Peter Benchley – författare

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - The shark-versus-man classic that inspired the blockbuster Steven Spielberg movie

"A tightly written, tautly paced study of terror."-The Washington Post

A great white shark terrorizes the beautiful summer getaway of Amity Island, and a motley group of men take to the water to do battle with the beast. A heart-pounding novel of suspense and a brilliant meditation on the nature of humanity, Jaws is one of the most iconic thrillers ever written. 

This edition features bonus content from Peter Benchley's archives, including the manuscript's original typed title page, a brainstorming list of possible titles, a letter from Benchley to film producer David Brown with candid feedback on the movie adaptation, and excerpts from Benchley's book Shark Trouble, highlighting his firsthand account of writing Jaws, selling it to Universal Studios, and working with Steven Spielberg.

After writing Jaws in the early 1970s, Peter Benchley was actively engaged with scientists and filmmakers, and over the ensuing decades, joined many expeditions around the world as they expanded their knowledge of sharks and shark behavior. He encouraged each new generation of Jaws fans to enjoy his riveting tale and to channel their excitement into support and protection of these magnificent prehistoric apex predators.

With the 1974 publication of the novel Jaws and the release a year later of the film based on the book, an American cultural phenomenon was born. Today, the remarkable bestseller by Peter Benchley still towers as a thrilling classic of suspense, drama, and the eternal conflicts of man against nature … and man against himself.

As the movie continues to broadcast all over the world, entire generations may know the Jaws story only through its cinematic rendition. Those unfamiliar with the literary forerunner are in for a wonderful surprise, for the novel contains many twists of plot and character that were omitted in the film. Peter Benchley’s Jaws is an extraordinary experience of its own, a masterpiece as mesmerizing today as it was in 1974, when it first took us into the watery world of a creature designed by nature to kill … and into the terror it brings from the silent darkness of the deep.

En av 1900-talets stora populärkulturella klassiker i ny utgåva

»En tät, rysningsframkallande studie i skräck« The Washington Post

En helt vanlig morgon spolas vad som finns kvar av Chrissie Watkins kropp upp på badorten Amitys vita sanddyner. Hon har dödats av en massiv vithaj. Polischefen Martin Brody vill få badstränderna stängda, men krassa affärsmän - liksom borgmästaren Larry Vaughn - kräver att saken tystas ner. Så skördar hajen ytterligare människoliv, bland dem en ung pojke. När ryktet och rädslan sprids hotas den turismberoende staden av ruin. Martin Brody blir tvungen att ta upp kampen mot Amitys cyniska maktmän - och mot djuret från djupen. Hajen hör till 1900-talets stora populärkulturella klassiker, lika delar äventyrsroman som samhällskritik. Nu ges romanen ut på svenska för första gången på 45 år, i översättning av Staffan Andrae och Ingemar Forsström.

PETER BENCHLEY [1940-2006] var en amerikansk författare som fick sitt stora genombrott med Hajen [1974], en roman inspirerad av en verklig händelse där en fiskare från Long Island 1964 fångade en två ton tung vithaj. Boken har sålt i över 20 miljoner exemplar världen över och fått generationer av människor att tveka inför att kliva ned i vattnet. Steven Spielbergs filmatisering från 1975 blev en enorm succé och betraktas som den moderna blockbusterns förlaga.