Wintry Night Trilogy

李喬於1975年起稿，至1981 年 2月陸續完成了《寒夜三部曲》---《寒夜》、《荒村》與《孤燈》三部作品，透過饒富文學意涵的語言文字，書寫日治時代的台灣歷史。故事以彭阿強、劉阿漢兩大家族、三代人開山墾荒蕃仔林的悲苦生活，以及反日抗爭為情節線，佐以各時代重要事件，描寫自日治時代50年前後所遭遇時代挑戰，歷經家族的興衰，是一部台灣「大河小說」史詩。

此為《寒夜三部曲》完整英譯版。

首部曲Wintry Night《寒夜》，寫的是台灣割讓給日本前後背景下，彭阿強一家7男5女，12口冒著生命危險，進入苗栗蕃仔林開山拓荒，流血流汗，結果遭土豪劣紳勾結官府，巧取豪奪。彭阿強六、七十歲時，不甘一生辛勤平白落空，為土地掙扎拚命，死在吊頸樹下。小說以沉鬱而真切的筆觸，揭示了農民在時代巨輪下的悲壯命運，讀來令人悲憤填膺。

第二部 Deserted Village《荒村》以彭家童養媳燈妹招贅的劉阿漢一家為核心，展開一段充滿血淚的時代悲歌。小說描繪劉阿漢父子，在日本殖民統治下為守護土地而毅然對抗惡法與經濟掠奪，不僅捲入日據時代中期文化協會分裂的風潮，更投身農民組合初期的重大抗爭。隨著運動的推進，劉家父子屢遭牢獄、拘禁與酷刑折磨，最終劉阿漢魂斷荒村，劉明鼎亦命喪拘留所。全書以樸實卻震撼人心的筆觸，呈現一家人在時代洪流中的掙扎與犧牲。劉家父子的悲壯身影，不僅映照了殖民壓迫下農民階級的宿命，更烙印出一幅驚心動魄的台灣歷史圖景。

第三部Lone Lamp《孤燈》，書寫的是台灣光復前後，山村極端匱乏的非人生活，以及劉家么子明基與彭家長子人傑、長孫永輝受徵召遠赴南洋戰場，死在異地的悲慘命運。小說不僅揭露戰亂下青年生命的脆弱與犧牲，更展現蕃仔林村民為了生存而迸發出的堅忍生命力。那些冤死於菲律賓的台灣青年，縱然長眠異地，心魂仍舊牽繫台灣故土，讓人讀來不勝唏噓與心酸。

這部作品不僅是文學作品，更是一部充滿人性深度和歷史情感的社會史詩。李喬以其獨特的筆觸，深刻刻畫了台灣在日治時期遭遇的種種挑戰，並通過家族的興衰反映了當時社會的複雜面貌。這部小說將為您呈現一場震撼心靈的文學之旅。

Lee Chiao’s epic Wintry Night Trilogy, comprising Wintry Night, Deserted Village, and Lone Lamp, is widely revered as a classic of Taiwan literature. Together, the books tell of the vicissitudes endured by three successive generations of Hakka farmers. Opening in the late Qing dynasty and concluding soon after the end of the Japanese occupation, the trilogy follows the Pengs and the Lius as they establish a legacy befitting the turbulence of modern Taiwan. This, Lee’s most celebrated work, is a poignant reflection on love, resilience, and the steadfast spirit of a colonized people.

Wintry Night is the haunting first book of Lee Chiao’s acclaimed Wintry Night Trilogy. Set before and during the period of Taiwan under Japanese rule, it follows the Peng family as they start a new life in Miaoli’s mountainous frontier, hoping for prosperity but instead confronting land grabs and codified dispossession. The novel’s intimate and unyielding intensity expresses the everyday struggles of those trapped at the edge of empire. It is a portrait of loss and resistance that speaks to the very soul of Taiwan.

Book two, Deserted Village depicts the exploitation of Taiwanese farmers, particularly in the sugar industry, and the rise of organized resistance through the Cultural Association in the 1920s and 1930s. Liu Ah-Han and his son Liu Ming-Ting become deeply involved in non-violent resistance movements, with Ah-Han facing repeated imprisonment and torture. The novel traces the development and eventual split of both the Cultural Association and the Farmers' Association, examining how these groups' trajectories reflect broader patterns in Taiwan's anti-Japanese resistance. Meanwhile, Ten-Mei maintains family stability despite her husband's frequent absences, as colonial oppression leads to the awakening of Taiwanese consciousness and collective resistance.

Lone Lamp brings Lee Chiao’s Wintry Night Trilogy to a close with quiet, unflinching power. In a time of war, a new generation grapples with loss, poverty, and withering dreams. Raised in mountain villages and thrown into unfamiliar lands, these are characters burdened with their forebears’ disappointments while carrying crushing traumas of their own. Through this compassionate novel, Lee Chiao reminds us that even the faintest hope can sustain a people’s spirit.

作者簡介
李喬（1934年，本名李能棋）畢業於新竹師範學校，一生求知若渴，創作不輟，作品形式包括小說、詩、散文、戲劇、雜文、文學評論、文化評論等。他以筆名「李喬」發表多部深具影響力的作品，其中以《寒夜三部曲》最為知名。這套作品以蕃仔林為背景，融合台灣歷史與客家文化元素，生動地描繪了彭阿強、劉阿漢等兩大家族三代人的奮鬥歷程，深刻反映了他們在日治時代和戰後台灣所面對的種種挑戰與抉擇。《寒夜》更改編成第一部客語文學連續劇，於2002年在公共電視台播出，引發廣泛迴響。
除了文學創作，李喬在文化評論領域也有卓越成就，榮獲眾多文學獎項，包括台灣文學獎、國家文藝獎、吳三連文藝獎、客家終身貢獻獎、行政院文化獎等。他不僅在文學創作上有突出貢獻，還積極參與台灣文化的推廣與教育工作，曾擔任總統府國策顧問，致力於提升台灣文學和客家文化的影響力與社會地位。
李喬的作品和學術成就深深植根於台灣文化的土壤中，他的文學探索和對歷史的敏感觸覺，不僅豐富了台灣文學的內涵，也啟發了許多讀者對於自身文化身份的反思與認同，更以一股穿透時代的力量，深刻塑造了台灣當代文化的精神與靈魂。

Authors:
Lee Chiao (b. 1934), a prominent writer of Hakka descent, is the author of sixteen collections of short stories, eleven full-length novels, and seven treatises. In addition to dozens of prestigious awards—including the Taiwan Literature Award and the National Award for Arts—he is the recipient of an honorary doctorate in Taiwan literature from the Taiwan Culture Academy.

His meticulously crafted Wintry Night Trilogy, written between 1975 and 1980, immerses readers in Taiwan’s complex past through a profound and empathetic portrayal of the island’s Hakka settlers. In an incomparable odyssey of nearly one million Chinese characters, Lee Chiao creates an entire universe suffused with resistance, devotion, and unbreakable identity.

譯者簡介
Jim Weldon
英國倫敦大學亞非研究學院一級榮譽學位畢業，主修中文古典與現代文學，並通曉藏文。擅長小說翻譯，曾榮獲多項文學翻譯獎項，近年來，與文化部所屬的 Books from Taiwan多有合作，深刻領悟台灣本土文學的豐富內涵文化底蘊。

Translator’s bio:
Jim Weldon, a first-class honors graduate from the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies, specializes in translating modern Chinese literature, including poetry. With a background in Tibetan studies, he has translated numerous short stories and novels. Jim contributes to Taiwan's cultural scene through the Books from Taiwan program and received national acclaim for his translation of a Tibetan-Chinese short story.


Michael Nakhiengchanh
畢業於德州大學達拉斯分校歷史學系，並取得國立臺灣師範大學翻譯研究所碩士學位。碩士論文聚焦於台灣獨立運動先驅史明（Su Beng）。Michael 具備多年遊戲、小說與兒童書籍翻譯實務經驗，致力於透過譯作，以臺灣的歷史視角，照亮這塊土地的當代風貌。

Translator’s bio:
Michael Nakhiengchanh has a bachelor’s in history from UT Dallas and a master’s in translation from National Taiwan Normal University. His thesis centered on Taiwan independence fighter Su Beng. With five years of translation experience, he has worked on projects including games, novels, and children’s books. His work focuses on shining new light on Taiwan through its past.

Wintry Night: A Novel《寒夜首部曲I》
Contents
Introduction by John Balcom i
Prologue: Strange Fish 1
1. The Peng Family Enters Wildling Wood 5
2. The Life of a Border Guard 27
3. Headhunters and Heaven’s Hook 45
4. The Shit Scare 89
5. A Landlord’s Threat 121
6. Young Love 147
7. Disasters Manmade and Heaven-sent 191
8. Changes 239
9. Barbarians from the Eastern Seas 275
10. Winter’s Night 351

Deserted Village: A Novel《寒夜二部曲II：荒村》
Contents
Introduction by John Balcom i
Prologue: Strange Fish 1
1. Hidden Troubles 5
2. Night’s Bitter Dreams 39
3. Boundless Land 115
4. Dark Skies 171
5. A World of Wrongs 227
6. Silent Mountains 311
7. The Deserted Village 389

Lone Lamp: A Novel《寒夜三部曲III：孤燈》
Contents
Introduction by John Balcom i
Prologue: Strange Fish 1
1. Crying 5
2. Farewell 21
3. Thousands of Li from Home 41
4. Mood and Cloud 65
5. Calamity 95
6. Farewell on the Grass 147
7. Spring in fog 181
8. Ten Sacrifices 223
9. The Mountain Woman 263
10. The Journey of the Salmon 295
11. Late Summer in Fantzu Wood 343
12. The Immortal Lamp 375