University of Paris.

In a detached dormitory, Marcel Proust was sitting at his desk.

Le Figaro spreads out,

He whispered:

“

'All animals are created equal, but some animals are more equal than others......

”

Bang Bang –

There was a soft noise in the doorway.

Proust turned back,

"Mrs. Gao Fan, how many times have I told you before......"

At the door stood a short and stocky middle-aged woman,

She wore an apron and held a tray with a steaming loaf of bread that gave off the sweet smell of wheat.

In addition to this, there is a jug of hot milk.

Proust continued: "Don't just come into my room. ”

"Huh?"

Mrs. Gao Fan leaned forward,

"What did you say?"

Proust reluctantly repeated: "Yes, no, yes, whatever, enter, I, of, room, room." ”

Mrs. Gao Fan is still like that,

"What?"

Proust: "......"

I knew very well that the landlady was not behind her ears, but just pretending to be stupid.

But he couldn't help it,

Because the other party is his "guardian" in Paris appointed by his father.

Proust was born into a very wealthy family, but since childhood, he was weak and plagued by severe asthma, but fortunately he was full of fantasy, and his illness promoted the discovery of literary talent.

He said, "Okay~Okay~ I'll eat." ”

"That's right."

Mrs. Gao Fan put the food on the table, and then said, "What did you just say that is equal and unequal?" ”

Proust pouted,

"How did your hearing get better?"

Mrs. Gao Fan shrugged,

"I'm fine with my hearing, I just filter out useless information."

Proust: "......"

It's completely out of line.

It can only be said that one thing descends one thing.

He pushed the article to the other side,

"It's this one, it's called Animal Farm, and it's wonderfully written."

Mrs. Gao Fan glanced at it curiously, and then asked, "The author is the 'Lu' you often mentioned before?" Don't you adore him very much? ”

Proust blushed a little,

"I just...... Cough...... cough cough cough ......"

Mrs. Gao Fan panicked,

"Why are you so acute? Is asthma a recurrence? ”

As he spoke, rummaging around for the medicine bottle.

Proust patted his chest,

"No, no, if you have asthma, you can't breathe," ha...... Ha...... 'That's it, I just choked and coughed. ”

He went back to the subject,

"Yes, the author is the 'Lu' I mentioned earlier."

Mrs. Gao Fan asked, "By the way, was the "Warden" you wrote before influenced by him?" ”

"This ......"

Proust didn't know how to answer.

Unlike other literati, he knew Lu Shi because of a "middleman"-

Sigmund freud

In 1900, Proust began to study rhetoric and philosophy at the University of Paris and Sciences Po, while translating the works of the British art critic John Ruskin.

Ruskin's ideas had a great influence on him,

He believes that intuition in writing trumps analysis of objective facts.

So, inevitably, Proust came into contact with some Freud's research on the unconscious.

This point is well reflected in "Reminiscences of the Past",

often presents the so-called "instinctual depth" and "primordial state" in a sleeping state.

It's no wonder it's called "stream of consciousness".

After that, Lu Shi led the debate between advertising and psychology in Cambridge.

Proust then began to read Lu Shi's works.

At first, he didn't like it,

In particular, "Guns, Germs and Steel", the method of argumentation in the book is too heavy on science and engineering thinking, and it is not like a historical work.

This revulsion lasted for several books, until the appearance of The Country Teacher,

It's obviously science fiction,

Cold, rational, and even impersonal......

But Proust read an indescribable romance in it, and his creative passion was instantly ignited, and "The Warden" was born.

Proust stretched,

"Eat."

He picked up the bread and munched on it.

In the past, Mrs. Gao Fan would definitely criticize him when she saw his evil ghost reincarnation, but today she didn't say a word.

Because she's reading the newspaper.

Her brow furrowed, like a scholar studying complex literature, her fingers sliding over each word, not losing sight of any detail.

Proust couldn't help but laugh,

"Mrs. Gao Fan, it turns out that you also like to read?"

Mrs. Gao Fan: "......"

I was so engrossed that I didn't bother to talk to him.

Proust pursed his lips and continued to eat his bread, leaning over to read by the way.

The original text of "Animal Farm" is not long, and Lu Shi has simplified it, and now there are less than 40,000 words.

Read fast, it's almost two hours.

Time passed minute by minute,

suddenly

"Oh......"

Mrs. Gao Fan stretched.

Proust asked, "Finished reading?" ”

Mrs. Gao Fan shook her head,

"How can it be so fast? I'm just a little ...... I don't know what to say. ”

This reaction is typical.

After reading the political fable, the vast majority of ordinary people will vaguely feel that something is wrong, but they can't say where it is.

Proust groaned,

"I think the most ironic thing about this book is that 'all animals are created equal, but some animals are more equal than others', what do you think?"

Mrs. Gaufan said, "You can't say, 'All animals are created equal, but some animals are more unequal than others,' right? It's like 'I'm prettier than you,' what's the difference between that and 'you're uglier than me'? But the latter is just harder to hear. ”

Proust:!!!

"You...... How do you ......"

He was shocked.

Mrs. Gao Fan glared at him dissatisfied,

"You, you don't think I'm a housewife who doesn't understand anything, do you?"

Proust embarrassment,

Indeed, I didn't think that the landlady would be able to hit the nail on the head.

He digressed from the subject,

"Well, according to you, you feel that people are born to ...... No, it's supposed to be animals, and you think all animals are created equal? ”

Mrs. Gao Fan pursed her lips and smiled,

"That's right~ That's right~ We're talking about animals, and they have nothing to do with humans."

She fell into deep thought,

After a long time, she explained: "Equality, it should be quite difficult to achieve. At present, we should still devote ourselves to eliminating the alienation of people and eliminating the oppression of people by people, so that people can have more space for development and less pressure for survival. ”

Proust was stunned,

“……”

As a person who studies rhetoric and philosophy, he has to think about it for a while if he wants to say something of this level.

He asked, "Mrs. Gao Fan, how are you...... Forehead ......"

I don't know how to phrase it.

Mrs. Gao Fan smiled,

"Don't forget where this is."

Proust couldn't help but be dumbfounded,

France

Paris

Old Revolutionary Area.

What's more, the University of Paris and the Paris École Supérieure have always been at the forefront of the women's movement.

It's normal for Mrs. Gao Fan to come into contact with those.

She flipped through the newspaper and said, "There's another comment behind this, also written by Lu." He defines works like "New France" and "Animal Farm" as 'dystopian'. It was also dissected. ”

Proust was not surprised, because Professor Lu had done something similar before.

That "A Brief Discussion of Narrative Tricks and Mystery Works" has been regarded as a guideline by mystery writers.

He said, "I'll take a look." ”

Mrs. Gao Fan handed the newspaper back,

"It's like a paper, it's a headache to look at."

Proust was puzzled: "Huh? Have it? I think it's easy to understand. ”

He pointed to one of the passages,

“

People's definitions of 'utopia' and 'dystopia' change over time. Read Plato's work, the ideal state at that time, and now most people will think that it is a 'dystopia' rather than a 'utopia'. ’

”

It's very simple,

If a 19th-century worker who works 20 hours a day and has seen the sudden death of 10 workers in a month, he will think that this is utopia when he describes a future society that works 12 hours a day and suddenly dies one employee every month next to the protagonist.

Whoever says no, he is in a hurry.

But

Mrs. Gao Fan: ???

said he didn't understand the tirade.

Proust spreads his hands,

"Well, you can just understand this article as a teaching. Professor Lu is teaching us how to create 'dystopian' works. ”

Mrs. Gao Fan couldn't help but be surprised,

"What do you say? Teaching? What writer would teach others how to eat? ”

"Yes."

Proust nodded, and looked at the article again,

"Moreover, I don't see any reservations on the part of Professor Lu. He even categorized dystopian themes: first, depicting a terrible futuristic society; Second, it depicts a false ideal society. ”

Mrs. Gao Fan understands that she can't,

"Why?"

Proust said: "Maybe it's because Professor Lu is really selfless, or maybe it's because the author of "New France" is making trouble, Professor Lu wants to fight back on behalf of the jury." Who knows? ”

Mrs. Gao Fan sighed,

"This kind of thing can only be asked of him."

Speaking of myself......

Suddenly, Proust stood up,

"Makes sense! I need to go to the Institut de France! ”

Mrs. Gao Fan sneered and quipped, "You still say that you don't worship Lu?" ”

Proust: Huh? He defended: "When did I say that I don't worship...... Forehead...... Does it matter what is worshipped or not? ”

Mrs. Gao Fan's smile became brighter and brighter,

"Ah, yes, yes......"

Proust couldn't stay any longer and went out of the door.

……

Institut Française.

Central Park.

In front of the bust of Lu Shi, a man is waiting quietly,

The man's name was Segnol Alfaro, editor-in-chief of Le Figaro.

He came to apologize.

Thousands of shouldn't, never should, the last thing you shouldn't do is to provoke Lu Shi,

If such a big thing is really upset by the Collège de France, Alfaro's future in the newspaper and even in the entire media industry will be ruined.

At this moment,

"Saini!"

Someone called his name from behind.

Alfaro turned back with joy,

As a result, instead of the people who were waiting, they were angry old Pergaard.

"You bastard!"

Old Pergaard threw a punch.

Alfaro hurriedly dodged and begged for mercy: "Wait! You wait! ”

however

"I'll wait for you X!"

Another punch.

Alfaro grew thinner and smaller, and was nimble enough to dodge again.

Old Pergaard swooped into the air twice in a row, and was a little annoyed, so he looked at his stupid son and said, "Little Louie, come and help!" ”

People's families are all "brothers who fight tigers, fathers and sons who go into battle",

It's good to have your own home:

Lao Tzu is a hero, a child watching a play,

It's really that old Pergaard can't hold back.

Little Pergaard was stunned,

"Oh...... Good ......"

He leaned over, his eyes flickering, clearly lacking combat experience.

Alfaro took the opportunity to say: "Don't worry! I'm also a victim of this! ”

As soon as these words came out, the actions of both father and son stopped.

Old Pergaard frowned,

"What do you mean by that!?"

Seeing that he was not greeting with his fists, Alfaro couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and then said, "I'll let the path ...... I asked Louis to publish "The New France" in Le Figaro in order to help him make a name for himself and at the same time to create a hot spot. ”

Old Pell snorted coldly,

"I'm afraid the latter is the main purpose, right?"

Alfaro is not embarrassed either,

As a newspaper man, his face has long been thicker than the bend of the city wall.

He said, "That's right! Make a hot spot, and Le Figaro's sales may be able to return to the peak. Moreover, things are also going in the direction I expected, and the citizens of Paris are suspicious of the Jules Verne Prize. ”

Old Pell raised his eyebrows,

I still know my old friends deeply,

This product, every day I want to make big news.

"And then?" he asked. ”

"And then?"

Alfaro squeezed out a wry smile and said in a low voice: "You also saw today's newspaper." ”

Old Pergaard frowned,

"Of course I did! That's why I'm going to clean you up! Didn't the organizing committee of the Jules Verne Prize find you to play a game, and in order to attract attention, you ended up pitting my son? ”

Alfaro said: "Normally, it's really like a game. But ......"

He took a deep breath,

"Professor Lu is not a normal person at all, hey! Can you think of it? That "Animal Farm" was submitted yesterday. ”

Pelgau Jr.: !!

Pergau the Elder: !!

Both were stunned.

If Alfaro hadn't lied and there really weren't any conspiracy theories, it would mean that Lu Shi wrote this novella purely in response to a public relations crisis.

According to this calculation,

Animal Farm was created in less than four days!?

"Nope! That's impossible! ”

Little Pergaard's face was full of disbelief,

"How is this possible?"

Alfaro said: "I don't think it's possible either. To be honest, I even doubted it before, this is a big game. Professor Lu had already written "Animal Farm", and by brushing off Louis's "New France", he asked him to find the media to expose shady scenes, so as to increase the popularity of the award. ”

Old Pergaard shook his head again and again,

"It's so bizarre! Unless there is really some 'instigation' that can control little Louis's mind. ”

Little Pergao corrected: "Emotions. Father, it's emotional. ”

Old Pergaard was puzzled,

"What do you say? What emotions? ”

Little Pergao replied: "'Instigation' controls the emotions of the animal, not the thoughts. ”

Old Pergau was speechless,

"You're not an animal either! Alas......"

He turned to Alfaro and said, "Then you can use the power of the editor-in-chief to suppress Professor Lu's submission." ”

Alfaro looked at Lu Shi's bust and sighed deeply,

"Can it be delayed for a while, can it be delayed for a lifetime?"

"This ......"

Old Pergau was speechless.

Alfaro continued: "Besides, if I press the manuscript of Animal Farm, my men will definitely rebel. Especially that kid Kamet, I'm so ......! @*#￥%……”

The more you talk about it, the more you hate it, and in the end you even spit out fragrant fragrance.

Old Pergaard asked, "Who is this Kamet?" ”

Alfaro explained: "Gaston Cameter, one of my editors, had a personal relationship with Monsieur Verne. My affair with Louis, he secretly told the jury. ”

Old Pergau suddenly realized,

"So there's news of sneaking away...... Hmmm......"

He paused, as if thinking of something.

Alpha Lu said angrily, "Looks like you've noticed it too." That's right, even if Professor Lu knew about this in advance, it was only a day earlier. ”

The creation time of "Animal Farm" went from less than four days to less than five days.

It's still outrageous.

The only explanation for old Pergoth was:

"It seems that he wrote it before. This event was just a coincidence. ”

As soon as the words fell, a voice came from behind him:

"No, it's not."

The three of them turned around.

I saw Verne walking slowly, followed by a young man.

Verne said: "This is Marcel Proust, who will win the Jules Verne Prize for 'The Warden'. ”

Proust was a little panicked,

"Monsieur Verne, how can I ...... Not...... I'm just here to meet Professor Lu, I didn't ......."

Verne waved his hand,

"The judge's work is over, and he left for London yesterday."

Old Pergau was surprised,

"Yesterday? Didn't "Animal Farm" just appear in the newspaper today? ”

Verne looked at him,

"So what?"

One sentence to the old Pergao was stunned.

What writer doesn't want to see how readers react when their work is published?

Lu Shi is confident to this point?

No, this is not "self-confidence", but "pride"!

Verne chuckled,

"Are you Mr. Katrina Pergau? You probably don't know Professor Lu, do you? His works are star-studded, "Roger's Mystery", "Guns, Germs and Steel", "Yes! Prime Minister", "Village Teacher", ...... Do you think he would be worried that his work would be unpopular? ”

Old Pergau was speechless,

Oh, yes......

How could Professor Lu's work not be popular?

Alfaro on the side interjected into the topic: "Mr. Verne, Professor Lu has returned to London, so what should I do...... You know, I'm here to apologize. Regarding the selection of the Jules Verne Prize, Le Figaro had some misunderstandings. ”

Verne raised an eyebrow,

"It's not that Le Figaro has misunderstood, it's you, my dear friend."

Alfaro quickly defended: "But ......"

Verne raised his right hand,

"As far as I know, Mr. Gaston Kamet of your newspaper has no such misunderstanding."

Alfaro's teeth are about to crumble,

He said, "I'm sorry! Sorry! It was the negligence of my work that caused such a big unpleasantness on both sides. And Professor Lu, if only I could apologize to him in person. ”

Verne waved his hand,

"There's no need for that. If he wanted to hear your apology, he wouldn't be in a hurry to leave Paris. ”

Alphalu's face was red and white,

He had always felt that it would be a shame to put a low profile and apologize sincerely.

But now his mind has changed,

Something more humiliating than apologizing is being ignored.

In the eyes of Lu Shi, there is not even the leisure and elegance to listen to him say "I'm sorry", which is the most hurtful to self-esteem.

Verne saw what Alfaro was thinking,

He said: "Mr. Alfaro, some time ago, Professor Lu wrote a science fiction book called "Chaowen Dao", have you heard of it? ”

Alfaro nodded,

"I've heard of it. Could it be that "Animal Farm" was also created during that time? ”

He wanted to hear Verne's affirmative answer,

Otherwise, Lu Shi will be too godly!

But Verne simply shook his head,

"That's not what I'm talking about."

He continued his topic,

"At that time, there were three scientists who served as consultants for the "Chaowen Dao". After reading it, they disagreed on the ethical issues of science and asked Professor Lu to make it public to the participating scientists during the Nobel Prize ceremony. They were worried that Professor Lu would refuse, and as a result, guess what Professor Lu said? ”

Alfaro didn't squeak.

Little Pergao next to him was curious: "What do you say?" ”

Verne chuckled,

"Professor Lu's answer was, 'The Lord doesn't care.'"

Alfaro was stunned,

Immediately, he smiled relievedly,

For a genius like Lu Shi, the thoughts of ordinary people are really nothing to care about.

Say "I'm sorry"?

People don't care at all.

Verne clapped his hands and said, "Mr. Alfaro, this time, there are indeed problems in the process of selecting the Jules Verne Prize. For example, the primary election ......"

As he spoke, he glanced at little Pergaard,

"You're Mr. Louis Pergau, aren't you? There are indeed too many works that we have brushed off, which is inevitably criticized. ”

Little Pergaard shook his head again and again,

"Nope. After reading Professor Lu's works, I realized my immaturity. What's more, he also wrote articles to draw the world's attention to the theme of dystopia, which was arrogant before. ”

Verne said "um",

"With his article to guide me, there should be more people creating similar works, right?"

Proust, who was on the side, asked in a low voice, "Mr. Verne, what is Professor Lu's purpose in making his writing theory public?" ”

Verne smiled,

"When you wait for your writings, you will naturally understand."

Many years later, when Proust stood at the apex of the literary world with his book "Reminiscences of the Past",

Standing on the podium of the Nobel Prize, he remembered that today, and finally felt something, and temporarily changed his speech, saying: "First of all, I would like to thank my literary guide, Professor Lu, ......"

That's probably what Lu Shi wants.

(End of chapter)