The reason why Nagayama Naoki came to the United States, literary exchange meeting, held at the New York Library,
The event is nominally called the World Children's Literature Exchange Conference, but in fact most of the attendees are white people from the United States and Europe, and it is rare to see authors of other skin colors.
Similar to the award ceremony in Japan, several older men once again announced the winners of this year's Newbery Children's Literature Award and the Caldecott Literature Award, and invited the two authors to give acceptance speeches, and then the routine went as usual.
After taking some photos as a souvenir, we finally entered the formal content of the exchange meeting - the salon.
Yes, it is not a reading salon, it is more like a social place of New York's upper class, where well-dressed celebrities, gentlemen and ladies hold wine glasses and chat, and occasionally express their respect and love for literature.
The authors are like the mascots of the venue, flying between various groups like butterflies in flowers.
Naoki Nagayama didn’t know the people here at all, and he didn’t want to become a literary activist, so another person quietly picked up a stack of snacks and found a corner to sit down.
After all, it was in the name of literary exchange. Books at the event could be seen everywhere, and the quality was considered to be of high quality. Naoki Nagayama picked up a copy and started reading.
Hmm, "One Hundred Years of Solitude", why is there such a profound book in the children's literature exchange meeting?
However, he didn't dislike it. After all, it was a work that won the Nobel Prize for Literature. In his previous life, he didn't have the time or interest to read these famous works. In this life, it seems that he can explore the thoughts of literary masters.
Despite his unusual skin color and not being outgoing, no one came to talk to him until the end of the event.
"It's almost like I'm lonely~"
The event allowed participants to take away a book as a souvenir. Naoki Nagayama took away "One Hundred Years of Solitude" directly. Unfortunately, he did not meet anyone as interesting as Haruki Murakami.
...
To be honest, the exchange meeting is over, and Naoki Nagayama’s reason for coming to New York is over.
After returning to the hotel, I borrowed the hotel's international long distance to make a call to Itou Shuichi, wanting to know about the film distribution progress in Japan and determine the time to return:
"Moses, Moses, this is Yi Tang's house." A tired voice came from the microphone, it was Yi Tang Xiuyi.
"Shui Yi-san, I am Naoki Nagayama, are you disturbing your rest?"
"Oh, Naoki-san, no, I haven't slept yet." Itou Shuichi said, "You are in the United States now, right? How are the exchange activities going?"
"Oh, it's still morning in New York, and the event is being held~" I don't know why Nagayama Naoki didn't say that the event was over immediately, "Shuichi-san, the movie has been released, right?"
"Not yet. The official premiere is expected to be the day after tomorrow. I have been discussing the filming and arranging the film for the past two days. I drank a lot of wine..." Shuichi Yitou said, "How about it? Shuichi-san can make it back in time."
?"
"Hahaha~" Naoki Nagayama smiled guiltily, "Maybe I won't be able to come back in time. We will have a special exchange for foreign writers here~"
The lie came out without a draft. In order to avoid publicity activities in an honest way, Naoki Nagayama found a reason in an instant.
"It doesn't matter, Shuichi-san and Otomo-san will take care of the premiere and all that! I believe in you!"
"Hey... without Naoki-san, we still lack some confidence." Itou Shuichi did not doubt Naoki Nagayama's words at all, "but we will work hard to do a good job."
"Hi! Thank you for your hard work."
After hanging up the phone, Nagayama Naoki felt a little guilty. Yoshimura Otomo and Itou Shuichi were busy at home, but he was free and easy in the United States. It was too inappropriate.
Be sure to buy some more gifts to take back to them!
After doing some mental preparation, I called my hometown to ask my mother and Tsuruko what gifts they wanted. If it was clothes, what kind of style would they be?
"Moses Moses, this is Yongshan's house." At this time, the whole family should be watching TV in the living room, and Tsuruko answered the phone.
"Tsuruko-chan, it's me."
"Ni-chan! Are you in the United States?"
"Um...of course."
"It's daytime over there, right?"
"Yes, it's still noon here."
"Isn't it cold in New York?"
"Yes, it's still below zero in New York right now~" Nagayama Naoki interrupted Tsuruko's "One Hundred Thousand Whys", "Tsuruko, how is Yutaro?"
"Of course Yutaro is very good! Don't you think so? Yutaro?"
As he said that, he heard a ringing voice coming from the microphone, and Nagayama Naoki could only say silently in his heart: "Hold on, Mr. Yingtaro, I will pick you up when I get back."
"Hey, as long as you don't feel uncomfortable, Tsuruko, I'm calling to ask what kind of gift you want? I went to a clothing store before, and the clerk there said that when buying clothes for women, it's best to ask them
My own opinion.”
"Gift? Service?" Tsuruko's voice suddenly became excited, "I want the latest trendy style!"
"...What do you want specifically? The clothes here should be the latest fashion."
"Um...then..." Yongshan Hezi obviously didn't think clearly, and directly handed the microphone to his mother, "Gasang, tell me what kind of style you want to see."
The voice on the microphone was replaced by Nanako Nagayama: "Naoki, is the event in New York going well? Are you acclimated?"
"Hey, the activity has been completed smoothly, and my body is also very good." The mother really still cares about her child's health, unlike Tsuruko who doesn't care at all, "Gasang, if you want to buy clothes, what kind of clothes should you buy?
?”
"Naoki, as for clothes... let's forget it~" Nagayama Nanako hesitated, obviously disdainful of his aesthetics, "Maybe a simple coat or cheaper souvenirs will be fine."
"Uh...Okay~" Nagayama Naoki was a little sad after hearing the disgust, "Then I'll buy it like this~"
"When will Naoki come back?"
"In about a week or two, I still want to go shopping in the United States~"
"Then pay attention to safety~" Nanako added, "Haha, Tsuruko said you should buy more specialties from various places."
"Hi hi~"
...
After hanging up the phone, Nagayama Naoki thought about his future itinerary. He was delayed by some gangsters yesterday and had not seen many scenic spots.
You must see the Statue of Liberty, take pictures of the Empire State Building and the Twin Towers, walk the Brooklyn Bridge, and see the Broadway shows...
In total, there are a lot of places to go, and it’s best not to meet any gangsters this time~
After having lunch at the hotel, we took a taxi to the Statue of Liberty.
In this afternoon, Nagayama Naoki completely regarded himself as a new tourist. Although he had been to most of these scenic spots in his previous life, the scenery a few decades ago was completely different from what it would look like later, not to mention that the Twin Towers had already changed in later generations.
there is none left.
Taking photos, taking photos, Nagayama Naoki was glad that he had brought several spare rolls of film, otherwise today's trip would not have been completed.
The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of the United States. After taking a cruise, you can find that the appearance of the Statue of Liberty has turned green, but the interior is still copper. From the elevator at the bottom of the bronze statue, you can go directly to the top of the pedestal, and then walk along the Statue of Liberty.
There are 171 spiral steps inside to reach the crown at the top.
Naoki Nagayama looked out at the sea and Manhattan in the distance from the small window at the top of the crown, feeling as if the whole of New York was under his sight.
You can take the elevator up to the Empire State Building. The observation deck on the 86th floor of the Empire State Building can overlook New York City 360 degrees, and there are fixed binoculars. The view is very good.
As for the Twin Towers, I really looked at them from a distance and decided not to go up.
The taxi took Naoki Nagayama to wander on the Brooklyn Bridge. After he had satisfied his addiction, he came to Fifth Avenue and started shopping~
"If you don't want clothes, just buy a bag. You won't go wrong."
Naoki Nagayama is now considered a rich man. Following the principle of "only buy expensive ones, not the right ones", he bought a new Hermès bag for his mother, and then bought Chanel perfume for Tsuruko. After all, he is still here
I don’t need a bag when I go to school~
For my father and eldest brother, two people who basically do not follow trends, they can only buy some carving handicrafts and professional fishing equipment.
Of course, the high-end stores here also support door-to-door delivery, and all of them have left the address of the Central Plaza Hotel.
...
The Broadway show didn't start until after 7 o'clock, and there was still an hour or two to spare. Naoki Nagayama was wandering around the streets of Manhattan,
Suddenly I saw another young man wearing a hood and carrying a bag appearing in the alley. He squatted down and took out a spray can and started graffiti on the wall.
Another street artist? Naoki Nagayama approached and whispered: "Basquiat?"
The young man raised his head. He was a white man with a bad temper. When he saw Naoki Nagayama, he raised the spray can angrily: "Go away and stay out of your own business!"
Nagayama Naoki shrugged. In New York, you will always meet unfriendly people, but you will also meet kind people. This is the inclusiveness of international cities.
"Okay, I'm going, I'm going~"
Naoki Nagayama raised his hands slightly and stepped back.
Perhaps because this posture looked very much like someone being robbed, the police patrol on Fifth Avenue in the distance saw it and immediately blew their whistle and ran over.
When the white guy found out, he shouted: "Shit!"
Drop your things and run away.
The police originally ran over slowly, but as soon as the white guy ran away, it turned into a chase.
Seeing the two pairs of long legs disappearing in front of his eyes in a short while, Nagayama Naoki couldn't help but admire: "These two can go to the Olympics! If yesterday's little gangsters were two-thirds of their level, I might
Can't run away."
However, Naoki Nagayama turned around and saw a pack of spray cans left by the young man. He accidentally took a few cans, both black and white, and stuffed them into the inner pocket of his coat.
As expected, it is a windbreaker that cannot be seen even if a submachine gun is placed, and it has no deformation at all.
During these two hours, Naoki Nagayama walked along Fifth Avenue toward Broadway. Whenever he encountered graffiti, he would stop for a moment and pretend to admire it.
However, when no one was around, I immediately spray-painted various stick figures on the blank space next to them, adding the iconic "suprise!!! mother fu*ker!!!"
This stimulating feeling is like an addiction. No wonder so many street artists are obsessed with graffiti, even at the risk of being chased by the police.
By the time we arrived at the Broadway theater, the spray cans had long been used up. Naoki Nagayama didn’t even remember how many stick figures he had drawn, but he felt happy.
The musical "Cats" was performed at the Broadway Theater in the evening. From the poster of the theater, it can be seen that this is the first time this musical has been shown in New York.
Nagayama Naoki held the ticket stub in his hand, ha, this is a very memorable ticket~
The episode "Memory" in the musical is said to be an improvised song by the musical's creator, Andrew Lloyd Webber.
To be able to improvise at such a level is a true genius~
As the Broadway musical ended, Naoki Nagayama also returned to the hotel,
It's not possible to go back to Japan at this time. We have to wait until the promotional activities are almost over.
He was eating late-night snacks in the Palm Room while flipping through American travel brochures, preparing to visit other places.
...
A few days later, Basquiat, who was creating in the studio, saw Andy Warhol walking in and put down his painting tools.
"Andy, my brother, why are you here?" Basquiat gave him a warm hug. Andy Warhol can be said to be his mentor and a noble man in his career.
"It's nothing, I just came to see you~" Andy Warhol looked at the paintings in the studio. They were still bright and colorful and contained profound thoughts.
"Jean, did you know that a stick figure appeared on the street?" Andy Warhol lit a cigarette and leaned on the window sill and said casually, "Everyone is shouting suprise!!! Mother fu*ker guy."
"? Stickman? mother fu*ker" He has been in the studio these days and doesn't know much about the outside world, "William?"
"Oh, you know him?" Andy Warhol said with a smile, "No wonder even your 'gallery' has his graffiti."
"A friend I've known for a while."
If Andy Warhol hadn't mentioned it and spent ten days and a half in the studio, he might have forgotten this friend whom he only met for one afternoon.
"What's up with him?"
"His stick figures have become popular." Andy Warhol said with a smile. "Now, from Fifth Avenue to mudd club, you can see his stick figures everywhere. Street graffiti artists have also begun to imitate his stick figures."
Style."
"???"
Basquiat was a little surprised. Obviously this guy was just a beginner, but he still completed his first graffiti work under his nose.
"The artistic content of stick figures is not high, so how can they become popular?"
"That magical line and simple painting style satisfy the emotions of young people in New York and people who are disappointed with reality, and capture the rhythm of the times."
During the economic recession in 1982, everyone felt angry, and this stick figure cursed on behalf of everyone.
Andy Warhol asked: "Can you introduce us to a meeting? I want to see what kind of guy this is."
Basquiat was speechless: "I don't have his contact information..."
"?"
"It's just a friend I've only met once," Basquiat said. "He's a Japanese, just here for a trip. Oh, he's also a writer, model and actor, and he's very handsome!"
This time it was Andy Warhol's turn to be speechless: "What do I need these for... Anyway, I can't contact him, so let's talk about it later when we have the chance."
Basquiat smiled: "The stick figure who appears and disappears mysteriously is so cool. I will definitely talk about him next time I see him."
