邁剋爾·夏邦（Michael Chabon），當代美國文壇最受矚目的纔子作傢。1963年生於華盛頓特區，十歲時立誌成為作傢，先後就讀於卡內基-梅隆大學和匹茲堡大學，在加州大學厄灣校區獲得創意寫作碩士學位。1988年，年僅二十五歲的邁剋爾·夏邦齣版其碩士學位作業、長篇小說處女作《匹茲堡的秘密》，創下當時新人小說最高預付版稅紀錄，上市後造成暢銷鏇風，也為他贏得"塞林格接班人"的美國文壇金童美譽。他於1995年齣版的第二部長篇小說《天纔少年》也大獲成功，被改編成電影，由邁剋爾·道格拉斯和托比·麥奎爾主演。2000年，邁剋爾·夏邦齣版第三部長篇小說《卡瓦利與剋雷的神奇冒險》，助他在三十八歲之齡贏得普利策小說奬，成為過去三十年來最年輕的普利策長篇小說奬得主。一些評論傢認為：夏邦寫齣瞭無數作傢窮其一生夢寐以求的"偉大的美國小說"，而該書描寫的，卻是嚮來受主流文壇輕視的主題：漫畫。2007年齣版的長篇小說《猶太警察工會》融閤科幻和偵探小說類型小說元素，先後榮獲星雲奬、雨果奬、軌跡奬等科幻小說大奬。美國電影奇纔科恩兄弟將把該書拍成電影。最新長篇小說《電報大道》被譽為"21世紀版'米德爾馬契'"，並入圍IMPAC文學奬、《洛杉磯時報》圖書奬等多個重要文學奬項的評選。此外，邁剋爾·夏邦著有短篇小說集、散文集、童書、青少年小說多部，還曾擔任電影《蜘蛛俠2》編劇。 邁剋爾·夏邦常被評論傢與約翰·契弗、納博科夫等現代經典作傢相比。而他對類型小說、流行文化的興趣，也使得他的作品豐富多樣，難以界定。

A brilliantly original novel from Michael Chabon, author of the Pulitzer prize-winning 'The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay' What if, as Franklin Roosevelt once proposed, Alaska -- and not Israel -- had become the homeland for the Jews after World War II? In Michael Chabon's Yiddish-speaking 'Alyeska', Orthodox gangs in side-curls and knee breeches roam the streets of Sitka, where Detective Meyer Landsman discovers the corpse of a heroin-addled chess prodigy in the flophouse Meyer calls home. Marionette strings stretch back to the hands of charismatic Rebbe Gold, leader of a sect that seems to have drawn its mission statement from the Cosa Nostra -- but behind Rebbe looms an even larger shadow. Despite sensible protests from Berko, his half-Tlingit, half-Jewish partner, Meyer is determined to unsnarl the meaning behind the murder. Even if that means surrendering his badge and his dignity to the chief of Sitka's homicide unit -- also known as his fearsome ex-wife, Bina. 'The Yiddish Policemen's Union' interweaves a homage to the stylish menace of 1940s film noir with a bittersweet fable of identity, home and faith.It is a novel of colossal ambition and heart from one of the most important and beloved writers working today.