シービスケット―あるアメリカ競走馬の伝説 [単行本]

   その馬はまったく馬らしくなかった。体高はやや低く、骨張った膝と曲がった前脚を持つその馬は、サラブレッドというより牧牛を追うポニーといった印象であった。ところが、見かけほど当てにならないものはない。この馬の才能は「その大部分が精神力にある」とファンの一人が書き記している。作者のローラ・ヒレンブランドは、『Seabiscuit: An American Legend』で文化的偶像となった馬の物語を描いた。
   シービスケットは、それぞれがまったく無縁と思える3人の男たちに出会うまで、無名の三流馬に過ぎなかった。その男たちとは、かつて「馬の時代は終わった」と宣言した自動車王で馬主のチャールズ・ハワード、「馬と神秘的な交信を行う」調教師のトム・スミス、そして穏やかな態度と角砂糖を使って駄馬だったこの馬を手なずけた落ち目の騎手、レッド・ポラードである。ヒレンブランドは、初期の調教時代から記録破りの勝利を収め、深刻な怪我から「ホース・オブ・ザ・イヤー」に選ばれるまでの「チーム・シービスケット」の浮き沈みや、ウォーアドミラルとの名高いライバル対決を詳細に描いている。また、1930年代の競馬の世界で見られた、西部の馬について報じる紳士気取りの東部のジャーナリストや、優れたサラブレッドの大衆的な魅力から、ゴムスーツを着てサウナに入ったり、強力な下剤やサナダムシまで用いる旗手たちの過酷な減量法についても述べている。
   本書の中で、ヒレンブランドは素晴らしいシーンを描きだしている。トム・スミスにとってヒーローであり、伝説的な調教師であるジェームス・フィッツシモンズが馬勒を押さえるように指示し、馬に鞍を着けるときにスミスの目に浮かんだ涙。数週間前のレース中の事故で胸を押し潰され、重傷を負ったレッド・ポラードが、病院のベッドでサン・アントニオ・ハンディキャップ戦の模様をラジオで聴きながら「行け、ビスケット! 負けるな!」と盛んに声援を送る姿。試合後、優勝したシービスケットがカメラマンにむかって幸せそうにポーズを取る場面。シービスケットが猛烈なスピードで自分たちを脅かして嘲るため、シービスケットと同じレースに出場するのを嫌がるほかの馬たち。
   時に彼女の散文的な文章は批判の対象になるが（「彼の歴史は吹雪の中に現れた天空の蹄の跡だ」、「カリフォルニアの日差しには、衰え行く季節の白目製の円柱が含まれている」など）、ヒレンブランドは本書を愉快な物語に仕上げている。最初から最後まで、この『Seabiscuit』はおすすめの1冊である。（Sunny Delaney, Amazon.com） --このテキストは、 ペーパーバック 版に関連付けられています。

ニューヨーク・タイムズ六週連続第一位のベストセラー感動のノンフィクション！　主演トビー・マクガイアの04年度アカデミー賞最有力映画原作！
「馬と人の物語だ。胸に残る物語だ。こんなドラマが本当にあったとは。馬が馬なら人も人。これほど波瀾万丈なドラマはめったにあるものではない。」北上次郎（解説より）

心を揺るがすストーリーだ。古き良き時代のディテール、焼け付くようなシービスケットの走り、そして偉大な伝説の魔力。すべてが魅惑的。『ニューヨーク・タイムズ』

読み始めたら目がはなせない、名馬の物語にとどまらない人間のドラマ。そしてレースシーンの凄みのある描写がすごい、まるで馬の背中にいるような臨場感を味わえる。『スポーツ・イラストレイテッド』

瞠目すべき、忘れられない傑作。当時の熱気と興奮が伝わってくる。『ワシントン・ポスト』

文句なし！　心を奪われた。これ以上の物語があるだろうか。『ニューヨーク』

世界恐慌に苦しむ1938年、マスコミをもっともにぎわせたのはルーズベルト大統領でも、ヒトラーでも、ムッソリーニでもなかった。ルー・ゲーリッグでもクラーク・ゲイブルでもない。その年、新聞がもっとも大きく紙面を割いたのは、脚の曲がった小さな競走馬だった。馬主は自転車修理工から身を起こした西部の自動車王、チャールズ・ハワード。謎めいた野生馬馴らしの過去を持つ寡黙な調教師、トム・スミス。片目が不自由な赤毛の騎手、レッド・ポラード。馬の名は、シービスケット。これは、悲運の名馬と男たちの奇跡の物語である。

世界恐慌に苦しむ1938年、マスコミを最も賑わせたのは脚の曲がった小さな競走馬・シービスケットだった…。悲運の名馬と男達の奇跡の物語。『ニューヨーク・タイムズ』ベストセラーノンフィクション。映画原作。

He didn't look like much. With his smallish stature, knobby knees, and slightly crooked forelegs, he looked more like a cow pony than a thoroughbred. But looks aren't everything; his quality, an admirer once wrote, "was mostly in his heart." Laura Hillenbrand tells the story of the horse who became a cultural icon in Seabiscuit: An American Legend.

Seabiscuit rose to prominence with the help of an unlikely triumvirate: owner Charles Howard, an automobile baron who once declared that "the day of the horse is past"; trainer Tom Smith, a man who "had cultivated an almost mystical communication with horses"; and jockey Red Pollard, who was down on his luck when he charmed a then-surly horse with his calm demeanor and a sugar cube. Hillenbrand details the ups and downs of "team Seabiscuit," from early training sessions to record-breaking victories, and from serious injury to "Horse of the Year"--as well as the Biscuit's fabled rivalry with War Admiral. She also describes the world of horseracing in the 1930s, from the snobbery of Eastern journalists regarding Western horses and public fascination with the great thoroughbreds to the jockeys' torturous weight-loss regimens, including saunas in rubber suits, strong purgatives, even tapeworms.

Along the way, Hillenbrand paints wonderful images: tears in Tom Smith's eyes as his hero, legendary trainer James Fitzsimmons, asked to hold Seabiscuit's bridle while the horse was saddled; critically injured Red Pollard, whose chest was crushed in a racing accident a few weeks before, listening to the San Antonio Handicap from his hospital bed, cheering "Get going, Biscuit! Get 'em, you old devil!"; Seabiscuit happily posing for photographers for several minutes on end; other horses refusing to work out with Seabiscuit because he teased and taunted them with his blistering speed.

Though sometimes her prose takes on a distinctly purple hue ("His history had the ethereal quality of hoofprints in windblown snow"; "The California sunlight had the pewter cast of a declining season"), Hillenbrand has crafted a delightful book. Wire to wire, Seabiscuit is a winner. Highly recommended. --Sunny Delaney
--このテキストは、 ハードカバー 版に関連付けられています。

HGifted sportswriter Hillenbrand unearths the rarefied world of thoroughbred horse racing in this captivating account of one of the sport's legends. Though no longer a household name, Seabiscuit enjoyed great celebrity during the 1930s and 1940s, drawing record crowds to his races around the country. Not an overtly impressive physical specimenD"His stubby legs were a study in unsound construction, with huge, squarish, asymmetrical 'baseball glove' knees that didn't quite straighten all the way"Dthe horse seemed to transcend his physicality as he won race after race. Hillenbrand, a contributor to Equus magazine, profiles the major players in Seabiscuit's fantastic and improbable career. In simple, elegant prose, she recounts how Charles Howard, a pioneer in automobile sales and Seabiscuit's eventual owner, became involved with horse racing, starting as a hobbyist and growing into a fanatic. She introduces esoteric recluse Tom Smith (Seabiscuit's trainer) and jockey Red Pollard, a down-on-his-luck rider whose specialty was taming unruly horses. In 1936, Howard united Smith, Pollard and "The Biscuit," whose performance had been spottyDand the horse's star career began. Smith, who recognized Seabiscuit's potential, felt an immediate rapport with him and eased him into shape. Once Seabiscuit started breaking records and outrunning lead horses, reporters thronged the Howard barn day and night. Smith's secret workouts became legendary and only heightened Seabiscuit's mystique. Hillenbrand deftly blends the story with explanations of the sport and its culture, including vivid descriptions of the Tijuana horse-racing scene in all its debauchery. She roots her narrative of the horse's breathtaking career and the wild devotion of his fans in its socioeconomic context: Seabiscuit embodied the underdog myth for a nation recovering from dire economic straits. (Mar.) Forecast: Despite the shrinking horse racing audienceDand the publishing adage that books on horse racing don't sellDthis book has the potential to do well, even outside the realm of the racing community, due to a large first printing and forthcoming Universal Studios movie. A stylish cover will attract both baby boomers and young readers, tapping into the sexiness and allure of the "Sport of Kings." Hillenbrand's glamorous photo on the book jacket won't hurt her chances, and Seabiscuit should sell at a galloping pace.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --このテキストは、 ハードカバー 版に関連付けられています。

A deluxe illustrated edition of one of the most beloved books of our time, with nearly 150 historic photographs personally selected by the author

The spellbinding true story of how three men and a great racehorse captivated a nation, Laura Hillenbrand’s Seabiscuit: An American Legend became an immediate number one bestseller and cultural phenomenon upon its publication in 2001. Named one of the best books of the year by more than twenty publications—including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, People, USA Today, and The Economist—Seabiscuit was also honored as the BookSense Nonfiction Book of the Year and the William Hill Sports Book of the Year, and was a finalist for several other major prizes, including the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.

For this lavishly illustrated special edition, author Laura Hillenbrand has written a new Introduction and selected nearly 150 rare photographs from historic archives and private collections. Seabiscuit tells the story of three remarkable men: Charles Howard, a bicycle repairman who made a fortune by introducing the automobile to the American West; Red Pollard, a failed prizefighter and failing jockey who was abandoned as a boy at a makeshift racetrack; and Tom Smith, an enigmatic mustang breaker who came from the vanishing frontier, bearing generations of lost wisdom about the secrets of horses.

In the sultry summer of 1936, the lives of these men converged around a bad-legged, floundering racehorse named Seabiscuit. Forming an improbable partnership, they transformed the horse into one of the most extraordinary competitors in sports history. In four tumultuous years, the rags-to-riches horse overcame a phenomenal run of misfortune to emerge as an American cultural icon, drawing an immense following, prompting an avalanche of merchandising, and establishing himself as the single biggest newsmaker of 1938—receiving more coverage than FDR, Hitler, or any other public figure.

Seabiscuit is an inspiring tale of unlikely heroes, a classic story of three embattled individuals and a remarkable racehorse overcoming the odds in the Great Depression.
--このテキストは、 ハードカバー 版に関連付けられています。

Praise for Seabiscut

“A captivating story . . . with the detail of good history, the blistering pace of Biscuit himself and the charm of grand legend.”
—The New York Times Book Review

“Remarkable . . . memorable . . . just as compelling today as it was in 1938.”
—The Washington Post

“Dazzling . . . [Seabiscuit] does for the world of horse racing what Into Thin Air did for mountain climbing. . . . In daredevil prose that sprints along at a breakneck pace, Hillenbrand tells the incredible tale of Seabiscuit. . . . Like a brilliant jockey, Hillenbrand suspensefully manages her champion of a story. In the final stretch, it hurtles towards its climax.”
—Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air, NPR

“It’s a terrific story, but it’s more than just a horse’s tale, because the humans who owned, trained and rode Seabiscuit are equally fascinating. . . . Even if your interest in horses goes no further than hansom cabs, you’ll find this book engrossing.”
—Sports Illustrated

“Terrific . . . Illuminating a forgotten piece of American history, Seabiscuit brings alive the drama, the beauty, the louche charm and the brutality of horse racing.”
—USA Today

“Good sports books are few and far between, good books on racing even more so. So it is hugely refreshing when one as fine as this one comes along. The research is meticulous, the writing elegant and concise, so that every page transports you back to the period. . . . This is a remarkable tale well told by a writer who deftly blends history and sport. Seabiscuit should capture a new generation of readers beyond the world of horse racing.”
—The Economist --このテキストは、 ハードカバー 版に関連付けられています。

Praise for Seabiscut

“A captivating story . . . with the detail of good history, the blistering pace of Biscuit himself and the charm of grand legend.”
—The New York Times Book Review

“Remarkable . . . memorable . . . just as compelling today as it was in 1938.”
—The Washington Post

“Dazzling . . . [Seabiscuit] does for the world of horse racing what Into Thin Air did for mountain climbing. . . . In daredevil prose that sprints along at a breakneck pace, Hillenbrand tells the incredible tale of Seabiscuit. . . . Like a brilliant jockey, Hillenbrand suspensefully manages her champion of a story. In the final stretch, it hurtles towards its climax.”
—Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air, NPR

“It’s a terrific story, but it’s more than just a horse’s tale, because the humans who owned, trained and rode Seabiscuit are equally fascinating. . . . Even if your interest in horses goes no further than hansom cabs, you’ll find this book engrossing.”
—Sports Illustrated

“Terrific . . . Illuminating a forgotten piece of American history, Seabiscuit brings alive the drama, the beauty, the louche charm and the brutality of horse racing.”
—USA Today

“Good sports books are few and far between, good books on racing even more so. So it is hugely refreshing when one as fine as this one comes along. The research is meticulous, the writing elegant and concise, so that every page transports you back to the period. . . . This is a remarkable tale well told by a writer who deftly blends history and sport. Seabiscuit should capture a new generation of readers beyond the world of horse racing.”
—The Economist
--このテキストは、 ハードカバー 版に関連付けられています。

Laura Hillenbrand has been writing about Thoroughbred racing since 1988 and has been a contributing writer/editor to EQUUS magazine since 1989. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, American Heritage, The Washington Post, and many other publications. She is a two-time winner of the Eclipse Award, the highest journalistic honor in Thoroughbred racing. She served as a consultant on the Universal Pictures movie based on this book as well as a PBS documentary on Seabiscuit’s life. Born in Fairfax, Virginia, Hillenbrand attended Kenyon College and currently lives in Washington, D.C. She can be reached via the Internet at www.seabiscuitonline.com. --このテキストは、 ハードカバー 版に関連付けられています。

ヒレンブランド,ローラ
ヴァージニア州フェアファクス生まれ。1988年より競馬ジャーナリストEQUUS magazine、American Heritage、The Blood‐Horse、Turf and Sport Digestなどで活躍。98年には、シービスケットについての記事で競馬界の名誉ある賞エクリプス賞受賞。ワシントンDC在住

奥田 祐士
翻訳家(本データはこの書籍が刊行された当時に掲載されていたものです)