This Modern Library edition of a true colossus among adventure stories is reprinted from the original 1932 novelization of the movie script, and includes a Preface by Mark Cotta Vaz, the preeminent biographer of Merian C. Cooper, producer of the original 1933 classic film. Introduction by Greg Bear Preface by Mark Cotta Vaz The giant prehistoric gorilla King Kong is one of the most recognized images in our culture. So great is the mighty Kong’s hold on the popular imagination that his story–a gripping yarn of man versus nature, coupled with a fantastical update of the Beauty and the Beast legend–has been thrice made into a motion picture (most recently in 2005) and referenced endlessly in every medium, from books to prime-time sitcoms. Beneath King Kong’s cultural significance, however, is a tense and surprisingly tender story. One cannot help but be frightened by Kong’s uncontrollable fury, be saddened over the giant’s capture, mistreatment, and exploitation by venal showmen, or sympathize with the beast’s ill-fated affection for the down-on-her-luck starlet Ann Darrow. This Modern Library edition of a true colossus among adventure stories is reprinted from the original 1932 novelization of the movie script, and includes a Preface by Mark Cotta Vaz, the preeminent biographer of Merian C. Cooper, producer of the original 1933 classic film.

キングコングは単なる怪獣小説ではなく、文明と野生の衝突を問う魂の悲劇です。エドガー・ウォーレスらの筆致は、巨獣の猛々しさの裏にある孤独や、人間の欲望が招く残酷さを鮮やかに描き出します。本作の本質は、異質な存在への恐怖と同時に抱く、切ないまでの共感にあります。 映像版が視覚的驚異を追求したのに対し、小説版は内面描写の深さが際立ちます。コングがアンに向ける純粋な思慕は、活字を通じて読者の胸に突き刺さるでしょう。映画のスペクタクルを補完する文学的な叙情性は、両メディアを横断することでより重層的な感動を呼び起こします。