.

Lu Shi smiled,

"Thanks to the strength of the Royal Publishing House."

Wood continued: "Since Sir believes in the strength of the Royal Publishing House, has he ever considered publishing "The Little Prince" to us? I mean, exclusive distribution, just like "Lord of the Flies" in Japan. "

This is considered a poor idea.

Why doesn't Lu Shi understand?

In recent days, the French and British literary circles have sent out all-star lineups to express their opinions in various newspapers and magazines, fighting fiercely for the first language of "The Little Prince".

They debated every word without giving up an inch, and the arguments they gave were very well-founded.

As a result, all the saliva was sprayed out, but I still couldn't figure out the reason.

As the saying goes, "Nothing comes first in literature."

This is a matter of public opinion being right and mother-in-law saying mother-in-law being right. How can we determine the winner?

Out of helplessness, both sides began to promote the advantages of their own languages.

for example,

“English is spoken by the largest number of people and in the widest range!”

"French is the most precise language in the world! It is also the most romantic! It is perfect for fairy tales like "The Little Prince"!"

"French is stupid."

"You are stupid."

"! @* # ￥%..."

…

In the end, everything turned into gibberish,

Extremely bad mouth,

Pure enjoyment.

Of course, there is no standard answer to this matter.

As Poincaré said,

According to logic, since "The Mirror" is an English newspaper published in London, its content should naturally be in English as much as possible. The fact that "The Little Prince" is in French shows that the first language can only be French, and there is no other choice.

Or, interview Lu Shi;

Alternatively, please invite Lu Shi to reveal the original manuscript in the museum.

As long as you do this, all the truth will be revealed to the world.

But both parties tacitly chose to avoid it,

the reason is:

The British literary world is worried about Lu Shi telling the truth;

The French literary circle is worried that Lu Shi will not tell the truth due to his status as KBE.

This leads to a rather strange phenomenon,

Both parties knew that the first language of The Little Prince was French;

Both parties also know that the other party knows that the first language of "The Little Prince" is French;

Both parties also know that the other knows that they know that the first language of "The Little Prince" is French.

…

Infinite matryoshka dolls are formed.

But they didn't dare to ask Lu Shi to express his position publicly, so they could only secretly send Wood over to ask if they could publish it exclusively.

Lu Shi pondered, and finally decided to tell the truth.

"Mr. Wood, you should know that the first language of "The Little Prince" is actually..."

Before the words fell,

Wood suddenly picked up the teacup and said, "Sir, this tea is good, it tastes very fresh. Could it be that it comes from China?"

My brother’s way of changing the topic is too cliched!

Lu Shi: "..."

Margarita: "..."

The two of them complained crazily in their hearts.

Wood put down his teacup,

"Sir, I just mentioned "The Little Prince". If it is published in English, it will be widely disseminated and benefit more children in the world. Isn't this the ultimate goal of children's literature?"

After speaking, he showed a dazzling smile like a holy father.

Lu Shi was almost dazzled.

He looked away,

"Well, France also has many colonies. "The Little Prince" was published in French and has been widely circulated."

"Ah this..."

Wood was speechless for a moment.

When Lu Shi saw that he was silent, he continued: "Let's go back to the topic, about..."

At this time, there was another knock on the door.

The maid said from outside: "Sir, a gentleman has come from France and announced that his name is Heysel."

Lu Shi was stunned,

"It should be Herzel, right? He's come to London? Please!"

Not long after, little Herzel, the publisher Lu Shi had been working with in Paris, pushed in the door.

As soon as he entered the room, he noticed Wood sitting not far away.

In an instant, the two men met with each other with their eyes.

The sound of electricity seemed to resound in the air,

Sizzling——

The air is a bit colder.

Hezel first greeted Lu Shi, and then murmured: "Haha, I didn't expect that I met a colleague."

He lowered his voice,

But it was obviously intentional, and the voice was controlled just right, and Wood could hear it clearly.

The corner of Wood's mouth curled up,

"I don't dare. I'm not as successful as Mr. Hetzel. I have best-selling authors working for me."

To outsiders, this sounds like a compliment.

But everyone present knew that it was ironic.

At the beginning, Paul Gauguin's "Whispers of an Art Apprentice" and "Before and After" were not destined to sell well and could not be published in his home country. Instead, the Royal Publishing House took on the moral responsibility of writing books and biographies for artists.

What Wood said was that Hetzel was all about profit.

Herzel immediately counterattacked: "I am not as good as Mr. Wood. My editor-in-chief position was given to me by my father, but you earned it through your own hard work, and your status climbed very quickly~"

The reason why Wood was promoted to editor-in-chief so quickly is well known.

It was because he hugged Lu Shi's thigh tightly.

Wood's face turned dark.

"Hmph...hum hum..."

There was a wave of yin and yang between the two sides, and neither side could take advantage of it.

As a result, the maid came in again to pour tea, which relieved the embarrassment.

Herzel took the opportunity to sit down;

He ignored Wood, turned to Lu Shi, and got straight to the point.

"Sir, have you ever considered publishing The Little Prince to us? I mean, exclusive distribution, like Lord of the Flies did in Japan."

Lu Shi:? ? ?

Why do the two of them talk about the same thing?

Before he could speak, Wood on the other side spoke,

"Mr. Hetzel, you want to publish The Little Prince exclusively? That means, in French?"

Herzel crossed his arms;

"That's how it should be. But if the Royal Publishing House also has an idea, I won't mind discussing copyright matters with you in three to five years. Besides, Sir Lu has already provided an English translation. By then, as long as..."

Wood exploded immediately,

"Translation!? You said, the English version is a translation?!"

Herzel raised an eyebrow;

"has a problem?"

Wood couldn't help but sneer, and then began to rummage through his bag.

After a while, he took out a magazine from it——

"Punch".

This is Oxford University's famous literary review magazine.

The cover read in huge letters:

"About description, English is on the road to success".

Author Thomas Hardy,

A representative writer of British critical realism in the late 19th century, his representative novels include "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" and "The Mayor of Casterbridge".

Wood turned to the page and spread it out on the table.

"Mr. Herzel, watch and study hard! Don't keep saying that the English version is a translation!"

The rest of the people cast their eyes away,

Hardy's article begins with this quote:

I showed my masterpiece to the grown-ups.

This is the original text of "The Little Prince".

Wood read to the article: "The word masterpiece in French is Chef - d'uvre, and it..."

Herzel waved his hand,

"Mr. Wood, it's okay. I know what you want to express. I also have that magazine."

He rummaged through his briefcase and soon took out a magazine.

Magazine name: "Salmon\

,"from the University of Paris.

The first article I opened was a literary evaluation by Jules Verne, called "As Precise as a Clock, My Love of French!" 》.

Hetzel laughed and said: "Interestingly, Mr. Verne also quoted this sentence. He also raised a question, grow up\\grown-up\\grown up. What is the difference between the meanings of these three words? Is it the same in English? Are they all so weird?”

The two of them were facing each other,

The smell of gunpowder immediately overflowed.

"Gu..."

Lu Shi swallowed and looked at Margarita next to him.

Who would have thought that Her Royal Highness the Princess's eyes were shining, and she looked like a bad woman who said, "I want to see a river of blood!"

Lu Shi had no choice but to clear his throat and said: "You two, first..."

Before the words fell,

Hetzel and Wood said in unison: "Sir, please allow us to finish the debate!"

"Ah this..."

Lu Shi just shut up.

So, for the next half hour, the two editors kept taking out newspapers and magazines,

More and more great authors are moving out.

Unfortunately, this debate is destined to be fruitless.

Their mouths were dry and their throats were hoarse, but they still couldn't convince each other.

Margarita stepped forward and poured tea for the two of them.

"please continue."

Herzel and Wood looked at each other,

"..."

"..."

"..."

There was an eerie silence in the room.

After a while, Herzel whispered: "The accuracy of English is too poor, I am really too lazy to speak."

Wood snorted,

"Accurate? Why do you need to be accurate? Is it suitable for diplomatic situations? Do you want to optimize the language to ensure the speed of signing the surrender letter?"

Before World War II, French military salute was not a derogatory term, and Herzel was not panic at all.

He had a lot of time to arrange his clothes,

"I wonder which country lost the Hundred Years War between England and France?"

Wood spread his hands,

"The winning side seems to be women."

The debate yields no results,

Direct personal attacks began.

Hetzel was the first to shout: "What the hell! @* # ￥%..."

There is a string of French gibberish behind it.

Because he spoke so fast, Wood, a second-hand French speaker, couldn't understand him at all.

But you can tell by looking at the other person's expression that what he said was not a good thing.

He also cursed: "Fxxk!! @#￥%..."

It’s also a bunch of gibberish.

If this continues, it is possible to take action.

Lu Shi didn't want his new home to be smashed to pieces, so he quickly raised his voice and said: "You two! Pay attention to etiquette! Stop fighting!"

Herzel and Wood were still obedient;

The two uttered a few more curse words sporadically, and then became quiet.

They looked at Lu Shi together.

Lu Shi said: "Whether it's French or English, they are my wings when I create. So, what do you have to argue about?"

This kind of muddled statement is not recognized.

The two of them locked their eyes on Lu Shi.

Stare——×2

Lu Shi continued: "Frankly speaking, in terms of publishing, the French version and the English version do have their own advantages, and I really can't tell which one is better. There is no need to develop into the current debate about the superiority and inferiority of languages, adding more for no reason. dispute."

Herzel and Wood looked at each other;

It can be seen that they are still a little unconvinced.

At this time, Margarita on the side said: "Teacher, having a dispute is not necessarily a bad thing."

Her Royal Highness is still thinking about whether the two sides can take action~

But what she said is indeed true,

English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch...

With so many countries becoming hegemons at one time, disputes are an indispensable part of the road to development.

The same is true for China,

The vast land area is not just free of charge.

Lu Shi pondered,

"The truth becomes clearer with more debate. In this case, why not invite French professors and scholars who are interested in participating in the discussion to come to London and have a good exchange."

He had already made up his mind,

Regarding the issue of the first language of "The Little Prince", we should still tell the truth.

But he hopes that all versions can be published and distributed at the same time, instead of being monopolized by a certain language for a few years.

Only in this way can more children be benefited, as Wood said.

Therefore, it is still necessary to resolve resentments.