After lunch, everyone began to wander towards Grinzana Carver Castle.
On the way, Sergio introduced Yu Dong to the origin of Grinzana Carver Castle. The original owner of Grinzana Carver Castle was Camilo Carver, the first Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Italy.
Camilo Carver is a character worth studying. He only lived to the age of fifty-one, but his life was very exciting.
He was born into a noble family, but he was the second son in the family and was not taken seriously. He was sent to serve the prince when he was young, but he had a bad relationship with the prince. He resigned from the army in his early twenties and began to travel around the country and learned a lot of advanced knowledge.
.
After returning to China, he helped his family manage their property, run agriculture, commerce and banking.
He participated in the establishment of the Bank of Turin, joined the Most Wanted Committee, founded the Agricultural Association, and promoted the economic development of Piedmont and Italy in all aspects.
Later, he began to participate in politics, and then joined forces with conspirators, killings, and step by step to help the Kingdom of Italy achieve unification.
However, after reunification, Carver suddenly died of illness.
The Kingdom of Italy was officially established in March 1861, and Carver died on June 6. He was only in his early fifties when he died.
Before Carver died, he was negotiating with the then pope to resolve the Rome problem.
"It's such a good day to die on June 6th." Sergio smiled, "If Carver had not died at that time, would the situation in Rome have changed?"
Sergio's words sounded like a conspiracy theory, but it's not his fault. After all, Carver's death was indeed sudden, and it's hard not to think of it.
While talking, several people came to the castle.
This castle has a long history. From a distance, it has a very dilapidated feel. The red wall tiles are mottled. At first glance, it looks like a fortress in northwest China.
When you get closer, you can see more details and feel the rough craftsmanship of hundreds of years ago, but at the same time, you can also feel the grandeur of the contract.
The outside of the castle is dilapidated, but inside it is unique, the layout is very neat, and exquisite utensils can be seen everywhere.
There is a hall in the castle. The area is not large, but it is more than enough to serve as the venue for the award ceremony of the Grinzana Carver Literary Award.
As a world-wide literary award, the Grinzana Carver Literary Award does not have many participants. It is basically people from the local Italian literary circle, and not many people from abroad participate.
As for reporters, Yu Dong looked around and saw only a dozen people carrying or holding cameras. It was estimated that there were twenty or thirty media outlets.
This number is not too much. Any press conference for a film or television drama will have more media than this. However, Sergio told Yu Dong that compared with previous years, there will be much more media at the scene this year.
He also came last year, and he remembered that only two or three media came at that time.
Although Sergio didn't say it clearly, the meaning was obvious. The reason why so many media came to attend the award ceremony this year was mainly because of Yu Dong.
Sure enough, as soon as Yu Dong entered the hall, a group of media reporters ran over in small steps, and then surrounded Yu Dong and others.
Yu Dong glanced at Rossi and asked, "Isn't there a fixed interview session in today's award ceremony?"
Rossi shook his head, "No, the awards committee was not fully prepared for the reporter's interview and did not arrange countermeasures."
Although the awards committee thought that attending the awards ceremony would attract some media, they probably did not expect that so many people would come today, so they did not bother to arrange regular media interviews.
Yu Dong nodded. He had encountered this situation before, so he was not in a hurry.
These Italian media still abided by the rules and did not put the microphone in Yu Dong's mouth, but their questions were poured out like beans.
These questions were also asked to Umberto, but most of them were asked to Yu Dong.
"YU, is this your first time in Italy? How do you feel?"
"Are you from New York?"
"This is the second time that the Greenzana Carver Award has been awarded to a Chinese writer. I heard that you and Yu Hua are good friends?"
"Mr. Eco, you came here with YU. Have you known each other before?"
"The Name of the Rose and The Da Vinci Code both involve semiotics. Have you two communicated before?"
"YU, "The Da Vinci Code" triggered a very special wave of public opinion after it was released. Is there anything you can tell us about this matter?"
…
Rossi stood in front of Yu Dong and said with a smile, "Everyone comes one by one and asks questions one by one. The only Italian that YU knows now is wine."
When Yu Dong was chatting with Rossi and the others this morning, he joked that the first word he learned after arriving in Piedmont was wine.
The reporters didn't know about this joke. When they heard that Yu Dong had learned about wine, they started asking some wine-related questions.
Then, under Rossi's command, they stood up and asked questions one by one.
"YU, Mr. Eco, have you two met before? YU, when you were writing "The Da Vinci Code", did you communicate with Mr. Eco?"
Umberto Eco did not rush to answer, but waited for Rossi to translate the question for Yu Dong.
After listening to Rossi's translation, Yu Dong said with a smile, "Unfortunately, Mr. Eco and I didn't know each other before I finished writing "The Da Vinci Code". But Mr. Eco's "The Name of the Rose", I
But I have read it a long time ago, and this book has given me a lot of inspiration in semiotics. This morning, I also asked Mr. Eco for some knowledge of semiotics, and I benefited a lot.”
"You are too modest." After Rossi translated Yudong's words into Italian, Eco said with a smile, "Perhaps I am more experienced than YU in studying semiotics, but YU's ability to construct stories makes
It's amazing. Before "The Da Vinci Code", I had already paid attention to YU's works, and he showed an extraordinary understanding of scientific development in those science fiction novels."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Yu Dong and Umberto glanced at each other, and both smiled knowingly at the other's business flattery.
Then a reporter asked, "Mr. YU, the award-winning "The Crowd" is loved by many Italian readers. Because of this book, people are interested in Shanghai. But I heard that the original Chinese book uses
There are a lot of Shanghai local languages, which is difficult for us to feel in the translation. Do you have any suggestions for this? How can Italian readers feel the special flavor of the Chinese original version?"
Yu Dong raised his eyebrows and thought for a while, then smiled and said, "It's difficult. To be honest, even in China, non-Shanghai-speaking readers have difficulty fully understanding the writing language used in this book. But I don't think reading a book
For books, it is necessary to fully understand the writing language. Sometimes, not understanding will cause difficulty in reading, but it will also make readers interested in exploring. Of course, if Italian readers really want to experience it, they can go to China for a walk
.A place can only be understood by truly going there. Just like the wines of Piedmont, it was only after I came here that I could truly appreciate their beauty.”
While Rossi was translating Yu Dong's answers, the reporters were writing down notes in their notebooks.
Eco looked at Yu Dong with a smile and sighed secretly, this YU is really good at talking. Although a few short sentences may seem simple, they contain a lot of information.
YU probably also knew that his visit this time attracted the attention of the Cultural Activities Department, so he mentioned tourism-related things in his words.
It not only expressed its welcome to the Italian people to travel to China, but also expressed its love for the Piedmont region.
"Mr. Eco."
A reporter looked at Eco and asked, "Listen to YU, this is the first time you and he met today. Can you tell us your impression of YU?"
Eco replied without hesitation, "YU is a very thoughtful scholar-writer."
"A scholarly writer?"
Scholar writer is not a new term, but this term does not have a clear and distinct definition. The reporter probably asked the question because he wanted to know what Eco meant here.
Eco nodded and said: "Most writers do not seriously study how to divide and classify literary works, because this is not necessary, but Yu Dong is not only an author, but also a scholar, so he understands these very well."
"So in your definition, you are also a scholarly writer yourself?"
As we all know, Umberto Eco has made extraordinary achievements in the academic field.
Eco shook his head, "Compared to a writer, I am more of a scholar. Today's writers are taking a scholarly path, and this can actually be seen from YU."
The reporters looked at Yu Dong again, waiting for his response.
After listening to the translation, Yu Dong nodded and said, "Mr. Eco is right. There is indeed such a trend now. Of course, it also depends on how we define scholarly writers. How to define scholarly writers is not easy. There are
Some people think that writers who have a professional background and have studied literature in colleges and universities are scholarly writers, which is obviously inappropriate, because some people may not have studied literature in school."
"For example, a friend of mine is from the Department of Mathematics, but through a lot of reading, he has a better understanding of literature than ordinary readers, and he also has some understanding of literary theory. His name is Wang Xiaobo. For such a person, it is difficult to say whether he is a
It can be said that he is a scholar-type writer, or whether he is a scholar."
"YU, how do you think you can become a writer?" a reporter asked.
Yu Dong smiled and said: "As I just said, if you want to become a writer, reading is necessary. Whether you are an academic or a genius, cultural nourishment must be achieved through reading. The spiritual development of a writer must be accompanied by reading
The process. Even as children, the books we read will turn into glimmers of light, forming a brilliant fire inadvertently, illuminating the darkness of the spiritual world."
When Eco heard what Yu Dong said, he was very interested and said with a smile: "YU's metaphor is very interesting. Reading in the early years of a writer is actually a way to break through himself and enter a wider world. The chance encounter with classics and related works.
Will trigger breakouts and jumps..."
Soon, reporters saw what it means to be a scholarly writer.
Eco and Yu Dongyue talked more and more enthusiastically. They ignored the reporters' questions and began to discuss the meaning of reading in front of a group of reporters.
Both of them are masters of the art and have extensive knowledge. When chatting, they always quote scriptures without sounding obscure.
"Are Umberto and YU having a symposium?"
Andre, the reporter of "Naples Evening News", looked at Ricardo, the reporter of "Literary Criticism" next to him, and muttered softly.
Ricardo asked equally quietly, "Is it interesting?"
"It's quite interesting. Both of them are truly literary masters. I feel like many of their words impacted my heart."
Ricardo smiled and said: "That's alright. Anyway, the award ceremony won't start for a while. Since the two of them are willing to talk, let's listen more. Write down more, and I can write several manuscripts later. Now
The audience is paying attention to YU."
"Yes, if YU hadn't come here, it would have been impossible for our agency to send me here. We are different from you. We have very few literary sections. Moreover, the editors of the lifestyle section are also responsible for the literary section."
"Are you a reporter from the lifestyle section?"
"I'm from the comprehensive sector."
"Haha, actually we are the same. If YU hadn't come, we wouldn't have come. After all, the cost of coming here is not cheap."
…
Yu Dong thought it was interesting to chat with Eco, so he got excited while chatting. Later, Rossi reminded him that they were conducting interviews, so the two of them returned their attention to the reporters.
Afterwards, the reporters asked questions for about ten minutes, and Yu Dong and the others began to walk inside to find their seats.
After about half an hour, the award ceremony officially began.
Grinzana may be the simplest award ceremony that Yu Dong has ever attended - if not for the many reporters present, the scene would not even be as good as the award ceremony of Jinyi's outstanding teacher certificate.
The guests present were seated in several rows. The chairman of the award committee went up to give a speech first. He spoke for about two or three minutes, and then the chairman of the award committee directly presented the award. The process of awarding the award was very simple. The chairman of the award committee read a work.
name, and then the guests below applauded in unison.
The Grinzana Carver Literary Prize awards two prizes this year, with a total of five winning works, four Italian novel prizes, and one international prize.
One of the international prize winners is naturally Yu Dong's "The Crowd". Except for Sergio's "The Last Hour", Yu Dong has never heard of the other Italian novels that won awards.
In fact, the domestic award of the Grinzana Carver Literary Award does not attract much attention.
First of all, not many people have paid attention to Italian literature in recent years. Secondly, the number of award-winning works has also increased.
There is only one international prize a year, just like the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Chapter completed!