Mao: The Unknown Story 毛澤東:鮮為人知的故事
The most authoritative life of the Chinese leader every written, Mao: The Unknown Story is based on a decade of research, and on interviews with many of Mao’s close circle in China who have never talked before — and with virtually everyone outside China who had significant dealings with him. It is full of startling revelations, exploding the myth of the Long March, and showing a completely unknown Mao: he was not driven by idealism or ideology; his intimate and intricate relationship with Stalin went back to the 1920s, ultimately bringing him to power; he welcomed Japanese occupation of much of China; and he schemed, poisoned, and blackmailed to get his way. After Mao conquered China in 1949, his secret goal was to dominate the world. In chasing this dream he caused the deaths of 38 million people in the greatest famine in history. In all, well over 70 million Chinese perished under Mao’s rule — in peacetime.
In the epilogue to her biography of Mao Tse-tung, Jung Chang and her husband and cowriter Jon Halliday lament that, "Today, Mao's portrait and his corpse still dominate Tiananmen Square in the heart of the Chinese capital." For Chang, author of Wild Swans, this fact is an affront, not just to history, but to decency. Mao: The Unknown Story does not contain a formal dedication, but it is clear that Chang is writing to honor the millions of Chinese who fell victim to Mao's drive for absolute power in his 50-plus-year struggle to dominate China and the 20th-century political landscape. From the outset, Chang and Halliday are determined to shatter the "myth" of Mao, and they succeed with the force, not just of moral outrage, but of facts. The result is a book, more indictment than portrait, that paints Mao as a brutal totalitarian, a thug, who unleashed Stalin-like purges of millions with relish and without compunction, all for his personal gain. Through the authors' unrelenting lens even his would-be heroism as the leader of the Long March and father of modern China is exposed as reckless opportunism, subjecting his charges to months of unnecessary hardship in order to maintain the upper hand over his rival, Chang Kuo-tao, an experienced military commander.
Using exhaustive research in archives all over the world, Chang and Halliday recast Mao's ascent to power and subsequent grip on China in the context of global events. Sino-Soviet relations, the strengths and weakness of Chiang Kai-shek, the Japanese invasion of China, World War II, the Korean War, the disastrous Great Leap Forward, the vicious Cultural Revolution, the Vietnam War, Nixon's visit, and the constant, unending purges all, understandably, provide the backdrop for Mao's unscrupulous but invincible political maneuverings and betrayals. No one escaped unharmed. Rivals, families, peasants, city dwellers, soldiers, and lifelong allies such as Chou En-lai were all sacrificed to Mao's ambition and paranoia. Appropriately, the authors' consciences are appalled. Their biggest fear is that Mao will escape the global condemnation and infamy he deserves. Their astonishing book will go a long way to ensure that the pendulum of history will adjust itself accordingly. --Silvana Tropea
毛澤東，這個曾主宰世界四分之一人口的統治者，去世已經三十年。他的統治導致至少七千萬中國人在和平時期死亡。但他的真實面貌，一直在雲遮霧罩之中。
英籍華人作家張戎，與夫婿喬·哈利戴，以十二年的時間和精力，搜集披閱難以數計的中外文獻資料，深入多個國家的檔案館，採訪數百名與毛澤東有關的人士，包括與毛有過往來的各國政要，完成了這部被讚為「威力像原子彈」的毛澤東傳記。
本書前所未有地揭示了許多不為人知的故事﹕紅軍長征為什麼會成功；毛對抗日戰爭的暗中策略；毛究竟靠什麼征服中國大陸；毛與蔣介石撲朔迷離的關係；毛為甚麼要打朝鮮戰爭；三千八百萬中國人為甚麼會餓死；毛發動文革的真實原因；毛在黨內數十年搞權力鬥爭的真相；毛和斯大林、蘇聯淵源深厚的恩仇秘聞；還有毛與妻子兒女以及女人們的關係……
作者挖掘出大量聞所未聞的史料，經過嚴謹的考證，以生動細膩的敘述風格，描寫一個個情節豐富的故事，構成一幅波瀾壯闊的長篇畫卷。透過毛澤東一生的深謀詭詐與堅忍不拔，不擇手段與眼光獨慧，殘忍冷酷與精明幽默……展現共產主義在中國二十世紀崛起的驚人內幕，從而改寫了被顛倒的歷史。
英國華裔作家張戎與喬．哈利戴合著的《毛澤東：鮮為人知的故事》中文版，幾經周折，在華文讀者的殷殷期盼下，終於由香港開放出版社編輯出版，訂於九月六日毛澤東去世三十周年前夕，在香港、台北與紐約三地同步發行上市。
《毛澤東：鮮為人知的故事》是一本具有全新視野和大量第一手資料的毛澤東傳記，作者以生動、樸實的敘述風格，描寫毛動盪一生中一個接一個情節豐富的故事，構成一幅波瀾壯闊的中國現代史畫卷。
英文版《MAO：The Unknown Story》2005年6月出版後，相繼已有近三十種文字的已出和將出的版本，上了許多國家的暢銷榜。歐美評論界對《MAO》有很高的評價，前港督彭定康認為是一本改寫了中國現代史的爆炸性著作；英國獨立報認為「超越了過去出版的所有同類傳記」；美國時代周刊稱「這本書的威力像原子彈」。（英美書評摘要見附件）美國總統布希向到訪的德國總理梅克爾Angela Merkel推薦，《MAO》顯示毛是比人們想像更殘暴的暴君。滾石樂隊主唱米克傑格(Mick Jagger)到處向記者推薦張戎這本書，足球明星貝克漢、前南非總統曼德拉都是《MAO》的讀者。
張戎（Jung Chang）一九五二年出生於四川宜賓。文革中做過農民、赤腳醫生、翻砂工和電工。一九七三年就讀四川大學外文系，畢業後留校當助教。一九七八年留學英國，一九七九年入約克大學專攻語言學，一九八二年獲博士學位，是中共執政以來第一位獲英國博士學位的中國大陸人。曾在倫敦大學亞非學院任教。一九九一年，自傳性著作《鴻：三代中國女人的故事》出版，成為英國出版史上非小說類最暢銷的書籍，被讀者評選為二十世紀最佳書籍之一，已譯成三十多種文字，全球銷售量達一千二百萬冊。喬．哈利戴（Jon Halliday）出生於愛爾蘭的都柏林，作家，歷史學家。畢業於英國牛津大學，曾任職於倫敦大學國王學院。通曉多種語言文字，著述頗豐。
張戎夫婦為寫作毛傳，窮十二年之精力，查遍無數資料、文獻，走遍世界各地，訪問數百名毛的親友、與毛共事、交往的中外知情人、見證者及各國政要，包括六名總統、六名總理、四名外交部長、十三名前共產黨領袖。這些人物中，有美國前國務卿季辛吉、美國前總統福特、英國前首相奚斯、達賴喇嘛、史達林與赫魯雪夫的翻譯、張學良、蔣緯國、陳立夫等。訪問毛身邊工作過的人員，達十八人以上。毛的主要同事的親屬和身邊工作人員也幾乎都被訪問過。同時，深入俄羅斯、阿爾巴尼亞、東德、美國、英國、梵蒂岡等二十八個檔案館，取得許多聞所未聞的史料，並加以認真嚴謹的考證。
巨大的采訪和研究工作，前所未有地揭示了許多不為人知的故事﹕紅軍長征為什麼會成功；毛對抗日戰爭的暗中策略；毛究竟靠什?征服中國大陸；毛與蔣介石撲朔迷離的關係；毛為甚麼要打朝鮮戰爭；三千八百萬中國人為甚麼會餓死；毛發動文革的真實原因；毛在黨內數十年搞權力鬥爭的真相；毛和史達林、蘇聯淵源深厚的恩仇秘聞；還有毛與妻子兒女以及女人們的關係……
全書五十八章，中文版七百頁，資料來源佔八十二頁。作者透過毛澤東一生的深謀詭詐與堅忍不拔，不擇手段與眼光獨慧，殘忍冷酷與精明幽默……展現共產主義在中國二十世紀崛起的驚人內幕，從而改寫了被顛倒的歷史。
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