The always-wonderful Today in Literature has an interesting entry today on the monumental article "Hiroshima" published on this date, in its entirety, by The New Yorker magazine in 1946.Long a fan of the period between the wars (roughly 1918-1946), and a great fan of fellow journalists, I had heard about John Hersey's legendary article for years. I did not actually find and read it until just this year -- when I borrowed the Complete New Yorker that I bought Matt for his birthday.
I think what makes it work so well is the slow, determined pace that Hersey uses to introduce the story, the survivors he interviewed, the sights and sounds he experienced. It is certainly not for the faint of heart; but it is dramatic and compelling in its "You are there" story-telling quality.
If you are any kind of fan of excellent writing then this article is a must read. I could not find the complete text online, but the article is available in book form here.
3 comments:
I discovered the book, Hiroshima, in my school libary when I worked shelving books in 7th grade. Changed my Tiger Beat world in the time it took to read between the tears. I'm new to blogging, and don't know the etiquette yet. May I link to your blog? I found yours as a viewer in my stats. I obviously have a certain focus on promoting my business within my blog, but I really do have another facet to my life that your blog clicks with. REAL animal crackers, HONEST media, INTELLIGENT writing…need I say more?
Alohabc: Please feel free to link to my blog (thank you for asking). I don't know the protocol, but I think you can link to blogs or entries you like without permission -- as long as you're nice about it. :-)
I can just imagine what it would have been like to read "Hiroshima" that young. I think it would have disturbed me much more than it did.
Mahalo (thank you)! Will be up later today!
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