These international students regard Lin Chaoyang as a means of showing off, just like some people show off at the wine table that they have a rich or executive relative, mainly to increase their own value.
Of course, there is also some nostalgia in this, "I'm a relative or not, I'm from my hometown."
Since the late 1970s, the trend of studying abroad in China has gradually emerged, and by the mid-1980s it had become a common trend.
Lin Chaoyang's family discussed this issue at the dinner table during the Chinese New Year last year. Even the school organized TOEFL classes.
Considering studying abroad as an industry, it is no wonder that more and more people are going abroad.
There are not many Chinese students on the Columbia campus now. There are more than ten people in total, and they are all here today, and there is even a teaching assistant who has stayed at the school.
But this number is much larger than the number of Chinese students at the University of Oklahoma. There are 20,000 students in the entire university, but there is only one Chinese student named Cao Guowei. Lin Chaoyang went out of his way to chat with him a few more words.
A few days ago, the news that Lin Chaoyang received the Neustadt International Literature Prize has appeared in the newspapers, and these international students at Columbia University have also paid attention to it.
At this time, Columbia University began to publicize the news that Lin Chaoyang was going to give a speech, and these international students immediately became excited.
To this day, everyone who is in a gang has come here,
After the noisy scene, more than a dozen Chinese students gathered around Lin Chaoyang did not leave because he said he wanted to treat everyone to lunch.
Several people had classes in the afternoon, so Lin Chaoyang chose to have lunch at the Columbia campus restaurant.
Just as Lin Chaoyang was preparing to have dinner with the international students, two white students found Lin Chaoyang.
The two claimed to be students from Columbia University's School of Journalism, and they hoped that Lin Chaoyang would allow them to compile the content of today's speech and publish it in the Columbia Journalism Review.
Columbia University is world-famous for its journalism and media majors. The School of Journalism is naturally the most powerful school in the school. The famous Pulitzer Prize selection agency is established in the Columbia School of Journalism. The results of each selection are also determined by the president of Columbia University.
Announce.
As the flagship major of Columbia University, the School of Journalism not only has its own publication, but also has more than one.
There is the second officially published student magazine in the United States, the Columbia Daily Observer, the bimonthly literary and artistic magazine Columbia Journalism Review, and the annual publication In New York.
"Of course that's no problem."
After receiving Lin Chaoyang's authorization, the two of them were very happy and even took a photo with Lin Chaoyang before leaving.
After the interlude, Lin Chaoyang and the international students walked to the restaurant. Along the way, the international students enthusiastically introduced Lin Chaoyang to the buildings and allusions on the Columbia University campus.
When walking with Lin Chaoyang, their faces were more proud than usual. Especially when a Columbia University student who attended the lecture recognized Lin Chaoyang next to them, their pride reached its peak.
During the meal, the international students were very chatty and shared with Lin Chaoyang the ups and downs of studying abroad.
After lunch, Lin Chaoyang left Columbia University with the reluctant eyes of the international students.
"Lin, if I had known that your speech level was so high, I should have arranged more activities for you."
Luan Walter marveled at the response that Lin Chaoyang's speech today had among Columbia students, and even more marveled at these students' pursuit of Lin Chaoyang.
"I don't have that many stories to tell." Lin Chaoyang said with a smile.
Luan Walter immediately remembered the story Lin Chaoyang told in his speech and the request made by the girl named Kim Claire at the end.
"That Ron story, do you really want to write it into a novel?"
"No?" Lin Chaoyang asked.
"Of course there is no problem." Luan Walter looked thoughtful, "It's just that in many novels, the words 'adapted from real events' are often troublesome. Have you really thought about it?"
"What do you think of this story?"
Lin Chaoyang did not answer his question, but asked instead.
Luan Walter pondered and said: "It's very tense. It's excellent as a novel material. It even has such an excellent structure."
"I thought the same thing when I saw a report about it in the Dallas Morning News that day. It was perfect for writing a novel.
Doesn’t your publishing house hope that I can try an American story?”
Seeing Lin Chaoyang's firm expression, Luan Walter knew that he had made up his mind, so he stopped trying to persuade him.
"However, Ron Woodruff is still alive, and if you want to write his story, you must ask for his opinion."
Lin Chaoyang patted Luan Walter on the shoulder, "You said you would provide me with help. You won't regret it, right?"
Luan Walter smiled bitterly, he didn't expect Lin Chaoyang's mission to come so quickly.
"Okay, I'll contact him first. If you have any other requirements, you'd better tell me first, and I'll make arrangements."
"Well——" Lin Chaoyang thought for a while, "The rest is to collect the wind. After understanding it on the spot, let's wait until you make arrangements."
"good."
The next morning, Lin Chaoyang came to the Barnes and Noble Bookstore in Union Square, Manhattan.
This bookstore is very large, covering an astonishing 14,000 square meters, making it a rare "Big Mac" in the bookstore industry.
From the outside, it looks more like a library.
Barnes & Noble Bookstore is part of the Barnes & Noble Bookstore Company. As early as the 1970s, this bookstore chain company was the first to use unheard-of promotional methods such as discounts and television advertisements to sell books, which caused an uproar in the industry.
shock.
By the end of the 1980s, Barnes & Noble Bookstore Company began to create the concept of large-scale self-selected bookstores, expanding the original small bookstore into a majestic building like a library.
This bookstore in front of Union Square in Manhattan has just opened. It has four floors, and each floor is filled with books, which is dazzling.
According to store manager Lawrence, the total length of the bookshelves here reaches an astonishing 20 kilometers.
Although it seems a bit funny to emphasize such boring data, we have to admit that it does play an important role in marketing.
At least Lin Chaoyang, who was a librarian by training, was very interested in taking a look inside.
Today is Saturday, and there are many readers in the Barnes and Noble bookstore.
Of course, a large part of them are here for Lin Chaoyang, whose reader meeting is being held here today.
The host of the readers' meeting was Luanne Walter, and the guest was Robert Gottlieb, the legendary editor in the American publishing industry.
As an editor, Robert Gottlieb is not well-known among the general public, but he is well-known in the American publishing world.
He single-handedly discovered and cultivated Joseph Heller, Toni Morrison, John Cheever, V.S. Naipaul, Doris Lessing, Michael Clayton, John le Carré, Anthony
Fraser and many other famous American writers.
Many of them have won Pulitzer Prizes and Nobel Prizes.
In 1960, Knopf Books, where Robert Gottlieb worked, was acquired by Random House, and he naturally became a member of Random House.
By 1987, Robert Gottlieb was invited by Samuel Newhouse to serve as editor-in-chief of The New Yorker, but he still retained his identity as an editorial consultant to Random House.
There were quite a few people attending the readers' meeting, at least not less than those held by some best-selling authors in the United States. It looked like there were at least a hundred people.
Lin Chaoyang also saw a few familiar faces among them, those international students from Columbia University. They came here specifically to support Lin Chaoyang today.
After the meeting began, Luan Walter's brief introduction was followed by a conversation between Lin Chaoyang and Robert Gottlieb.
The two of them are a writer and an editor, so the topic of conversation is naturally inseparable from creation.
Robert Gottlieb looks like a typical white elite at first glance, and he also behaves very forcefully during conversations.
Lin Chaoyang was just the opposite of him. He acted a bit meek, but every word he said was to the point.
"Lin, I've only read "The Truman Show" as your work. The resume Random House gave me said that you have written more than 10 novels so far.
At your age, this is unimaginable!"
There was a trace of doubt hidden in Robert Gottlieb's words, and he asked again: "Can you tell me the secret of your creation? You must know that your productivity and efficiency are rare among writers."
Lin Chaoyang looked relaxed, "Secret? If there is a secret, there is only one."
"What?"
"I keep writing." Lin Chaoyang threw out a short sentence.
Then he went on to say: "We in China have a saying that God rewards those who work hard. Many people regard literary creation as art. Of course literature is art, but before it becomes art, it first requires a combination of hard work and technology."
"Many people who are new to this industry always take inspiration too seriously. Inspiration is probably just a spark.
If you don’t reserve enough fuel, you won’t be able to ignite the raging fire of creation and keep it burning.”
"Being a writer is never a comfortable thing. We have to compete with the world and ourselves. Behind the birth of every masterpiece is the culmination of the writer's exhaustive efforts.'
"If you want to write good things easily, that only exists in boring fantasy."
Lin Chaoyang answered very seriously, and his rigorous attitude towards creation won Gottlieb's praise.
Gottlieb has been a workaholic since he was young, and there is no such thing as off work or vacation in his dictionary.
In his nearly 40-year career, he only had less than 10 days of complete vacation.
Such a perverted workaholic, even Tao Yushu would be resigned to it when he saw it. His work attitude also made the writers who had worked with him tremble.
"Lin, I really wish you were the writer in charge of me!" Gottlieb sighed.
Lin Chaoyang is just a salty fish, and those words just now were just rhetoric. Seeing Gottlieb admire him so much,
It seemed that he was about to ask him for a manuscript in the next second, so he quickly changed the subject.
The meeting lasted more than two hours. The first hour was a conversation between Lin Chaoyang and Gottlieb, the next hour was a conversation between Lin Chaoyang and readers, and finally there was a book signing session.
After the meeting ended, Gottlieb held Lin Chaoyang's hand and extended an invitation to him.
"Lin, I have organized a party tomorrow. If you are still in New York tomorrow, I hope you can come."
Lin Chaoyang happily agreed. If nothing else happens, he should be in New York these days.
Only after Random House got in touch with Ron Woodruff was it possible for him to leave New York and go west.
The next day, the readers' meeting was held in a different location, but it was still very lively, which can be regarded as confirming Lin Chaoyang's appeal among American readers.
"Two consecutive novels have been on the New York Times bestseller list for a long time, and you have received a lot of exposure because of the Newstat International Literary Award. Your influence now exceeds that of ordinary best-selling authors."
Luan Walter's tone was full of relief. Lin Chaoyang was the writer he was responsible for. Being so popular was a good thing for him anyway.
In the evening, Luan Walter's Oldsmobile was parked on the side of the road, and Lin Chaoyang got out of the car.
Luan Walter's shout came from the car, "Lin, are you really not going to take me with you?"
"Okay, I'll tell Mr. Gottlieb that you are my agent."
"Forget it, what's the point of going without anyone?" Luan Walter said, and then muttered: "That old guy is really a snobbery!"
After saying that, the car disappeared as a puff of smoke, Lin Chaoyang smiled and shook his head.
Robert Gottlieb's home is in Port Gesa, Long Island, which belongs to an affluent area of ​​New York. It is a single-family villa surrounded by green trees and green spaces. It has the atmosphere of an American movie.
"Welcome, Lin!"
Lin Chaoyang arrived more than ten minutes earlier than the agreed time. The party hadn't started yet, but several people were already sitting at Gottlieb's house.
As soon as he entered the door, Gottlieb enthusiastically pulled him to introduce him to everyone.
The early arrivals were British writers Doris Lessing, Joseph Heller, and Michael Clayton.
Lin Chaoyang greeted the three of them and sat down on the sofa easily. At the same time, he couldn't help but sigh about the so-called circle.
Robert Gottlieb was one of the most important literary editors in the United States after World War II, and those who could visit his home were not ordinary people.
Doris Lessing, whose pen name was Jane Summers, was famous for her work "The Golden Notebook" as early as the 1960s.
Famous in the Western world, this novel has sold more than one million copies.
Doris Lessing has been nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature several times over the years, but unfortunately she passed by. According to the normal time track, she should have become the oldest winner in the history of the Nobel Prize in 2007 at the age of 88.
who.
Needless to say, Joseph Heller, whose "Catch-22" made him famous in the history of American literature, is one of the most prestigious writers in American literature in the 20th century.
Doris Lessing and Joseph Heller are both pure literature writers, while Michael Crichton is a popular literature writer and is known as the father of American science fiction and thriller literature. "Jurassic Park" is his representative work.
In addition to his achievements in novels, Michael Crichton is also a screenwriter and director.
He has participated in the creation of many films such as "The Great Train Robbery" and "Westworld" (1980).
Given the reputation of these three people in the American literary world, it is probably only Robert Gottlieb who can bring them together at the same time.
Lin Chaoyang met the three of them for the first time, and they had nothing in common. Gottlieb talked about his creative efficiency, which opened up everyone's conversation.
Several people were shocked by Lin Chaoyang's efficiency of writing a novel almost every year. Among the three, even Michael Crichton, who wrote popular novels, was far from able to compare with Lin Chaoyang's output.
While several people were chatting, another guest came.
"Hi Judith!"
Gottlieb introduced Lin Chaoyang to Judith Jones, Gottlieb's old colleague at Knopf Books, and she is also a well-known editor in the American publishing industry.
Early in his career, he edited the works of John Hussey, John Updike, Albert Camus, and Sartre, among others.
Later, she shifted her focus to the field of food, editing and publishing a series of best-selling food books, which led to the dietary changes in the United States after the 1960s.
After saying hello, Judith Jones ran to the kitchen to see today's menu. After reading it, she looked disgusted.
Gottlieb hired a chef specifically for the party and prepared French cuisine.
For Americans, French food is already very high-end, but Judith Jones has been introducing French food to Americans since the 1960s, and there is no surprise.
"Robert, I really should introduce you to two cooks," Judith Jones complained.
"Come on, it's not like I've never tasted Julia's cooking. The cooking by the writers you praised is just that." Gottlieb retorted.
Julia Child's status in the United States is roughly equivalent to Liu Yiwei's status in China. She teaches people how to cook on TV and also publishes books. She is a food writer discovered by Judith Jones.
While the two were bickering, several more guests came to the house one after another. One of them Lin Chaoyang also knew was Jason Epstein from Random House. He and Gottlieb were also old friends.
"Lin, I didn't expect you to be here too." Epstein said in surprise.
Counting Lin Chaoyang, Gottlieb invited a total of 7 guests today, all of them writers and editors.
Lin Chaoyang is the only foreigner and the youngest.
With the addition of Epstein, Lin Chaoyang blended into everyone's chat more easily.
Lin Chaoyang often invited people to dinner before, but the chances of being invited were very rare. He talked leisurely with everyone and felt very comfortable.
Occasionally I go to the kitchen to inspect the chef's skills, and I give the chef a bad review on his knife skills.
Seeing that he was very interested in the cooking going on in the kitchen, Judith Jones asked: "Lin, do you also like cooking?"
"It's okay, I cook some food occasionally."
Over the years, Judith Jones has been committed to promoting cuisines from all over the world to the American people, and has edited and published best-selling books such as "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", "Classic Italian Cooking", "Middle Eastern Food", and "Indian Cooking Appointment".
According to her idea, she wants to introduce all the more developed food cultures in the world to the American people, including Chinese food.
"I'm planning to write a book about Chinese food. Can you give me some advice?"
Hearing that Lin Chaoyang could cook, Judith Jones asked eagerly.
Hearing the word "Chinese cuisine" from the old American mouth, Lin Chaoyang had a slight stress reaction. The names of dishes such as "General Tso's Chicken", "Kung Pao Chicken" and "Li Hongzhang Chop Suey" came to mind.
"You can go to Chinatown and find a knowledgeable chef to serve as a consultant." Lin Chaoyang said.
Judith Jones did not notice the evasion in his tone and said, "You can recommend some home-cooked dishes to me, the kind that are easy to make but taste good."
Lin Chaoyang thought for a while and came up with a dish that was very simple for Americans and easy to meet the public's taste.
"You can try patting cucumbers."
"Patting cucumbers?"
"It's cucumber salad!"
In other words, Judith Jones understood immediately. Lin Chaoyang told her the method again, and it sounded really simple and easy to learn.
Judith Jones rummaged through the refrigerator and found a cucumber, which was used as a sandwich garnish at Gottlieb's house.
"I'll try it!"
As she spoke, she washed the cucumbers and then used the kitchen knife to cut the cucumbers.
"No no no!"
Lin Chaoyang quickly stopped her, and Judith Jones looked at Lin Chaoyang with a confused look on her face, not understanding what she did wrong.
"Shoot! Shoot, do you understand? You have no soul in doing this."
Judith Jones looked at the sharp chef's knife in her hand with a puzzled look on her face.
Lin Chaoyang walked over helplessly, washed his hands and took the knife.
It is true that the Western chef's knife is inconvenient for cucumbers, but it is not impossible. He held the handle of the knife with one hand and pressed the back of the knife with the other hand. He applied gentle pressure and used pressing instead of patting. The effect was the same. He easily moved on the "hutai" again.
A few knives.
"amazing!'"
Seeing the cucumber body falling apart under the action, not only Judith Jones, but also several other people also let out incredible exclamations.
Normally when Lin Chaoyang was cooking, he would have to show off his knife skills if there was someone beside him to show off his skills, but today he really couldn't think of showing off his skills.
Good guy, even taking a picture of a cucumber can attract onlookers. These people in the room fully explain what it means to keep your fingers clean.
In fact, what Judith Jones and others marveled at was not his cucumber shooting, but Lin Chaoyang's skillful movements as if he were strolling in a garden.
The so-called "professional" is actually a style.
Experts will know if there is anything as soon as they make a move. Behind Lin Chaoyang's few easy movements are the reflection of his superb cooking skills. The cucumbers are all finished, and the dish is half done. Adhering to the spirit of sending the capital to the west, Lin Chaoyang
I also bought two cloves of garlic that the chef uses to add flavor to French food.
Just like the previous action, with a slight pressure and no need to use your hands to remove it, the garlic clothes have fallen off on their own. Everyone is even more amazed by this little trick.
Chop the split garlic cloves into minced garlic, and put the cucumber and minced garlic on a plate.
Lin Chaoyang was stumped by seasoning again. Gottlieb's kitchen had salt, soy sauce and jalapenos, but no vinegar or MSG.
Vinegar is not a condiment in the American dictionary at all. MSG was popular in the United States in the early years. After the 1960s, it was stigmatized and almost no Americans use it anymore.
So Lin Chaoyang squeezed some lemon juice into the dish and added some sugar. All the seasonings were mixed together, and he just stirred it up, and then he put the dish on the table.
Pat cucumber, a Chinese cold dish that was once popular in foreign countries in later generations.
Just now, Judith Jones asked Lin Chaoyang to recommend a simple, easy-to-make and delicious Chinese dish. Lin Chaoyang thought about it and felt that with the old American's hands-on ability, this dish is already the limit that the public can accept.
When the food was on the table, no one moved, but looked around with interest.
It wasn't that everyone had high expectations for this dish, but they were surprised that Lin Chaoyang was able to make a dish in three clicks, fives, and twos, much faster than they could mix a salad.
Finally, Judith Jones remembered that this dish was made by Lin Chaoyang at her request, so she held her fork and planned to try it.
She forked a piece of juicy cucumber and put it into her mouth, chewing it carefully, as if she were a gourmet appreciator.
When everyone saw this, they couldn't help but curiously watch her reaction.
"Hmm~"
Judith Jones made a nasal sound but did not speak. She continued to chew the food in her mouth. Only a few fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes revealed the pleasure of her taste buds.
Her reaction whetted the appetites of everyone who had no expectations for the taste of this dish.
"How was it?" Epstein asked.
Finally swallowing the cucumber in her mouth, Judith Jones looked like a judge on a food show, commenting with a serious expression:
"It has a very magical taste. It maintains the fragrance of cucumber, has a crisp texture, and tastes salty, sour, and a little sweet. It is very suitable as an appetizer."
After everyone heard her comments, they couldn't help but pick up the tableware and plan to try it out.
These people always attend several parties a year, but most of them talk about work and art.
It was the first time for me to share my experience and go to a party for food tasting, and everyone felt it was very fresh.
After tasting the cucumber, everyone felt that Judith Jones's evaluation was very accurate.
This dish is not the kind of flavor and texture that is amazing when you eat it, but it is very addictive.
"For people who don't like cucumbers, this method is a good try." Gottlieb said, and then praised Lin Chaoyang, "Lin, your cooking skills are really good!"
Judith Jones asked Lin Chaoyang: "Lin, are there many simple dishes like this in Chinese food?"
"There are many ways to classify Chinese food. This is a cold dish, which can be compared to a salad. The recipes are pretty much the same. This one is relatively simple."
"Do you know a lot?"
"Me? It's alright, I know a little bit of the general cuisine."
Hearing the word "cuisine," Judith Jones said: "I know that there are many cooking methods in China, which are divided according to provinces."
"Would you be interested in publishing a cookbook?" Judith Jones then asked.
Lin Chaoyang shook his head without hesitation, "Not interested."
Seeing his flat refusal, Judith Jones thought he looked down on cooking books, so she educated him on the current sales and influence of cooking books in the United States.
Judith Jones has edited more than 10 cookbooks so far, each of which has sold millions of copies. For example, "A Taste of Vegetarianism" she edited in 1972 is known for its cultural content and language that opposes traditional eating habits.
It promoted vegetarianism and subsequently launched the vegetarianism movement. This book has sold millions of copies in more than a dozen countries.
Lin Chaoyang listened to her talk for a long time and said: "Judith, cooking is not only for belly filling, but also an attitude towards life, an art, and even a Tao!"
Chapter completed!