In those years, West Germany generously distributed scholarships

In the 1980s, West Germany’s best-selling books were at a low point, but in 1985, the German literary world unexpectedly published A world famous book - "Perfume". In the past few days, news has come that the author of this book, Guskind, turned seventy. As a result, the German media's articles on his memory couldn't help but set off another wave of enthusiasm.

This world-class best-selling author who became famous in one fell swoop, apart from the bizarre plots of his works, what is even more hyped is his character. He is extremely introverted in dealing with people, which can be said to be unprecedented among many well-known writers in Europe. He is afraid of meeting people, is extremely reluctant to meet people, and does not agree to be photographed. The few photos circulated in the media were all taken secretly.

I was fortunate enough to pay a home visit to such an unpredictable and unpredictable person, and this was a once-in-a-lifetime precious opportunity, but at that time I was Zhuanmeng.

Since 1985, with the acceleration of China’s reform and opening up and the deepening of foreign affairs exchanges, I have traveled frequently between China and Western European countries every year, especially the four German-speaking countries. Through repeated visits, I had the opportunity to make friends with many German literary friends and writers, including a handful of great writers. As long as we have plans and arrangements, we can meet them as we wish. For example, the two Nobel Prize winners like Bohr and Glass, as well as the first-class writers in the German language circle such as Lenz, Lodman, and Kempewski, are not the only ones who can meet them. There are difficulties in getting appointments with them.

Normally, writers, whether famous or not, would be willing to accept interviews to promote themselves, expand their influence, and increase their popularity. But Guskind, who lives in Munich, is an exception among exceptions.

In October 1989, after the Chinese writers group’s visit to Hamburg’s “Chinese Culture Week” and participation in the Frankfurt Book Fair, I sent the writers group to West Berlin and made all arrangements for their return trip. On the plane, the old writer Deng Youmei went through the check-in procedures for the United States alone, and brought back the financial list and the excess foreign exchange entrustment to Zhang Jie, but for the first time, I stayed alone in Germany and started my scholar visit.

At that time, scholarships were popular in West Germany. Not only did the government have many official institutions to provide scholarships, such as the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the Humboldt Foundation, the Seidel Foundation, etc., but also various political parties There are countless scholarships, such as the Adenauer Foundation, the Albert Foundation, and the Norman Foundation, which are all well-known. The ordinary and unknown ones add up to a huge number.

At that time, no matter which Chinese cultural figures or scholars had contributed to the cultural exchanges between the two countries, they were eligible to apply for scholarships, such as translating German books and coming to West Germany for a short period of time. For cultural visits, you can apply to the relevant foundation; those who have published translated works will generally agree. The German nation has a high level of cultural quality, a lot of pride, and a strong desire to give. They are also very concerned about the other person's face. They are afraid of embarrassing others if they refuse, and they generally won't say no without a good reason.

At that time, our national conditions made it impossible to pay for study abroad. The monthly salary earned by a university graduate could be exchanged for Marks in Germany to eat an ordinary meal. To study abroad, you don't have to use the quota allocated by the State Education Commission. You have to clear your own connections to get the opportunity to study abroad at your own expense. That is, you don't take up the quota of the country and find a way to contact the scholarship yourself. Unlike public students, these people are called self-financed students studying abroad.

If you have already arrived in Germany, as long as you are qualified to study for a Ph.D. in university, it is even easier to get a scholarship. If you can study for a Ph.D., you will be regarded as a talent, especially in China's national conditions in the 1980s. They think that you will contribute to the cultural exchanges between the two countries in the future.

A letter of recommendation from the doctoral supervisor is extremely important. Since there is a professor's guarantee, they are even more confident. Germans believe very much in the words of their own people, especially authoritative words. With the doctoral supervisor's recommendation, when applying to a certain political party, as long as you have an understanding of the party's purpose and write down your own opinions, you will be guaranteed a doctoral scholarship for several years.

Due to my many visits to Germany, especially the first time, it was rare to see Chinese people in Germany at that time. Anyone who could speak German was very impressive. Because Munich Hansel Publishing House has published books by many writers such as Zhang Jie, Wang Meng, and Zhang Kangkang, we have particularly frequent book launches and readings at this stop in Munich, and I have had the opportunity to make many cultural friends.

The first time we went on stage to translate, the Munich Culture Director was extremely surprised because our German was learned in China. After being appreciated, they took the initiative to provide scholarships and emphasized that their scholarships had many advantages, as if they were afraid that we would not be interested.

In the autumn of that year, I got the invitation, but I loved my job very much and enjoyed it very much. Looking back now, I was right not to accept the invitation that year, otherwise I would not have the wonderful memories of meeting so many writers in the following years.

Due to my busy schedule of foreign affairs, I have close contacts with the German embassy and cultural institutions. The German Ebert Foundation has an office in Beijing and is in urgent need of someone to teach Chinese. At the International Club, I met the person in charge of the foundation after being introduced by Counselor Haydn.

Also in the Diplomatic Apartment on Silk Street, lives Mr. Dahl, the Beijing correspondent of Germany's "Süddeutsche Zeitung". This person learned Chinese in Taiwan and his wife is Taiwanese. In 1985, he came to China with his family and lived in Xiushui Street. He was responsible for writing articles for the art and literature columns of "Southern News". We met at a foreign affairs event.

When visiting the Diplomatic Apartments on weekdays, the Dar reporter could meet him face to face. Because we were in such a hurry, we never got a chance to chat. After getting acquainted at the reception, he took the initiative. He is a journalist and comes prepared. He needs information about the cultural exchange, and it would be better if there are internal developments that have not been reported.

It is common for reporters to seek information, but once foreign affairs are involved, the situation will deteriorate. "There is a difference between inside and outside" and "nothing is trivial in external matters". Moreover, if something goes wrong, it is a big deal, and if something goes wrong, it is a big mistake!

The principle of foreign affairs is to ask for instructions first and report later. This rule may seem troublesome, but it has great benefits. Although there are a few more procedures, it is also beneficial in eliminating liability. Since the decision is made by the leader, the responsibility naturally also lies with the leader. At that time, foreign affairs were decided internally. No matter who came to interview, they would not directly agree or refuse. The decision would be made after reporting.

Mr. Dahl invited me to have coffee at the Beijing Hotel, and I came as promised. What was surprising was that he brought my long-cherished novel "Perfume" as a meeting gift. Although I subscribe to Germany's "Star", "Southern Newspaper" and "Der Spiegel" weekly magazines at work, although this book is always on the bestseller column and always tops the list, I just can't get the book. As soon as I got the book, I stayed up all night to read it, and the next day after a phone call with the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Publishing Company, I started translating it non-stop.

At that time, the leaders of the department did not object to our class doing private work. In 1985, the central government relaxed its policies, and the leaders were all middle-aged cadres who had just come out of the Cultural Revolution. They were also majoring in foreign languages. They were very tolerant of young cadres and also advocated some literary translations to improve their professional standards. At that time, it was fashionable for "literati to go to the sea", second jobs were very popular, and those who were not working were seizing the time to make extra money. Writers gave up writing to pursue business, and the poor nature of the proletarians began to be ridiculed. It was the most prosperous golden year for the literary and art circles after the reform and opening up and the Cultural Revolution.

At the end of 1988, I started visiting scholars and I went to Munich. I stayed at the Foundation of the Ministry of Culture. I attended university lectures during the day and held many cultural activities in the evening. At a book launch, through the introduction of the director of the Ministry of Culture, I met the director of Bavarian Television, a very kind elder.

This old man is quite friendly to Chinese intellectuals. When he heard that I had translated the novel "Perfume" and that I was a guest of the Bavarian Ministry of Culture, he immediately agreed to meet me on the TV station tomorrow morning. He said he would do me two favors.

I went as promised. During lunch, the old man said that, first, he would arrange for me to record a cultural program for the TV station, explaining the exchanges of German and Chinese literature, and talking about my experience in translating "Perfume". This was also the first time in my life that I had the opportunity to enter the anchor room, and it was also a foreign country. TV station. In fact, it was only half an hour of recording. After editing, it was a ten-minute program at best. However, the fee bill he issued afterwards forced me to ask about income tax when making bank transfers.

At that time, West Germany was so rich that there were marks everywhere. Officials, as long as they like it, will give alms whenever they have the opportunity because they have the power. I have many contacts with people from the Ministry of Culture. The reason is that there are non-stop cultural activities and we are all very familiar with each other. They do not treat me as an outsider and reveal to me that an important task of their foundation every year is to Use up all the scholarships for this year. It is best if it is not enough and you need to add some more. If this year's scholarship is not used up, the superior department will only think that firstly, the work was not done well and the tasks were not completed satisfactorily, which is a negative reference for the annual summary report; secondly, because the funds for this year cannot be spent, next year's budget will be affected. It will only decrease rather than increase.

Therefore, when approving scholarships, as long as the reasons basically meet the requirements, the funds will be given generously.

Second, the TV station boss wanted to introduce me to Guskind, the author of "Perfume", because I was his translator. Speaking of being able to translate the novel into Chinese and publish it in China first, I have to thank Mr. Dahl.

"Perfume" The author lives in the center of Munich, diagonally opposite the "Fulou" that all of us international students were familiar with. He was still an only child in his forties. I had the opportunity to visit his home because of the honor given by the elders of the TV station, otherwise the author would undoubtedly have turned me away. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but at that time I knew nothing about such a once-in-a-lifetime good thing. Later, after reading a large number of media reports, I realized that he had always pushed Du Ke away, lived in seclusion, was extremely unsociable, and never saw anyone. At that time, he had just emerged and was still more or less fledgling. Later, his book ranked first among the bestsellers for consecutive years, and his market price soared. It was my great honor to interview him.

At that time, because I had just gone abroad, I was quite friendly with the "Literary News", the official publication of my unit, and I thought about writing an interview. During my home visit, I gave the translation to the author, who returned the work and left his signature. Considering that the interview script might require a photo of the author, I carried the tripod on my back. However, he refused to let the photo be taken.

In that interview with the author of "Perfume", there were so many unforgettable tidbits:

First, when I first came to Germany, I went to a Chinese restaurant with my PhD supervisor to eat, and the words I translated "Perfume", a German writer at the next table heard it and started talking about it. He was a close friend of the then Czech writer President V. Havel, and a close confidant of Guskind, the author of "Perfume". As soon as he heard that I had translated "Perfume", he immediately stood up and bowed to me to show respect;

No coincidence can make a book. Later, I opened my own restaurant. Once he came to my restaurant for dinner with his literary friends, and I recognized him at a glance. He said that he had always been close to Guskind and mentioned to him that he had met the translator of "Perfume". This time I showed him the Chinese translation of my "Perfume" and immediately asked him to convey my invitation to the author. Although ten years have passed, I have no doubt that the author still remembers that interview with me. However, twenty years later, he has remained as invisible as a yellow crane;

Secondly, in the spring of 1989, UNESCO held an international translation seminar at the "European Translation Center" in Germany. Attended as a representative of China. Among the participants from 26 countries around the world, 18 people translated "Perfume". We, 18 translators of "Perfume", also held a special symposium on the translation of "Perfume";

Third, one night in the summer of 2005, the weather was extremely hot, and all the guests went to the beer park. I was reading the newspaper boredly, and a stunningly beautiful blonde girl in her twenties came in and wanted to buy two bottles of beer. Taken away, we naturally struck up a conversation.

I asked her: Why haven’t I seen you? I know all the guests in this area. She said she had temporarily borrowed a room upstairs in our building, right next to the garden of our restaurant. She is not from Munich. This time she came from other places to be a supporting role in the movie "Perfume".

Did I hear it correctly? It’s Guskind’s novel “Perfume”? She said exactly. I said: "You came to the right place to buy beer today. I translated this novel into Chinese, and I also interviewed the author himself." She read my Chinese translation of "Perfume" and thought it was incredible. , decided to stay in the store, drink her beer, and continue chatting with me.

She is a country girl who lives in a small village near Cologne. This is her first time in a big city like Munich. She has not graduated from liberal arts high school yet and still lives with her parents. Her name is Diana. , she left me her mobile phone number and her parents’ home phone number. I have kept this note to this day.

A few years later, I learned from newspapers and movie magazines that she had become a big star in Germany and the protagonist of the TV series "The Doctor's Diary". She was a hit and was known as the sexiest woman in the history of Germany. actress, has been in Hollywood. I called her to congratulate her on her extraordinary career success. She said she still vividly remembers the evening they had a beer together, and still recalls the encounter in Munich with great pleasure.

The next night after drinking the beer, Diana came again, but today she was not here to buy beer. She wanted to buy me the Chinese translation of "Perfume" for 20 euros, which is from the movie "Perfume" Director Eichinger asked her to come.

The world is so small, and life is so wonderful: I met the journalist Dahl by chance in Beijing in 1986, and unexpectedly got the book "Perfume". Then I came to Munich on a German scholarship. I have lived there for thirty-three years; I translated "Perfume" and was introduced to the author and interviewed him; I had dinner with the professor in a Chinese restaurant and met the author's best friend by chance; Miss Diana happened to live in our building again for the first time in a century; Come here I bought beer and learned that I was the translator of "Perfume"; and my translation was bought by the director of "Perfume", Eichinger, who is the most famous director in Germany, except for the late Fassbinder. (Fassbinder), Germany is unprecedented. So many countless coincidences and coincidences, are they all just coincidences and not "fate"? It’s puzzling!

Guskind was a man of few words and cherished his words like gold, but two sentences he once said have always been unforgettable to me. Since he would not say an unnecessary word, or even an unnecessary word, then he said these two sentences must have an unusual truth.

First sentence: When I gave him my translation, he said "Thank you" and then said: "You can contact the Swiss publishing house." , made me think hard for thirteen years. It was not until China joined the WTO in 2001 that I suddenly realized that he asked me to contact Diogenes Publishing House in Switzerland. It was because of copyright;

Of course, like Just as we knew nothing about copyright issues in the West in the 1980s, Guskind was also "ignorant" of China's national conditions at that time. He has no way of knowing that as a country outside the "WTO", China has no restrictions on reciprocity with copyright countries. Just like in 1985, no matter how many Chinese books were published by Munich Hansel Publishing House, there was no need to pay a fee. The second sentence is that during my translation process, I was always amazed by the bizarre plot of the novel and its transcendence of ordinary people's imagination. This is also the reason why many readers expressed their gratitude to me after the translation was published. The confusion raised: "Where did the author come up with such creative ideas?" I asked this question directly to him. I expected that it would be a long and eloquent discussion just like asking other writers. Unexpectedly, his answer was: "Maybe I was still young at the time."

The logic between the question and answer: "Maybe I was still young at the time" and asking him where he got the idea for the novel It's organically related, which is confusing to think about. This kind of weirdness may be the value of its "rare things are more valuable". His novels became famous. Many directors wanted to make them into movies, and many agents wanted to trade copyright transfers with him. He remained tight-lipped, as solid as a rock, and remained silent for twenty years. It was not until 2005 that he agreed to transfer the copyright of "Perfume", and for this Got a copyright fee of 2O, OOO, OOO euros!

January 6, 2022 YIMAO Munich