Chapter 4 my anniversary

my anniversary Chekhov You young men and women!Three years ago I felt within me the fire of the divine fire, the same fire that made Prometheus chained to the rock. ...For three years I have been sending a steady stream of works from the furnace of the above-mentioned flames to all corners of our vast country.I've written prose, I've written poetry, I've written in every genre, in every style, in every length, some for free, some for fee, for every magazine, and yet... Woohoo! ! !Those who are jealous of me think that my work cannot be published, and even if it is published, it must be in the "Mailbox" column③.Speaking of stamps, I planted fifty for "Field"4, drowned one hundred for "Neva"5, burned ten for "Spark"5, and supplied five hundred for "Dragonfly"6.In a word, from the beginning of my literary activities to today, I have received a total of two thousand replies from various editorial offices!I received the last of them yesterday, and it's pretty much the same as all the previous replies.No matter which answer it is, there is no sign of "definitely publish".You young men and women!Every time I send a manuscript to the editorial office it always costs me at least ten kopecks in material terms.This literary pastime of mine therefore cost me as much as two hundred rubles.But you know, two hundred rubles can buy a horse!My income is only eight hundred francs a year... You must understand! ! !Then, I will sing the praises of nature, love, women's eyes, I will shoot a poisoned arrow at the greed of the arrogant Albion, and let the gentlemen who write to me appreciate my magic fire, I will not don't starve.Two thousand replies, more than two hundred rubles, but not even one "sure publication"!

Pooh!But this is also a very instructive thing.You young men and women!Today I celebrate the anniversary of the two thousand replies I received.I raise my glass to the end of my literary campaign, and I sleep on my laurels. ⑧ Please point out to me who else has received so many "no" answers in three years, otherwise, you will have to build a tall memorial statue of me! *********** ①Here is a metaphor for "genius". ②A giant in Greek mythology was punished by Zeus, the main god, for stealing divine fire and passing it on to the world. He was chained on a cliff and his liver was eaten by an eagle.

③The old Russian magazine has a permanent "Mailbox" column, and the editor-in-chief of the magazine uses this column to notify the contributors to reject the manuscript, claiming that "the manuscript is not intended to be published" and so on. ④ A pictorial published in Petersburg, once a week. ——Russian Text Editor's Note ⑤ A pictorial magazine published in Petersburg.And "Neva" is the name of a river in Petersburg. ——Russian text editor's note ⑤ A pictorial published in Petersburg. ——Russian text editor's note ⑥ A weekly magazine that publishes humorous works in Petersburg.This article was published in the magazine. ——Russian text editor's note

⑦ refers to the British. ⑧ "Laurel crown" refers to literary and artistic achievements, and "sleeping on the crown of laurel" means to be satisfied with past achievements and not to move forward.