Gaston Boissier looked at Leonard with a mix of disappointment and frustration:
"Are you really so short on money?
You must understand that the path your first work takes, whether it debuts in Le Figaro or Le Petit Parisien, is entirely different."
Le Petit Parisien, along with Le Matin, Le Journal, and Le Petit Journal, gradually became France's "four major newspapers" starting in the 1870s, with each selling over 300,000 copies daily, sometimes reaching as high as 500,000.
However, these newspapers tended towards popular entertainment, focusing mainly on politics, entertainment news, and current affairs commentary, with their primary audience being the lower classes.
Among them, Le Petit Parisien, in addition to news and commentary, also published novels and serialized works, and paid authors very generously.
Le Figaro, on the other hand, is one of France's oldest newspapers.
It began as a radical and satirical publication, and after many twists and turns, gradually transformed into an elite newspaper primarily targeting the middle class and intellectuals from the mid-19th century onwards.
This limited Le Figaro's circulation, with each issue selling only about 70,000 copies.
Nevertheless, French writers took pride in having their works published in Le Figaro—Baudelaire of Les Fleurs du Mal and the Goncourt brothers were all its contributors.
Leonard said earnestly,
"Professor, I am indeed short on money—if I don't resolve my current difficulties, I'm afraid no path will be easy!"
Gaston Boissier looked at Leonard's clothes, and thinking of the rumors, couldn't help but feel a little confused.
However, due to his status, he couldn't directly ask, so he could only shake his head regretfully:
"I hope you won't regret this in the future."
Then he took out a piece of paper and handed it to Leonard, on which were written the reprint offers from different newspapers:
Le Petit Parisien, 200 francs.
Le Figaro, 130 francs.
Le Gaulois, 150 francs.
La Liberté, 80 francs.
These were all well-known newspapers in Paris, but the offers were indeed vastly different—this was related to the newspaper's positioning.
For example, although La Liberté only offered 80 francs, it was known as the "Times" of the Republic, the preferred newspaper for officials, diplomats, and parliamentarians, and could even influence parliament and diplomacy.
Next came some smaller newspapers, one of which, called Gil Blas, didn't even mention a manuscript fee, only a single sentence:
[Your The Old Guard will be the grand finale for our inaugural issue.
Together, we shall stride towards the literary pantheon of France.]
Seems like they're just selling a dream...
But soon, a strange name and an astonishing manuscript fee caught his eye:
Annals of the Fatherland, 220 francs.
Leonard looked up at Gaston Boissier in surprise:
"Professor, what kind of newspaper is Annals of the Fatherland to be so generous?
How have I never heard of it?"
Gaston Boissier replied nonchalantly,
"It's a Russian newspaper."
Leonard was incredulous:
"A Russian newspaper?"
"Yes, a Russian newspaper.
Those Russians really love French novels, and this newspaper has an office in Paris."
Gaston Boissier patiently explained to Leonard.
"They receive the latest literary trends from Paris every week, and their manuscript fees are the most generous."
Seeing that Leonard wasn't too familiar with the relationship between novels, writers, and newspapers across different countries, he stood up, walked to the magazine rack by his door, pulled out a large stack of newspapers, and placed them on Leonard's desk:
"You'll understand it eventually; take a look."
Although Leonard possessed the life experience and knowledge of a literature professor from 150 years later, it did not cover such a detailed level, so he read them carefully.
Among the newspapers Professor Boissier gave him, there were not only French newspapers, but also Russian ones like Annals of the Fatherland and Northern Flowers; British ones like The Spectator, The Fortnightly Review, and Household Words; and American ones like The Atlantic Monthly, Harper's Magazine, and The North American Review...
Gaston Boissier said,
"My dear Leonard, these newspapers weave a cross-border literary web, and all writers and journalists are somewhere on this web.
Any slight tremor on this web quickly spreads across the entire network.
Telegraphs, trains, steamships... are spreading great works at an unprecedented speed.
Dickens' Bleak House and A Tale of Two Cities were serialized almost simultaneously in British and Russian newspapers; oh, and Dumas père, whose novels could even be serialized simultaneously in France, Britain, and Russia.
Of course, the character of these newspapers varied—the British are too vulgar; the Americans are too crude; the Russians, hmph, although generous, they always love to make cuts.
Nowadays, an American journalist might read your short story published in Le Figaro in The Atlantic Monthly;
a Moscow University professor might encounter the Russian translation of your work in Northern Flowers;
and a London critic might invite you across the sea to a tea party because of a novel in Le Petit Parisien...
Whoever understands how to cast their work into the right wave of the era will leap from the pages onto the stage of history—so, whom do you choose to give the first reprint of The Old Guard to..."
"Le Petit Parisien!"
Leonard said firmly, and then added,
"And reprinting it simultaneously for Annals of the Fatherland won't be a problem, right?
After all, it's all the way in Russia."
Upon hearing this, Professor Gaston Boissier could only sigh, not wanting to say another word, and waved Leonard away.
----
Leonard sat in the public carriage on his way home, recalling his conversation with Professor Boissier today.
Professor Boissier, as an elite, naturally hoped his student's work would debut in Le Figaro, thus achieving a leap in social status through reputation.
But Leonard had his own ideas.
The huge disparity in manuscript fees was one aspect; Le Petit Parisien paid a full 70 francs more than Le Figaro, which was almost enough for a month's rent at his apartment on 12 Antoine Street.
But ultimately, the audience was the most important reason for his decision to choose Le Petit Parisien.
He didn't want to be a writer only appreciated by pedants in their studies or literary youths in classrooms—like Flaubert or Mérimée—but to be a true "popular writer."
Gaston Boissier's explanation of the 19th-century literary world, however, gave him genuine inspiration and insight.
...
Lost in thought, he returned to 12 Antoine Street, lightly walked up to the 5th floor, took out his key, and opened the door to a rich aroma of meat—he wondered how Petit, this little girl, would fare at ballet, but her talent for cooking was definitely first-rate.
"Young Master Sorel, you're back!"
Petit bounced into the hallway, then suddenly remembered something and respectfully bowed to Leonard.
Leonard frowned slightly but didn't say much, affectionately patting Petit's head as usual:
"Is it oxtail and tomato soup today?"
Petit nodded vigorously:
"According to the recipe you taught me... but I made a slight adjustment, adding a bit of thyme and lemon zest."
"Just by the smell, I know it's perfect! Petit, you're a genius!"
After praising her cooking, Leonard saw a light on in his study and frowned—shouldn't Alice be copying accounts and manuscripts in her and Petit's bedroom?
He had bought them a desk.
A sense of unease crept over him.
Leonard walked quickly to the study door, turned the doorknob, and pushed open the door.
He saw Alice swiftly hide a stack of manuscript paper behind her back and explained, her face flushed red:
"I ran out of paper for copying accounts, so I thought I'd come get a few sheets..."
(End of Chapter)
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