The Wall Street Journal's books editors pick the best nonfiction from the past year.
华尔街日报》的图书编辑评选出了过去一年中的最佳非虚构类图书。
Iron Curtain
《铁幕》(Iron Curtain)
By Anne Applebaum (Doubleday)
作者:安妮•阿普勒鲍姆(Anne Applebaum),双日出版社(Doubleday)
A
decade ago, Anne Applebaum wrote a magisterial history of the Soviet prison-camp system. Now she shows how the Soviet Union imposed its totalitarian will upon Eastern European nations ravaged by World War II. It was an age of forced migrations and state
suspicion of every activity. Our reviewer called this an 'epic but
intimate history' of a region whose troubles
barely lessened with the cessation of war.
10年前,安妮•阿普勒鲍姆写了一部关于苏联战俘集中营系统的权威历史书籍。如今,她又揭示了苏联如何把它的极权主义意志强加于饱受二战摧残的东欧国家。那是一个被逼离乡背井的年代,国家对任何活动都心存疑心。我们的评论员称本书是一部反映一个战争结束后磨难却未曾减少的地区"史诗般宏伟而又详尽的历史"。
The Endgame
《收官》(The Endgame)
By Michael R. Gordon and Bernard E. Trainor (Pantheon)
作者:迈克尔•R•戈登(Michael R. Gordon) 伯纳德•E•特雷纳(Bernard E. Trainor),Pantheon出版社
Some 1.5 million Americans fought in Iraq between 2003 and 2011. Their story is told in
monumental detail in 'The Endgame,' which
despite its title is a full narrative-from early victories to civil war, the success of the surge and the American withdrawal. The authors, Michael R. Gordon and Gen. Bernard E. Trainor, had
access to the highest levels of military and
civilian command, and our reviewer judged the book 'likely to stand for decades as the definitive
account of the Iraq war.'
2003-2011年期间,大约有150万美国人到伊拉克参加过战斗,他们的故事在《收官》中得到极为详尽的记录。虽然书名叫《收官》,但作品对整个过程进行了全面叙述──从初期的胜利到内战,再到增兵计划的成功和美国的撤军。本书的两位作者戈登和特雷纳将军都接触过军方和文职的最高指挥层。我们的评论员认为本书"很可能在数十年里都是伊拉克战争的权威报告。"
The Founders and Finance
《奠基人与财经》(The Founders and Finance)
By Thomas McCraw (Harvard)
作者:托马斯•麦克劳(Thomas McCraw),哈佛大学出版社(Harvard)
Three immigrants put the early Republic on sound economic footing: Robert Morris (from Liverpool), Alexander Hamilton (from St. Croix) and Albert Gallatin (from Switzerland). Their very rootlessness, in Thomas McCraw's telling, helped them see the value of strong money, credit and banks at a time when the political class was dominated by a landed aristocracy. Each year is replete with books about the Founders; Mr. McCraw's is the rare one that, as our reviewer put it, has 'hit on something new.'
三位移民让早期的合众国拥有了良好的经济基础:来自利物浦的罗伯特•莫里斯(Robert Morris)、来自圣克罗伊岛(St. Croix)的亚历山大•汉密尔顿(Alexander Hamilton)和来自瑞士的艾伯特•加勒廷(Albert Gallatin)。在麦克劳的笔下,正是他们三位的漂泊无依帮助他们在由土地贵族主导政治阶层的时代看到了强大资金、信贷和银行的价值。每年都会有很多关于国家奠基人的书出版,然而正如我们的评论员所言,麦克劳的这本书是少有的"写出了点新意"的作品。
Sincerity
《真诚》(Sincerity)
By R. Jay Magill Jr. (Norton)
作者:R•杰伊•马吉尔(R. Jay Magill Jr.),诺顿出版社(Norton)
Sincerity is an old idea-and not one always appreciated, as we often find 'straight talk' too much honesty. R. Jay Magill Jr. shows how our search for plainspoken
wisdom in
politics and 'authenticity' in food is in fact part of a desire for something deeper: the sincere. An ideal example of a popular genre-the short book on a
cultural idea-'Sincerity' stands out for what our reviewer called the author's 'wit, erudition and powers of observation.'
真诚是一种旧观念──而且并不总是令人欣赏,因为我们经常发现"直言不讳"太过于诚实了。R•杰伊•马吉尔揭示出,我们在政治上追求坦诚直接的明言,以及在饮食方面追求"货真价实"其实都是渴望得到更深层的东西:真诚。作为流行读物的理想范例──谈论一种文化观念的短篇幅书籍──按我们的评论员所说,《真诚》因为作者的"睿智、博学和观察力"脱颍而出。
The Lion Sleeps Tonight
《今夜狮子安睡》(The Lion Sleeps Tonight)
By Rian Malan (Grove)
作者:里安•马伦(Rian Malan),Grove出版社
Two decades after his gripping
memoir of what it was like to be an anti-apartheid Afrikaner, 'My Traitor's Heart,' Rian Malan is finally back with this
collection of his epic investigative journalism, from his
account of the first rock band to hit South Africa (in 1969) to a disturbing
exploration of Africa's AIDS industry. Mr. Malan is a modern prose master, and 'American readers should treasure this chance to get to know him again,' our reviewer declared.
在那本扣人心弦的记录反种族隔离的南非白人生活回忆录《我的叛国心》(My Traitor's Heart)出版20年后,里安•马伦终于重出江湖,出版了这本新闻调查纪实集巨作,其中包括他记录的南非第一支摇滚乐队(1969年)以及他对南非艾滋病行业令人忧心的探访。马伦是一名现代散文大家,我们的评论员表示:"美国读者应该珍视这个再次了解他的机会。"
The Wives
《妻子》(The Wives)
By Alexandra Popoff (Pegasus)
作者:亚历山德拉•波波夫(Alexandra Popoff),Pegasus出版社
If 'no man is a hero to his valet,' what must he be to his wife? Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Osip Mandelstam, Mikhail Bulgakov, Vladimir Nabokov and Alexander Solzhenitsyn each had a long-suffering and
immenselygifted spouse. Alexandra Popoff uses their lives to tell the tale not only of Russian
literature but also of Russia's
turbulent modern history, in a book, our reviewer wrote, that 'buzzes with both
literaryinsight and gossipy intrigue.'
如果说"仆从眼里无伟人",那么妻子眼里的他得是什么形象呢?列夫•托尔斯泰(Leo Tolstoy)、费奥多尔•陀思妥耶夫斯基(Fyodor Dostoevsky)、奥西普•曼德尔施塔姆(Osip Mandelstam)、米哈伊尔•布尔加科夫(Mikhail Bulgakov)、弗拉基米尔•纳博科夫(Vladimir Nabokov)和亚历山大•索尔仁尼琴(Alexander Solzhenitsyn)每人都有一位长期受苦而又才华横溢的配偶。我们的评论员写道,亚历山德拉•波波夫在这本"既充满文艺见解又洋溢闲谈气氛"的作品中,用她们的人生来讲述的不仅仅是俄国文学的往事,还有俄罗斯动荡的现代历史。
The Astaires
《阿斯泰尔姐弟》(The Astaires)
By Kathleen Riley (Oxford)
作者:凯瑟琳•赖利(Kathleen Riley),牛津大学出版社(Oxford)
Fred Astaire was our most
elegant film star. But he danced in the shadow of a partner, his glamorous sister, Adele, until she
retired from the stage in 1932 and he headed off to Hollywood. Kathleen Riley chronicles this sibling non-
rivalry and gives us a broad
portrait of a very American art form, the Broadway and Hollywood musical. 'A
salute to an America at ease with itself,' our reviewer called it. This is
culturalbiography at its best.
弗雷德•阿斯泰尔(Fred Astaire)是我们最优雅的电影明星。但是他却一直在他的合伙人、魅力无穷的姐姐阿黛尔(Adele)的阴影之下从事他的舞蹈演艺事业,直到她1932年退出舞台之后,他才前往好莱坞发展。凯瑟琳•赖利以时间顺序记录了两人非竞争性的姐弟关系,对百老汇和好莱坞音乐剧这种具有美国特色的艺术形式进行了广泛描述。我们的评论员称这是一本"向悠然自得的美国表示敬意"的作品。这本书是最高水平的文化传记。
The Signal and the Noise
《信号与杂音》(The Signal and the Noise)
By Nate Silver (Penguin Press)
作者:纳特•西尔弗(Nate Silver),企鹅出版社(Penguin Press)
Numbers don't, in fact, speak for themselves. Much has been made of Nate Silver's electoral predictions. But his
impressive book explores the principles of prognostication in fields from sports and
politics to Wall Street and the weather. His 'breezy style makes even the most difficult statistical material accessible,' our reviewer said, as Mr. Silver
gently reveals how too often we color data with our hopes and biases.
数字实际上不能说明问题。纳特•西尔弗已经做过很多选举预测,而他这本令人印象深刻的作品探讨的是从体育、政治到华尔街和天气这些领域的预测原则。我们的评论员说:"他谈笑风生的风格让哪怕是最艰涩的统计资料都变得简单易懂",因为西尔弗徐徐揭示了我们是多么频繁地用我们的愿望和偏见粉饰了数据。
Connectome
《神经连接体》(Connectome)
By Sebastian Seung (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
作者:塞巴斯蒂安•宋(Sebastian Seung),Houghton Mifflin Harcourt出版社
More books on neuroscience have been published in 2012, perhaps, than on any other serious topic. Sebastian Seung's goes far deeper than most, describing a new approach that aims to map
precisely how neurons connect to one another. Why you like Brie and I like cheddar is as much a product of our brains' neural wiring as our genes. Mr. Seung's book brings readers up to speed on present science and hints tantalizingly at the future. Our reviewer called it 'the best lay book on brain science I've ever read.'
2012年出版的神经系统科学方面的书可能在数量上超过了其它任何严肃话题类图书。塞巴斯蒂安•宋的作品比大多数同类图书深刻得多,它描述的是一种旨在精确测定神经元如何相互连接的新方法。为什么你喜欢布里干酪(Brie)而我却喜欢切达干酪(cheddar)?这种现象既是我们基因作用的结果,也是我们大脑神经连接的产物。这本书可以让读者了解当前科学发展的最新情况并预示了未来的诱人前景。我们的评论员称这本书是"我读过的最好的供非专业人士阅读的脑科学图书"。
A Man and His Ship
《一个人和他的船》(A Man and His Ship)
By Steven Ujifusa (Simon & Schuster)
作者:史蒂文•氏房(Steven Ujifusa),Simon & Schuster出版社
William Francis Gibbs (1886-1967) was one of the master builders of the ocean liner, obsessed with
winning the Blue Riband for fastest Atlantic crossing. The design and
construction of his greatest ship, the SS United States, is at the heart of this book, which like the best bio graphies becomes the
portrait of an entire age. Steven Ujifusa's work, our reviewer noted, is
ultimately a compelling 'history of the passenger ship, whose great days coincided with Gibbs's lifetime.'
威廉•弗朗西斯•吉布斯(William Francis Gibbs, 1886-1967)是建造远洋轮船的大师之一,一心想要获得横渡大西洋最快班轮的蓝丝带奖。这本书的中心内容涉及他的最大轮船美国号(the SS United States)的设计和建造。和最优秀的传记一样,这本书描述的是一个完整的时代。我们的评论员指出,史蒂文•氏房的作品终归是一部引人入胜的"客轮发展史,它的黄金时期与吉布斯生活的时代不谋而合。"