The Pulis Awards were divided into four major camps.
The media camp, these people are not only here to report but also to wait and see who will eventually win the Pulis Journalism Award.
There are too many writer awards in the writer camp, so the winners have been announced in advance. Of course, it was announced internally and not to the public.
The social camp, this group of people are the most successful people in New York and are related to the Prix, perhaps publishing houses, media, booksellers, or e-commerce.
There is also a group of professional book reviewers, and this group of people is very difficult to deal with.
Some of them also serve as drama critics and film critics.
Of course, it’s not the TV drama, but the drama or opera.
On the scene, awards were announced one by one.
"The winner of the 2023 Pulis Fairy Tale Award is..."
"The winner of the 2023 Prix Science Fiction Award is..."
Soon, a small highlight came.
"The winner of the 2023 Prix Bestseller Award is Andrew, the author of Bates's Time Travel!"
Andrew, wearing a top hat, walked onto the stage.
He is a little bit fat, so maybe he would look better with a hat?
Andrew stepped onto the stage, took the trophy and approached the microphone: "Wow, I have fantasized about raising the cup many times, but I didn't expect this trophy to be so heavy."
Then he raised the trophy in a funny gesture, as if the trophy was very heavy.
However, no one at the scene failed to understand this obvious pun, and everyone was laughing.
Andrew just came over and said: "Thanks to the support of book fans, I was able to win this award."
“Thanks to the judges for their insight.”
“Thanks to some help from seniors in the industry.”
"I would like to thank my wife for her silent support for my writing, and my daughter for giving me inspiration for my creation."
"To be honest, I didn't expect to win this award at first. I thought I might be able to win the Prix de la Literary, but I didn't expect to win the bestseller award."
“I thought my book was quite literary.”
It was another American joke, comparing low with high, and many people at the scene were laughing.
Andrew: "If I win the Prix de la Literary, my competitor will be a great writer whom I admire very much, Rambis."
"Unexpectedly, I didn't win the literature prize, and neither did Rambis."
"Wow, it's a draw!"
Everyone in the audience was laughing, except Han Zhou, who was looking at this fat American man who looked honest but had actually glanced at him four times.
Andrew: "After I started working in this industry, I have some understanding of literature and art, which is probably similar to what most people know."
"In my opinion, literature is an art that gives people strength and is the collision of imagination and reality."
"We often say that a novel is one in which everything except the names of people and places is true."
"So, I prefer things that have happened or often happen in the real world, which, when described by writers, are touching and leave a deep impression on people."
"I didn't expect that this year's literature award winner would take a different approach and write something else."
High emotional intelligence, find a different way.
Low emotional intelligence is not art.
Many people in the audience found this strange.
As a best-selling author, why do you talk about literature and art when you win an award?
What do you mean?
Dalf lowered his body and said, "That old bastard Rambis is laughing so happily."
Han Zhou stood up.
Yes, Han Zhou stood up when someone was giving an acceptance speech at the award ceremony.
Because Han Zhou was sitting too close to the front, it was impossible for him to avoid being seen.
Andrew on the stage also looked at Han Zhou and narrowed his eyes slightly.
Han Zhou not only stood up, but also raised his right hand high: "Let me ask a question."
Andrew smiled: “Please speak.”
Do you really think you are giving a lecture?
Han Zhou: "Does literature and art need to be serious?"
Andrew was stunned for a moment: "Seriousness..."
Han Zhou: "That is to say, do literature and art need to reflect social reality, reflect cruel social reality, reflect the huge gap between the rich and the poor, reflect that the suffering people suffer more and the well-off people get better off?"
Andrew was silent.
He didn't dare to respond to this.
Literature and art will always continue on the same path.
In his previous life, Conan Doyle, the author of "Sherlock Holmes", was not only the pioneer of detective novels, but also a great science fiction writer and the originator of serious literature.
However, this thing seems to be in conflict with society in the United States.
Han Zhou laughed. You don't dare to respond?
With such a low level of serious literature, you don't even dare to take it?
Do you dare to make the same left move as me?
Seeing that Andrew didn't say anything, Han Zhou asked: "Is your pursuit of literature as you described? Are there any other conditions?"
"That's it?"
The news media at the scene seemed like sharks that had smelled blood, with their eyes gleaming with gold.
It was obvious that they understood it even if they didn't understand it.
Andrew, taking advantage of his speech, stepped hard on Han Zhou.
Because And Then There Were None is a contrivance, not a true story.
Because such stories and such people rarely appear in reality.
In And Then There Were None, everyone on the island was a bad guy, and in this trap, everyone died on the island.
Finally, someone found a message in a bottle on the nearby coast and learned the possible truth.
There was a man on the island who was actually a judge.
During his long career of judging other people's lives, he gradually became fascinated with morbid judgmental thinking.
Although he is just in judging and taking away the lives of others.
But he knew that he was only satisfying his desire to kill, not justice.
Finally, he decided to gather on the island a group of people who had committed crimes but escaped justice.
Then we sent them off one by one with Indian nursery rhymes.
He faked his death at first, and then ended his own life after sending everyone away.
Such a story is so exquisite that it makes people feel creepy and soul-stirring.
But this is not a story about reality.
And now Andrew provocatively presents the real story.
Then Han Zhou has questions to ask.
Do you dare to mention real stories, or do you dare to only write about the pain of reality?
Good! If you dare to bring up the issue of serious literature, Han Zhou will bring up GM literature, which is left-wing literature.
Andrew shut up at the door.
Han Zhou could only say, that's it?
The emergence of serious literature is indeed a huge progress in the world's literary and artistic circles. Many literary awards were later won because of this kind of literature.
Including works like "One Hundred Years of Solitude".
However, they have one huge flaw.
That's compromise!
Serious literature only dares to raise the issue of class oppression and tell stories of suffering, but does not dare to confront the issue head on.
After serious literature, left-wing literature is undoubtedly the real and serious literature.
Abroad, this kind of literature is called leftist.
In China, this is positive.
So, in fact, in China, serious literature is right-leaning and weak.
However, in recent years, it seems that some people want to change the definition of serious literature. For example, the encyclopedia has already changed it. Some people want to change the right-leaning weakness and compromise to positive.
Even so, serious literature is, after all, of a much higher level than the glamorous life of the rich written by people like Lambis.
Han Zhou has as many of these things as he wants in his mind.
If you dare to take over, I will write.
Even if you dare to accept it, dare to add some weight? Han Zhou still has two tricks up his sleeve.
One is Hemingway, the other is Mr. Lu.
Han Zhou was extremely disappointed now. Andrew didn't dare to respond: "That's it?"
After saying that, Han Zhou sat down.
The media at the scene were very disappointed. Is this the end?
One dares to ask a question, but the other doesn’t dare to respond?
And then it’s gone?
However, Han Zhou sat down, opened his phone and typed a few words, then turned to look at Darf: "This writing is too slow."
Dalph: "Want a computer?"
Han Zhou: "Do you have a typewriter?"
Darf turned around and saw some of the journalists using typewriters to record the scene: "Yes, there is money and everything."
Soon, a typewriter was delivered.
The big names in the news section were also confused.
Over in the writers' area, someone bought a typewriter and spent $100,000 on it.
Wouldn't you be a fool if you don't sell it?!
But who asked for a typewriter? What was the typewriter for?
Awards were presented one by one on the spot.
At exactly nine o'clock in the evening, the second of the three major awards, the Prix de Litt, was finally announced.
The host looked at the cue card on the stage and smiled: "The winner of the 2023 Prix Literary Prize is And Then There Were None, written by Han Jiu!"
Han Zhou stood up.
At this moment, everyone's eyes were focused on him.
These people were curious about Han Zhou and were watching.
The people sitting around Han Zhou looked at him as if they were looking at a god.
Han Zhou walked onto the stage, holding a piece of manuscript paper that still smelled of ink.
After getting the trophy, Han Zhou put it aside.
He lowered his head to look at the manuscript he had just typed and began to read: "The Last Leaf."
Han Zhou simply didn't bother to pay attention to anyone's slander or provocation.
However, Han Zhou also rarely prepared an acceptance speech.
In that case, why not just use an O. Henry-style ending to give the world's literature a little shock.
O. Henry, an American short story writer in his previous life, is one of the three greatest short story writers in the world.
He has three representative works, among which "The Last Leaf" is the one that many literary young people are vying to imitate.
Even later on, some people started playing this for fun.
Someone wrote on a leaf of an evergreen plant, "I will quit smoking if this leaf falls off," and no one could complain.
Quit smoking is written on the evergreen leaf. You just don't want to quit smoking, right? Fortunately, this leaf has withered.
However, when the camera was raised, the evergreen plant was almost withered, and each leaf had a sentence written on it: "I will quit smoking if this leaf falls off."
This is a typical example of using an O. Henry-style ending to play with O. Henry's jokes.
Han Zhou was reading the script on the stage.
It was not a recitation with great emotion, but rather a very plain reading.
The audience was confused.
What do you mean, what is he doing?
This story is actually not long and not difficult to understand.
It was just a little girl who had pneumonia and she said she was like the tree outside the window.
Now it is winter and the leaves are starting to fall.
I guess when the leaves fall, my life will also disappear like the leaves?
The old painter encouraged her to continue living bravely.
Time goes by day by day, and the leaves remain green.
The audience in the audience were not fools, they all understood such an obvious hint.
The old painter went to paint a leaf!
As long as the leaves don’t fall, the little girl won’t die!
Is this the romance of literati?
In the press area below the stage, many people were breathing rapidly.
They felt that a stunning masterpiece was about to be born!
Yet the story continues.
A long time passed and the little girl survived.
The nurse told her that she was getting well soon, unlike the old painter downstairs who could no longer survive.
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the audience had a bad feeling.
The O. Henry-style ending shocked the world for the first time.
The old painter who drew a leaf to encourage the little girl also got pneumonia.
It only took two days for him to die.
The writers were dumbfounded.
The reporters were stunned.
What is this?! A ghost?!
Wait a minute, why does this seem so ironic?
In fact, this article can be interpreted from many angles.
It can be said that the ivy in "The Last Leaf" represents hope and encourages the little girl.
It can also be said that the power of life comes from ignorance, because the old painter can paint a leaf to trick the little girl into surviving, but he cannot convince himself to overcome the same disease.
It can also be said that the old man's persuasion and preaching to the child is good, as long as the old man says, everything will be fine. The problem now is that the old man himself is just talking, and he himself does not believe in any hope.
An O. Henry-style ending means that it can make everyone think and understand crazily.
Even if you don't want to use your brain, it's still a great satirical story.
And if you think about it long enough, you'll feel it.
I thought I was on the second level and he was on the first, but now I see he is on the fifth level, and he might actually be in the atmosphere.
The more they thought about it, the more terrifying Han Zhou became in their minds.
To those who don't use their brains, Han Zhou is a writer with quick wit and great talent.
For people who like to use their brains, Han Zhou is the master of nesting dolls and the creator of brain crashes.
"I can't figure it out... He's too strong!"
'Is this the world that the boss knows?'
Han Zhou put down the manuscript, picked up the trophy, and walked off the stage.
Darf stood up and clapped wildly: "God Han!!"
"Gah!!!"
“The eternal god of the literary world!!!”
Han Zhou was about to leave the stage, but he turned back and held the microphone: "To be honest, provocation is boring. It's not challenging at all and I'm not interested in it."
"But I am interested in challenging all writers around the world. If you are interested, you can also try writing this kind of short story."
"Or any other style of short story, that's fine."
Below the stage, Andrew, who was sitting in his seat holding the trophy, was stunned.
After hearing this story, Andrew knew that he would never be able to reach even one-tenth of Han Zhou in his lifetime.
I should have mentioned something more difficult just now.
But, if I had proposed something more difficult, maybe now I would only have one percent of Han Zhou's?
No...I...Fuck, this story is bullshit, yeah, that's it!
Andrew's IQ and mental state quickly reached a delicate balance.
A writer nearby said: "It's horrible, so horrible, how can there be people in the world who can write stories like this?!"
"This story will spread all over the world within a day!!"
Andrew turned his head, and the delicate balance he had just achieved in his mind collapsed.
It is impossible to balance ten stacked chairs with one finger without falling over.
Andrew tried hard to hide himself in his arms, trying to hide his brain inside.
He suddenly realized what a stupid thing he had just done, who he had offended and what great writer he had doubted.
After today, all my book friends and netizens will laugh at me to death!
Han Zhou stepped down from the stage, took his seat again and threw the trophy to Darf.
Darf smiled and said, "You gave it to me?"
Han Zhou: "Help me hold it for a while."
Dalph: "Okay, it's an honor!!!"
How could the scene be quiet? A large number of reporters were discussing "The Last Leaf".
This is what this person just wrote?!
More people are discussing what this story is about.
Is it a kind of irony, or a rendering of hope? Is it a real story?
To be honest, it is impossible for Hamlet to have a thousand Hamlets for a thousand readers, but O. Henry-style works sometimes really have this effect.
Everyone has their own different understandings and opinions.
Among them, the craziest are the book reviewers.
At this time, all the book critics and drama critics in New York were here.
Everyone's eyes were shining.
They didn't know how many years it had been since they had seen such a wonderful story.
What’s more important is that generally a good story can only make some book reviewers so crazy.
And this story drove all the book reviewers crazy.
This is at least a world-class work that is worthy of being spread all over the world!
Of course, this is also because it is a short story.
Short stories are easier to spread and more likely to be seen .
In the same comparison, if we compare those who write novels or novellas, such as Mr. Lu or Tolstoy or Hemingway, then O. Henry would be a level lower.
However, the number of people who have read one of their complete works is definitely not as many as the number of people who have read one of O. Henry's complete works.
Because it's a short story, you can finish reading it in just a few minutes.
Even if they appear in textbooks, they are interesting stories that students follow to read, unlike excerpts from novellas or long stories that are confusing and incomprehensible.
A depth charge was dropped at this conference venue.
If this situation is not crazy enough, then the situation that will really detonate this scene is about to come.
The winner of the 2023 Best Inspirational Work Award read out his acceptance speech on stage: "I am very grateful for the love of the jury, the support of the book fans, my wife and son, and thank you..."
"I was also surprised to receive this award. This surprise was no less than... no less than... no less than the surprise I had when I heard the story of The Last Leaf."
There was laughter at the scene.
They all thought it was a made-up joke.
I'm telling crosstalk here.
However, what they didn't expect was that the writer was an idiot, the kind of paranoid that was very common among writers.
When he mentioned "The Last Leaf", his thoughts turned to thinking.
"I was thinking that the old painter deceived the little girl with a white lie, but he didn't deceive himself. He could give people hope with his paintings, but his paintings gave me despair, a constant reminder of death, and a depiction of cruel reality."
"That leaf was real hope for the little girl."
“And it’s a harsh reality for old painters?”
"Many book fans feel like they see real hope and the hope of literature when they see Han's works."
"But seeing Han's works is really a cruel reality for us authors, because we know very well that we can't write such articles ourselves."
"I...will no longer write books. I will stop writing."
"Thank you, everyone."
There was an uproar at the scene.
A writer who just won an award has gone crazy?
No more money? No more striving for higher prizes?
Is it just a regression?
Are you feeling overwhelmed?
Han Zhou shrugged with an innocent look.
You old pigeon, you are going to do nothing, but you are using me as a shield? !
You’re quite good at having fun!
Isn’t this dramatic scene exactly what literature is pursuing?
Many reporters started writing articles on the spot, writing about the interesting and surprising things they saw and heard today.
In the end, the winner of the Prix Journalism Award, journalist Dominic, was also inspired by the author: "I hope that the pursuit of truthful news can bring hope to the world."
“Just like the old painter gave the little girl hope.”
"Even if I end up being a martyr like the old painter, I will not hesitate."
There was thunderous applause at the scene.
Dominic: “Today I have an urge to become a writer.”
"I spent seven years investigating poaching in Africa, and finally there is a result."
"Perhaps, I should pay attention to more things. After receiving this award, the first thing I want to do is to interview Han Zhou. I wonder if you can accept my interview?"
Han Zhou tilted his head: These people might be mentally ill.
Wait a minute, this guy is a journalist who won the Prix de Presse. From today on, his social media will probably be followed by a large number of people. He will become one of the most famous journalists.
If I want to go to the United States, I still lack a tongue.
Perhaps, this Dominic could be this tongue?
Han Zhou stood up and said, "It's better to do it today than to wait for a day."
"That's it."
Dominic's eyes lit up: "Thank you again for your kindness, thank you!"
After saying this, he hurried off the stage.
Han Zhou also stood up, reunited with Dominic, and left with Dulph and others.
The host came on stage awkwardly: "So this year... the Pris Awards ceremony has come to a successful conclusion!"
"Everyone is invited to the Priss dinner dance."
"See you next year, everyone!"