[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-my-life-as-a-literary-giant-in-russia":3,"chapter-my-life-as-a-literary-giant-in-russia-my-life-as-a-literary-giant-in-russia-chapter-12":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","My Life as a Literary Giant in Russia",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2317187,4531,"Chapter 12: Literary Circle","my-life-as-a-literary-giant-in-russia-chapter-12",12,"\u003Cp>Although Mikhail had not yet fully adapted to this era, he had spoken at length with Belinsky—though mostly he listened, hearing Belinsky speak of Russia’s current state, of how lifeless and cold the Russian literary scene had become, and of his deep concerns for Russian society and his plans to change it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was clear that although the “Natural School” would not be formally proposed until two years later, Belinsky was already preparing for it and actively helping Nekrasov organize and publish his collected works.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Throughout the conversation, while praising Belinsky’s ideas on this matter, Mikhail offered numerous constructive suggestions and displayed greater confidence than either Belinsky or Nekrasov.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So much so that when Mikhail temporarily stepped away, Belinsky could not help laughing and saying to Nekrasov:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He gives me the impression he’s been thinking about this hidden current for a long time—and with more confidence than we have. Nikolai, if this young man had been born ten years earlier, we’d all be working under him!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Undoubtedly, Mikhail’s thoughts and advice struck right at the heart of Belinsky’s own convictions. Though Belinsky had faintly sensed that this young man held views subtly different from his own, joy still dominated his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Radical progressive intellectuals like Belinsky were absolute minorities in any era. Though he had some allies nearby, nothing could compare to the joy of meeting a young man endowed with both talent and insight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, when bidding farewell, Belinsky unexpectedly revealed a sense of reluctance:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mikhail, forgive me—I have too much to attend to. Let’s pick up this conversation next time! I’ll introduce you to some friends of mine; they’re like you, respectable gentlemen, and you’ll have plenty to discuss.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Undoubtedly, the people Belinsky knew and associated with were the elite of today’s literary world, many of whom had already left their names in literary history—such as the future leaders of Russian literature: Turgenev, Herzen, Gogol, and others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be honest, had it not been for the right timing and the presence of a friend within the cultural circle, Mikhail would have needed years to make a name for himself in the Russian literary scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today’s Russian literary scene, strictly speaking, existed only in St. Petersburg and Moscow; in other towns, many couldn’t even afford enough to eat, let alone find time to care about literature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the literary world had always been a nobleman’s circle. For a clerk’s son like Mikhail to break into such a circle without some stroke of fortune was harder than climbing to heaven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, fortune had appeared—and Mikhail had likely seized it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After seeing off Belinsky, only Mikhail and Nekrasov remained on the street. After this conversation, Nekrasov’s expression had shifted repeatedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be talented in writing alone was already remarkable—but this young man had also engaged in an intellectual clash with Belinsky, his idol, without showing the slightest hesitation!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Belinsky, after all, had absorbed the most advanced ideas of his age, and years as a critic had honed his extraordinary perceptiveness and reasoning. Most young men grew flustered after just a few deep exchanges, let alone a true back-and-forth dialogue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until now, Nekrasov had mostly been learning from and seeking advice from Belinsky, relying on him to refine his own immature ideas—how could he possibly claim to engage in equal exchange?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, Nekrasov’s gaze toward Mikhail was now turning starry-eyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to be fair, as he himself knew best, Mikhail was a university graduate who had successfully advanced to the Master’s realm in the future—but on the academic path, a Doctorate was merely the beginning; what was a Master’s?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, that was true for Mikhail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, he still understood the intellectual currents of this period, and had read many excellent posthumous summaries from the future, so holding his own in a few rounds of debate was not difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But honestly, if he spoke any more, his true nature as a worthless graduate student would be laid bare…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Returning to the matter at hand: conversation was conversation, but there was one thing Mikhail had never dared to ask Belinsky. Now that the man had finally left, Mikhail cautiously turned to Nekrasov:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nikolai, how much do they pay for submissions to The Fatherland Chronicle? How many rubles per article?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be fair, talking about money was normal—but speaking of money before a true idealist like Belinsky made Mikhail feel as if he were committing a crime…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To hold the top seat in the criticism world and still be so poor was unimaginable in any profession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had he been willing to accept payment, to say a few kind words about noble works, money would have flooded toward Belinsky like a tide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But from beginning to end, Belinsky’s only answer had been: no.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Belinsky was Belinsky, and Mikhail was Mikhail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing Mikhail’s question, Nekrasov, who had been looking at him with deep respect, first froze, then broke into a knowing smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a fellow pauper, Nekrasov understood Mikhail’s plight perfectly. In his own poorest days, he had slept on the same bunk as beggars in St. Petersburg—and at such times, hadn’t he also longed to earn a living through writing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But making a living through writing was simply too hard; writing poetry was even harder. Consider Pushkin, the great poet of Russia, who priced his poems at just ten rubles each.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Pushkin was paid so little, what hope was there for other poets?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for prose writers, the situation was slightly better. Of course, great authors were another matter—but for Mikhail’s current situation, if his work were accepted by The Fatherland Chronicle:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Four rubles per page. Your story should take up five pages—that’s about twenty rubles. If you’re frugal, it might just carry you through a month.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the question of how long his fee could sustain him, Nekrasov could recite the figures like a bookkeeper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he couldn’t live on this alone—otherwise he wouldn’t have taken on so many odd jobs besides poetry, nor would he now be pouring so much energy into publishing ventures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not bad.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mikhail, who had mentally prepared himself, took a deep breath and looked at Nekrasov:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nikolai, aren’t you organizing an anthology? Can I join?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regarding the prices and purchasing power of rubles in this period of Russia, I’ve consulted many sources, but no definitive answer seems to exist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, I’ve adopted a figure close enough: one ruble equals 100 kopecks, and one ruble is roughly equivalent to two hundred yuan today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, purchasing power is hard to convert precisely—but this approximation should suffice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If any expert has more accurate information, please let me know—thank you very much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1110,"2026-06-20T14:41:53.633Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","df9adaed15165217b8caa3ebcba1baa09b8714a4cfc34b15da825adbfb9f62fe","my-life-as-a-literary-giant-in-russia-chapter-13","my-life-as-a-literary-giant-in-russia-chapter-11",105,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmy-life-as-a-literary-giant-in-russia-cover.jpg"]