The novel of the famous American writer tells about the life and military activities of one of the formations of the US army on the Pacific front during the Second World War. The author exposes the order and manners prevailing in the U.S. armed forces. Although more than 30 years have passed since the events described in the book, the reader does not leave the feeling that everything is happening today. Published by: New York, N. Y. Picador/H. Holt, 1998, dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the first publication of the novel: Hailed as one of the finest novels to come out of the Second World War, The Naked and the Dead received unprecedented critical acclaim upon its publication and had since become part of the American canon. This fifty anniversary edition features a new introduction created especially doe the occupation by Norman Mailer. Written in gritty, journalistic detail, the story follows an army platoon of foot soldiers who are fighting for the possession of the Japanese-held island of Anopopei. Composed in 1948, The Naked and the Dead is representative of the best in twentieth-century American writing. (Mailer N. The Naked and the Dead. N. Y. : Picador, 1998. )