Введение
книга Артура Кёстлера «Диалог со смертью», книга Артура Кёстлера, была первоначально опубликована в 1937 году как раздел (часть II) его книги «Испанский завет», в которой он описывает свой опыт во время гражданской войны в Испании. Часть II книги впоследствии была отделена от «Испанского завета» и, с незначительными изменениями, опубликована самостоятельно под названием «Диалог со смертью» (см. цитату ниже). В книге описывается тюремный опыт Кёстлера под смертным приговором. Книга была написана поздней осенью 1937 года сразу после его освобождения из тюрьмы, когда события еще были свежи в его памяти. Во втором томе его автобиографии «Невидимая письменность», написанной Кёстлером пятнадцать лет спустя, появляется следующая сноска:
Dialogue with Death, a book by Arthur Koestler, was originally published in 1937 as a section (Part II) of his book Spanish Testament, in which he describes his experiences during the Spanish Civil War. Part II of the book was subsequently decoupled from Spanish Testament and, with minor modifications, published on its own under the title Dialogue with Death (see quotation below). The book describes Koestler’s prison experiences under sentence of death. The book was written in the late autumn of 1937 immediately after his release from prison, when the events were still vivid in his memory. In the second volume of his autobiography The Invisible Writing, written by Koestler fifteen years later, the following footnote appears:
cquote|In all foreign editions, including the American, Dialogue with Death appeared as a self contained book. In the original English edition, however (Gollancz and Left Book Club, 1937), it formed the second part of Spanish Testament the first part of which consisted of the earlier propaganda book on Spain that I had written for Muenzenberg. Spanish Testament is (and shall remain) out of print; Dialogue with Death has been reissued in England under that title, in the form in which it was originally written. This time he was less fortunate and was arrested, summarily sentenced to death and sent off to imprisonment in Seville. The book describes Koestler's time in the prison, in the company of numerous political prisoners most of them Spanish Republicans. Prisoners lived under the constant threat of summary execution without trial, without warning and without even any evident logic in the choice of victims. Every morning, prisoners would wake to find that some of their number had been executed during the night. The book was written in German, except for the prison diary, which Koestler wrote in English to avoid attracting the Gestapo's attention.
«Во всех иностранных изданиях, включая американское, «Диалог со смертью» выходил как самостоятельная книга. Однако в оригинальном английском издании (Gollancz and Left Book Club, 1937) он составлял вторую часть «Испанского завета», первая часть которой состояла из более ранней пропагандистской книги об Испании, написанной мной для Мюнценберга. «Испанский завет» (и останется) не переиздается; «Диалог со смертью» был переиздан в Англии под этим названием в той форме, в которой он был первоначально написан. На этот раз ему повезло меньше, и его арестовали, приговорили к смертной казни и отправили в тюрьму в Севилью. В книге описывается время, проведенное Кёстлером в тюрьме, в компании многочисленных политических заключенных, большинство из которых были испанскими республиканцами. Заключенные жили под постоянной угрозой внесудебной казни, без предупреждения и даже без видимой логики в выборе жертв. Каждое утро, просыпаясь, заключенные обнаруживали, что за ночь были казнены некоторые из их числа. Книга была написана на немецком языке, за исключением тюремного дневника, который Кёстлер вел на английском, чтобы не привлекать внимания гестапо».
Dialogue with Death, a book by Arthur Koestler, was originally published in 1937 as a section (Part II) of his book Spanish Testament, in which he describes his experiences during the Spanish Civil War. Part II of the book was subsequently decoupled from Spanish Testament and, with minor modifications, published on its own under the title Dialogue with Death (see quotation below). The book describes Koestler’s prison experiences under sentence of death. The book was written in the late autumn of 1937 immediately after his release from prison, when the events were still vivid in his memory. In the second volume of his autobiography The Invisible Writing, written by Koestler fifteen years later, the following footnote appears:
cquote|In all foreign editions, including the American, Dialogue with Death appeared as a self contained book. In the original English edition, however (Gollancz and Left Book Club, 1937), it formed the second part of Spanish Testament the first part of which consisted of the earlier propaganda book on Spain that I had written for Muenzenberg. Spanish Testament is (and shall remain) out of print; Dialogue with Death has been reissued in England under that title, in the form in which it was originally written. This time he was less fortunate and was arrested, summarily sentenced to death and sent off to imprisonment in Seville. The book describes Koestler's time in the prison, in the company of numerous political prisoners most of them Spanish Republicans. Prisoners lived under the constant threat of summary execution without trial, without warning and without even any evident logic in the choice of victims. Every morning, prisoners would wake to find that some of their number had been executed during the night. The book was written in German, except for the prison diary, which Koestler wrote in English to avoid attracting the Gestapo's attention.
Влияние на более поздние работы
Опыт пребывания в тюрьме помог Костлеру обрести психологическую проницательность, которая пригодилась ему при написании его последующего бестселлера, антикоммунистического романа "Темнота в полдень", опубликованного в 1941 году.