North against south

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Front cover of the original French edition with an illustration by Léon Benett
Map from the novel drawn by Léon Benett

Nord gegen Süd is a novel by the French author Jules Verne . The novel was first published in November 1887 by the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel under the French title Nord Contre Sud . Volume I appeared on May 26, 1887 and Volume II on November 14, 1887. A pre-publication was published in advance in the Magasin d'Éducation et de Récréation in the period from January 1 to December 1, 1887. The first German-language edition appeared in 1888 under the title Nord gegen Süd . The full English title of the novel is Texar's Revenge, or, North Against South .

action

North versus South tells the story of James Burbank, a Northerner and anti- slavery who runs a farm near Jacksonville , Florida on the St. Johns River , and Texar, a Southerner and advocate of slavery in the United States . The story takes place in the beginning of 1862, embedded in the events of the American Civil War . First published in France in 1887, the book received a moderate response after its publication in the United States , partly due to Jules Verne's incomplete assessment of some of the details of the American Civil War.

Texar and Burbank are bitter enemies. Burbank's northern, negative attitude towards slavery is met with opposition from Texar and the rest of the Confederate community . Crimes happen again and again in Florida. The suspect, Texar, is seen, arrested and tried. But he can always produce an irrefutable, complete alibi that allows him to escape conviction. Texar becomes a well known and influential member of the Jacksonville community and one of the leading men on the southern side of Florida. His greatest opponent, James Burbank, sides with the north and gives his slaves freedom. So he surrenders himself to Texar, who wants to destroy him. Taking advantage of his newfound strength, Texar incites the townspeople against Burbank and leads a mob that ravages the Burbank farm, Camdless Bay. During these fights, Burbank's daughter Dy and the nanny Zermah are robbed and disappear without a trace. It is believed that Texar is behind this, but he can again show an alibi in a court hearing. Burbank, however, faces death as a supporter of the north.

Finally the troops of the northern states advance, Texar has to flee. After several days of searching, the Burbanks find clues in a hidden hut that the kidnapped people were allegedly taken to the Everglades on the island of Carneral in Lake Okeechobee .

Burbank and his son Gilbert, a United States Navy officer , join friends in the pursuit of Texar. On the way they come across a group of United States Navy soldiers who are also looking for Texar. This group wants to retaliate for a crime that appears to have happened at the same time as that in Camdless Bay, but far away. This leads everyone to believe that there is a real Texar and one that isn't. The search continues, not only for Dy and Zermah, but also for the answer to this riddle.

German language translations

  • "Nord gegen Süd" for buchclub 65, Verlag Neues Leben Berlin (1978) - no translator specified, with illustrations by Jürgen Pansow

literature

  • Heinrich Pleticha (ed.): Jules Verne manual . Deutscher Bücherbund / Bertelsmann, Stuttgart and Munich 1992.
  • Volker Dehs and Ralf Junkerjürgen: Jules Verne . Voices and interpretations of his work. Fantastic Library Wetzlar, Wetzlar 2005.
  • Volker Dehs: Jules Verne . Jules Verne. A critical biography. Artemis & Winkler, Düsseldorf 2005. ISBN 3-538-07208-6 .

Web links

Commons : Texar's Revenge, or, North Against South  - collection of images, videos and audio files
Wikisource: Nord contre sud  - sources and full texts