The Shadow of Great Britain

461: Chapter 253: Not Ordinary but Exceptionally Confident (5K8)_3 461: Chapter 253: Not Ordinary but Exceptionally Confident (5K8)_3 Heine smirked, “I don’t think they can do much to me.

I came to London this time to publish ‘Travel Pictures,’ a travelogue of my journeys across the European Continent, and I hardly mentioned Prussia at all.

The articles criticizing Prussia, I’ve mostly left them in my apartment in Paris.

‘Travel Pictures’ mostly takes jabs at Britain and France, of course, I did touch on Prussia a bit.”

Arthur, seeing that the groundwork had been sufficiently laid, then spoke up, “Mr.

Heine, while I believe that creation is a rather personal matter, and outsiders have no right to nitpick how you write your articles.

However, speaking out of a sense of justice from a friend’s perspective, if you need manuscript fees to live on, perhaps you could be a bit more flexible in your creative techniques.

You can’t curse Prussia while in Prussia, curse France while in France, and come to Britain and start pointing fingers at Britain.”

“Lord Byron’s ‘Don Juan’ faced a lot of hurdles on its publication journey because it broke this taboo.

He lashed out at all the lords in the Cabinet, drenching them in scorn, so the path to publication became very troubled, only recently becoming possible through publishing permits.

Moreover, the affair in Austria must have given you a taste of Lord Byron’s frustration back then, didn’t it?”

“Uh?” Heine frowned upon hearing this, “But I’ve heard that Britain now has publishing freedom, haven’t they?”

Arthur nodded slightly and said, “Newspapers and magazines indeed no longer need to be censored, and press offices simply need to obtain a publishing permit, which then allows them to freely issue newspapers within the permit’s timeframe.

General publications are ostensibly free in their public distribution too, but if your works displease the lords, even if they can’t ask for changes or directly refuse your publication, they can still give you the runaround and drag their feet.”

“This…” Upon hearing this, Heine felt somewhat shaken.

After thinking it over, he said, “If that’s the case, then I might as well only publish the first three volumes of ‘Travel Pictures’ in Britain.

The fourth volume, ‘English Fragments,’ I’ll hold off for now until I’ve made revisions.

I don’t want to bow to these conservative and authoritarian forces, but to allow my readers to see my works as soon as possible, I can accept some minor adjustments.

First edition with modifications, second edition with the original content, after all, it’s not the first time I’ve done something like this.”

Arthur had thought that Heine, with his explosive temperament, would certainly be upset by his words, but to his surprise, it turned out that the sharp-tongued great poet was actually a seasoned offender with a knack for adaptability.

It seemed that the censorship incident in Austria added not just a hemorrhoid to Metternich but also an additional layer of wariness to Heine.

But upon reflection, it all seemed quite reasonable, after all, people need to eat, and poets are no exception.

In some sense, Arthur was even quite happy about it, as it, at least, made his job easier.

However, Arthur hadn’t fully accomplished the purpose of his visit, and he certainly hadn’t forgotten the matter Lionel had entrusted to him.

Racking his brains over the information on Heine he had gathered these past days, he smiled and asked, “It’s great that you’ve come to terms with these issues; I believe your book will surely be a bestseller.

However, before that, you might want to double-check whether there’s any content in your ‘Travel Pictures’ about the Kingdom of Hanover.

As you know, our King wears not only the Crown of Britain but also sits on the throne of Hanover.”

“The Kingdom of Hanover?” Heine pondered while stroking his chin, “If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have forgotten it.

But you guessed right, I did indeed write a bit about the Kingdom of Hanover, in the ‘Harz Journey’ of the first volume, after all, it’s part of the German Confederation, and I also studied at the University of Gottingen in Hanover, asking me not to mention it might indeed be a bit difficult.”

Arthur feigned surprise, “You’re a graduate of the University of Gottingen?”

Heine responded with a mocking smile, “Yes!

A graduate from the University of Gottingen!

Graduate!

Graduate!”

Louis curiously asked, “What’s Gottingen like?

I’ve always heard that the education there is of high quality, after all, it’s a university established by George II of Britain following the Oxford and Cambridge model.

Many people say it’s the best in Germany, with better environment and conditions.

Compared to other universities in the German regions, Gottingen is not subject to government or church intervention, and the academic atmosphere is very free.”

“Modelled after Oxford and Cambridge?” Arthur picked up his teacup and took a gentle sip, “Then I reckon their education isn’t much to speak of.”

Heine, finding a kindred spirit, exclaimed, “Exactly!

You’re right!

Britons indeed understand Gottingen the best!

I have nothing to say about that city; when I first got there, I guessed its history must be long.

You know why?

Because I remember, seven years ago when I registered there and was soon ordered to suspend my studies, it already looked that old, worldly-wise.

It was filled with nightwatchmen, poodles, dissertations, tea dances, washerwomen, curriculums, roast pigeons, Guelphic Orders, the carriages of those who got their doctorates, stovepipe hats, privy councilors, legal advisors, expulsion committee members, professors, and other such things.”

Freedom?

Gottingen dares to claim itself free!

I’ll tell you this, the residents of Gottingen can be broadly divided into four distinct classes: the petty bourgeoisie, students, professors, and animals.

Of course, in my personal opinion, I think the role of animals might be the most important in Gottingen.”

Of course, professors are not entirely useless; sometimes, I even have to defend them.

Do you know why German professors always write their books in such abstruse language, as if they are afraid that others might understand it?

I can tell you the reason here: they’re afraid that if animals understand their arguments, their own lives might be in danger.”

Arthur, upon hearing this, laughed and replied, “That’s what I’m worried about with you.”

The impassioned Heine took Arthur’s hand and shook it, saying, “Then you really are a good friend.

But putting me in the same category as professors, that’s really a bit too demeaning to me.”

Arthur, rubbing his temples in exasperation, said, “Mr.

Heine, I completely agree with your view.

But we still need to solve the problem, don’t we?

If you criticize the Kingdom of Hanover sharply in the first volume, it’s unlikely to leave a good impression with the Cabinet, especially with His Majesty the King of Britain.”

Heine also seemed to be at a loss, “But if I remove Gottingen from the first volume, I won’t have much else to say.

And my journey starts from there; I can’t tell the readers that my travel began in Paris, can I?”

Upon hearing this, Arthur pretended to ponder for a moment, then, acting as if struck by sudden inspiration, said, “I’ve got it.

Mr.

Heine, why don’t you just avoid publishing ‘Travel Pictures’ as a whole?

Perhaps you could try serializing it by chapters, like in a magazine or something.

Newspapers don’t need to wait for a permit, and by publishing it piece by piece, you can continuously test just how much the Britons in the Cabinet can tolerate.

This way, you also won’t delay expressing your thoughts to the fullest.

What do you think?”

“Serialization?” Heine paused, “This…

I seem to have heard that this method is actually quite fashionable, but I don’t know anyone at the British newspapers!”

Listening, Louis exchanged a glance with Arthur, merely lifting his glass with a smile, “You’re in luck today.

I know the editor of ‘The British,’ you know ‘The British,’ right?

They’re not exactly a small magazine in Britain, with a high circulation for each issue.

Moreover, from what I’ve seen, their content is pretty inclusive and diverse.”