《南北乱世情》

　　关于美国内战的小说和电影永远是美国文学与艺术的主题，中国人所熟悉的《飘》便是其中的双料佳作。然而，《飘》的视角狭窄是其不可避免的缺憾。而我却要向大家推荐约翰·杰克斯的南北战争三部曲以及改编的电视剧《南北乱世情》。要知道，在美国它的影响决不亚于半个多世纪前的《飘》。无论是文字的流畅、情节的曲折、还是浪漫与现实的交融，都可以用完美来形容。外研社曾出版过影印本，推荐对南北战争和美国文化感兴趣的朋友去领略。

　　In uniform editions from Signet Books, here are the novels read and loved by millions - the three #1 New York Times bestsellers(畅销书)　that inspired the TV mini-series seen year after year around the globe!

　　Volume I North and South (南方和北方)

　　Two strangers, young men from Pennsylvania and South Carolina, meet on the way to West Point ... Thus begins this brilliant novel of antebellum(内战前的) America, spanning(跨越) three generations and chronicling(按照时间顺序记录) the lives and loves of two great family dynasties(两大豪门家族). The Hazards and the Mains(哈策尔德家族和梅家族)are brought together in bonds of friendship and affection that neither jealousy(嫉恨) nor violence can shatter(拆散)- until a storm of events sunders the nation and brings the cataclysm(洪水)of war!

　　Volume II Love and War (爱情与战争)

　　From the first Union rout in Virginia to the last tragic moments of surrender, here is a gigantic five-year panorama(全景)of the Civil War! Hostilities divide the Hazards and the Mains, testing them with loyalties(忠诚)more powerful than family ties. While soldiers from both families clash on the battlefields of Bull Run(布尔河战役), Fredericksburg(弗雷德里克斯堡，南军重创北军之地) and Antietam(安提塔姆，李将军的战术杰作), in intrigue-ridden(勾心斗角的) Washington and Richmond(里士满，南部邦联的首都), strong-willed men and beautiful women defend their principles with their lives ... or satisfy illicit(不正当的)cravings(渴求)with schemes that could destroy friends and enemies alike!

　　Volume III Heaven and Hell (天堂和地狱)

　　The war ends, but there is no peace for the Hazards and the Mains in a nation still inflamed with bitterness(痛苦)and hatred(仇恨). The defeated South teems with schemers(阴谋家) and carpetbaggers(内战后去南方钻营的北方人) ... and the North has no place for scarred veterans(老兵) such as Charles Main, who struggles to rebuild his life in the Plains cavalry, only to be stalked by a murderous nemesis(复仇者) seeking revenge against both families. A gripping portrait of Reconstruction America, and a fitting conclusion to the saga(家世小说)of two mighty dynasties!

　　John Jakes

　　Praised as "the godfather(教父)of the historical novel," "the people's author," and "America's history teacher," Jakes mingles the lives of his fictional characters with those of historical personages, and involves them in the great events of U.S. and world.

　　His devotion to a unique blend of strong storytelling and historical accuracy(精确度)has won him a worldwide audience. More than 55 million copies of his Kent Chronicles are currently in print, along with nearly 10 million copies of The North and South Trilogy. Six of his major novels have been filmed as television mini-series(电视连续剧).

　　Born in Chicago in 1932, John Jakes began writing professionally during his freshman year at Northwestern University, where he was studying acting. He decided to trade the stage for the typewriter(打字员) when, at age 18, he sold his first story for $25. "That check changed the whole direction of my life," says Jakes.