Top 6 Books About Gangsters黑帮小说六佳作

罗德·雷诺兹

Its not hard to understand the enduring appeal of gangsters in fiction. From the romantic notion of the outlaw antihero to the caricature of the psychotic mob boss， they have been portrayed in many different lights1; but the unifying theme is that they live by a set of rules alien to the law-abiding public， and that makes them fascinating. We want to know what makes them tick2， to understand their world and to see it in all its bloody reality. Its the essence of what makes a good thriller： showing us a violent existence from the safety of an armchair.

Heres my pick of the gangster books Ive read over the years：

1. The Godfather by Mario Puzo

An obvious choice， perhaps， but a reflection of how seminal it is to the genre. Francis Ford Coppolas film adap-tation is regarded as one of the greatest of all time， but the book is a classic in its own right. It introduced terms like Cosa Nostra3 and omertà to a mass audience and defined the public perception of mobsters for decades to come.

2. Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi

Adapted by Martin Scorsese as the film Goodfellas， Pileggis account of the life of mobster Henry Hill was the starting point for the modern-day depiction of the gangster. The book set the template for all that followed—from Casino and Donnie Brasco right through to The Sopranos.

3. American Tabloid by James Ellroy

Ellroy dedicates his masterpiece to “bad men， and the price they paid to secretly define their time”. Covering the period from JFKs4 election to his assassination， Ellroy takes us into the world of thugs， fixers5 and killers on the fringes of power. It still amazes me that in 600 pages， the closest thing to a hero6 is a hitman who by his own reckoning has killed more than 500 people. It was accused of glorifying criminals， but I prefer Ellroys own explanation： this is a story of three men crushed by the weight of their own evil.

4. The Power of the Dog by Don Winslow

Winslows novel chronicles the first 30 years of the USs “war on drugs”. Epic in every sense， the book lays bare the violence， futility and hypocrisy of the policy， and is made all the more striking by its grounding in true events. But this is much more than a fictional exposé of recent history; as in The Godfather， its the personal relationships that drive the narrative as the friendship between DEA7 agent Art Keller and narco kingpin Miguel Angel Barrera disintegrates into a blood feud.

5. LA Confidential by James Ellroy

For my money8， Ellroys five-book run from The Big Nowhere to The Cold Six Thousand is as strong as any crime author has put together. LA Confidential focuses on the LA mob scene after Siegel9， but takes in LAPD corruption， institutional racism， high-class prostitution and more. Sprawling and complex， yet exquisitely plotted， its the pathos Ellroy imbues in his tough guys that sets this apart. That and the fact that it features the villainous Dudley Smith at his absolute zenith.

6. After Hours by Edwin Torres

Torress work opens up the rarely featured world of Puerto Rican gangs in Spanish Harlem10. It is the second book in the series， and this time Carlito Brigante is older and wiser and looking for a way out of the life—and anyone familiar with the genre knows that never goes well. The book hums with authenticity， and Brigante is a standout character： a killer and a survivor， but smart and thoughtful with it.

小說里的黑帮长久以来魅力不减，这一点并不难理解。从浪漫地想象在逃的反英雄到用夸张手法描写疯狂的黑帮老大，帮派人物的形象各有千秋;但其中一致的主题是，这些人物所遵从的规则是遵纪守法的百姓不了解的，也正是这点使他们独具魅力。我们想知道他们所作所为背后的原因，想了解他们的世界，还想亲眼目睹那个世界血淋淋的现实。这正是优秀惊悚小说的精髓所在：读者不用离开舒适的扶手椅就能一览暴力世界。

这些年我读了不少描写黑帮的书，下面挑出几本分享：

1. 马里奥·普佐的《教父》

也许大家都会选这本书，这也反映出它对这类小说影响深远。弗朗西斯·福特·科波拉据其改编的电影可视作史上最优秀的作品之一，而这本书本身也堪称经典。它向广大读者介绍了Cosa Nostra（美国黑手党）和omertà（缄默法则）等黑帮用语，并且在接下来的数十年内界定了公众对黑帮人物的认知。

2. 尼古拉斯·皮莱吉的《盗亦有道》

皮莱吉的这本书讲述了黑帮人物亨利·希尔的一生，后经马丁·斯科塞斯改编成电影《好家伙》。该书是现代描述黑帮作品的起点。从《赌城风云》和《忠奸人》一直到《黑道家族》，后来的此类作品均以该书为典范。

3. 詹姆斯·艾尔罗伊的《美国小报》

艾尔罗伊将这部杰作献给“坏人，还有他们为默默塑造自己的时代而付出的代价”。故事发生在从约翰·F.肯尼迪当选总统到遇刺身亡的这段时间，作者将我们带入暴徒、毒品贩子和杀手的世界，将我们带到了权力的边缘。至今仍让我惊叹不已的是，600页的故事里，唯一跟英雄沾边儿的人物是一个据自己估算刺杀了500多人的雇佣杀手。有人曾指责这本书在为犯罪分子唱赞歌，但我更赞同艾尔罗伊自己的解释：这本书讲述的是三个男人被自己沉重的罪恶压垮的故事。

4. 唐·温斯洛的《犬之力》

温斯洛的这部小说按时间顺序讲述了美国“禁毒之战”前30年的征程。从各个层面来讲，它都是一部史诗级作品，揭开了禁毒政策充满暴力同时又徒劳无果且虚伪的一面。小说基于真实事件写成，因而更加令人瞩目。但是，这本书远不止是以小说的形式披露那一段历史;与小说《教父》一样，本书故事进展也由人物之间的关系推动，美国缉毒局特工阿特·凯勒和毒枭米格尔·安赫尔·巴雷拉之间的友情逐渐瓦解，演变成一场血腥纷争。

5. 詹姆斯·艾尔罗伊的《洛城机密》

在我看来，从《无际荒原》到《冷峻六千》，艾尔罗伊创作的这五部作品质量都很高，不弱于任何其他犯罪小说作家的作品集。《洛城机密》重点描写了继西格尔之后的洛杉矶黑社会势力，但也没有忽略洛城警方内部腐败堕落、制度性种族歧视、高级性交易等现象。小说铺陈宏大、错综复杂，却又布局精妙;艾尔罗伊笔下的硬汉颇具感染力，正是这点使该故事与众不同。还有一个原因，那就是本书中邪恶的达德利·史密斯正处于权力的绝对巅峰时期。

6. 埃德温·托里斯的《非常时间》

托里斯的这部作品展现了一个极少受人关注的世界，那就是东哈莱姆区的波多黎各黑帮。本书是一套系列小说的第二部。这一部里，黑帮人物卡利托·布里甘特老了几岁，也聪明了一些，试图摆脱过去的生活——任何熟悉这类小说的人都知道如此选择从来都不会有好结局。这本书读起来非常真实，布里甘特也是个不同寻常的角色：既是个生命力顽强的杀手，也是个言行谨慎的聪明人。

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者）