Hiroshima (Hersey)
Encyclopedia
Hiroshima is the title of a magazine
article written by Pulitzer
winner John Hersey
that appeared in The New Yorker
s issue for August 31, 1946, one year after the United States dropped
an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima
, Japan
, at 8:15 a.m., August 6, 1945. The article was soon made into a book.
in detail, focusing on the accounts of six individuals:
Each account is followed by a brief statement describing how close each person was to the center of the blast.
The article consisted of four parts:
Though Collier's Weekly
had previously published an account of the bombing, the editors of the New Yorker recognized the impact that the article would have by providing a human face to the victims, and devoted the entire August 31, 1946 edition to it. Although the four chapters were intended for serialization in four consecutive issues of the magazine, the editors decided to devote one entire issue only to it. There were no other articles and none of the magazine's signature cartoon
s. Readers, who had never before been exposed to the horrors of nuclear war
from the perspective of the actual people who lived through it, were quick to pick up copies, and the edition sold out within just a few hours. The article was read in its entirety over the radio
and discussed by newspaper
s. Shortly after it appeared, the Book-of-the-Month Club printed it as a book and distributed it free of charge to all of its members. Only in Japan was the distribution of the book discouraged by the American Occupation Government.
Despite its popularity, the book, which appeared as the Cold War
was gaining momentum, faced some criticism by people who either felt it was too sympathetic to the victims, thereby challenging the use of nuclear weapons against the Soviet Union
, and by others who felt that Hersey's tone was too dry and journalistic. Nevertheless, the book is still popular today, and often cited by anti-nuclear weapons activists.
adapted the book into a radio play, which was recorded for Pacifica Radio Archives, in association with Artists United and the Feminist Majority
. The recording was directed by Michael Haney with music by Mark Snow
. It was broadcast in 2004 and featured actors Tyne Daly
, Ruby Dee
, Roscoe Lee Brown, Daniel Benzali
, Esther K. Chae
, Michael Chinyamurindi, Tony Plana
, Jeanne Sakata
, Chris Tashima
, and Valentine.
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
article written by Pulitzer
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
winner John Hersey
John Hersey
John Richard Hersey was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American writer and journalist considered one of the earliest practitioners of the so-called New Journalism, in which storytelling devices of the novel are fused with non-fiction reportage...
that appeared in The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
s issue for August 31, 1946, one year after the United States dropped
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
During the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted two atomic bombings against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, the first on August 6, 1945, and the second on August 9, 1945. These two events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date.For six months...
an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, at 8:15 a.m., August 6, 1945. The article was soon made into a book.
The Story
The article and book describe the events after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and NagasakiAtomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
During the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted two atomic bombings against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, the first on August 6, 1945, and the second on August 9, 1945. These two events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date.For six months...
in detail, focusing on the accounts of six individuals:
| Name | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Reverend Mr. Kiyoshi Tanimoto Kiyoshi Tanimoto was a Methodist minister famous for his work for the Hiroshima Maidens. He was one of the six Hiroshima survivors whose experiences of the bomb and later life are portrayed in John Hersey's book Hiroshima.... |
A Methodist Methodism Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother... minister educated in the United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... at Emory University Emory University Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of... was 3,500 yards from the center of the explosion |
|
| Mrs. Hatsuyo Nakamura | A war widow and seamstress, the mother of three young children was 1350 yards from the center of the explosion | |
| Dr. Masakazu Fujii | A prosperous doctor and owner of a private hospital Hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays.... , tried to commit suicide, was 1550 yards from the center of the explosion |
|
| Father Wilhelm Kleinsorge (Makoto Takakura) | A Jesuit priest stationed in the city was 1400 yards from the center of the explosion | |
| Dr. Terufumi Sasaki | A young doctor at the Red Cross hospital was 1650 yards from the center of the explosion | |
| Miss Toshiko Sasaki (Sister Dominique Sasaki) | A clerk at the East Asia Tin Works (no relation to Terufumi Sasaki) was 1600 yards from the center of the explosion |
Each account is followed by a brief statement describing how close each person was to the center of the blast.
The article consisted of four parts:
| Title | Summary |
|---|---|
| "A Noiseless Flash" | Describing the moment of the blast |
| "The Fire" | Describing the devastation that the city experienced immediately after the blast, and the efforts of the hibakusha Hibakusha The surviving victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are called , a Japanese word that literally translates to "explosion-affected people"... ("explosion-affected people") to reach safety in Asano Park |
| "Details Are Being Investigated" | Describing the rumors about what happened that were rampant throughout the city, while the hibakusha provide help and comfort to one another |
| "Panic Grass and Feverfew" | Describing the weeks after the attack, as the hibakusha attempt to rebuild their lives, while facing blast and radiation induced medical conditions that hamper their readjustment to a normal life |
Though Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly was an American magazine founded by Peter Fenelon Collier and published from 1888 to 1957. With the passage of decades, the title was shortened to Collier's....
had previously published an account of the bombing, the editors of the New Yorker recognized the impact that the article would have by providing a human face to the victims, and devoted the entire August 31, 1946 edition to it. Although the four chapters were intended for serialization in four consecutive issues of the magazine, the editors decided to devote one entire issue only to it. There were no other articles and none of the magazine's signature cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
s. Readers, who had never before been exposed to the horrors of nuclear war
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
from the perspective of the actual people who lived through it, were quick to pick up copies, and the edition sold out within just a few hours. The article was read in its entirety over the radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and discussed by newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s. Shortly after it appeared, the Book-of-the-Month Club printed it as a book and distributed it free of charge to all of its members. Only in Japan was the distribution of the book discouraged by the American Occupation Government.
Despite its popularity, the book, which appeared as the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
was gaining momentum, faced some criticism by people who either felt it was too sympathetic to the victims, thereby challenging the use of nuclear weapons against the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, and by others who felt that Hersey's tone was too dry and journalistic. Nevertheless, the book is still popular today, and often cited by anti-nuclear weapons activists.
Aftermath
Modern editions of the book contain a final, fifth chapter, The Aftermath, written forty years after the original article. In it, Hersey returned to Japan to discover what happened to the six people he originally interviewed in the ensuing years:- Masakazu Fujii was poisoned one night in a gas leak while he slept. He spent 11 years in a comaComaIn medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
before he died on January 12, 1973. - Wilhelm Kleinsorge became a Japanese citizen and took a Japanese name, Makoto Takakura. He died at St. Luke's HospitalSt. Luke's HospitalSt. Luke's Hospital may refer to:in Greece* St. Luke's Hospital in Ireland* St. Luke's General Hospital, Kilkenny* St. Luke's Hospital, Rathgar, Dublinin Japan* St. Luke's International Hospitalin Malta* St. Luke's Hospital, Malta...
in Kobe on November 19, 1977. - Toshiko Sasaki cared for her three younger siblings, and later became a nunNunA nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
in the Society of the Helpers of the Holy SoulsSociety of the Helpers of the Holy SoulsThe Society of Helpers, formerly known as the Society of the Helpers of the Holy Souls, is a Roman Catholic religious congregation of women founded in Paris, France in 1856, with the objective of assisting the souls in Purgatory through their service to the needy of the world...
and took the name Sister Dominique Sasaki. - Dr. Terufumi Sasaki had prospered with his own private clinic, and several experiences, such as a bad operation for lung cancer and his wife's death, had developed his outlook on life and death.
- Kiyoshi Tanimoto had become the "celebrity" of the group, touring the United States to raise money to rebuild his church, help young girls injured in the blast with things such as reconstructive surgery, and establish the Hiroshima Peace Center. On one such visit, described in detail, he appeared on the popular televisionTelevisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
program This Is Your LifeThis Is Your LifeThis Is Your Life is an American television documentary series broadcast on NBC, originally hosted by its producer, Ralph Edwards from 1952 to 1961. In the show, the host surprises a guest, and proceeds to take them through their life in front of an audience including friends and family.Edwards...
where he was placed in the uncomfortable position of meeting with Captain Robert A. LewisRobert A. LewisRobert A. Lewis was a United States Army Air Forces Officer serving in the Pacific Theatre during World War II.Lewis grew up in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey and attended Ridgefield Park High School there, graduating in 1937....
, copilot of the Enola GayEnola GayEnola Gay is a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, named after Enola Gay Tibbets, mother of the pilot, then-Colonel Paul Tibbets. On August 6, 1945, during the final stages of World War II, it became the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb as a weapon of war...
, which dropped the bomb on the city.
Radio play
Actor John ValentineJohn Valentine
John Nugent Valentine was a Canadian cricketer, a left-arm medium-pace bowler whose main claim to fame is that of being the first player to take a wicket for Canada in a One Day International. His batting was extremely poor, and in nine matches at ODI and ICC Trophy level his highest score was 3...
adapted the book into a radio play, which was recorded for Pacifica Radio Archives, in association with Artists United and the Feminist Majority
Feminist Majority Foundation
The Feminist Majority Foundation is a non-profit organization in the United States dedicated to Women's Equality, Reproductive Health and Non-Violence, headquartered in Arlington County, Virginia. The name Feminist Majority comes from a 1986 Newsweek/Gallup public opinion poll in which 56 percent...
. The recording was directed by Michael Haney with music by Mark Snow
Mark Snow
Mark Snow is an American composer for film and television.Born in New York, he grew up in Brooklyn, graduating from the High School of Music and Art and, afterwards, the Juilliard School of Music...
. It was broadcast in 2004 and featured actors Tyne Daly
Tyne Daly
Tyne Daly is an American stage and screen actress, widely known for her work as Detective Mary Beth Lacey in the television series Cagney & Lacey and as Maxine Gray in the television series Judging Amy. She is also known for her role as Alice Henderson in television series Christy...
, Ruby Dee
Ruby Dee
Ruby Dee is an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and activist, perhaps best known for co-starring in the film A Raisin in the Sun and the film American Gangster for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.-Early years:Dee was born Ruby...
, Roscoe Lee Brown, Daniel Benzali
Daniel Benzali
Daniel Benzali is a Brazilian-American stage, television and film actor.-Biography:Benzali was born in Rio de Janeiro to Brazilian Jewish parents...
, Esther K. Chae
Esther K. Chae
Esther Chae is a Korean-American actor and writer. Chae has appeared in numerous television shows such as NCIS, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, The West Wing, The Shield, and ER...
, Michael Chinyamurindi, Tony Plana
Tony Plana
Tony Plana is a Cuban-American actor and director. He is well known for playing Betty Suarez's father, Ignacio Suarez, on the ABC show Ugly Betty.-Personal life:...
, Jeanne Sakata
Jeanne Sakata
Jeanne Sakata is an American film, television and stage actress and playwright.Her appearances include supporting roles in episodes of Knots Landing, LA Law, Port Charles, Providence, Family Law, ER, Desperate Housewives and others. Her first appearance on the big screen was in 1992 in the erotic...
, Chris Tashima
Chris Tashima
Chris Tashima is a Japanese American actor and director. He is co-founder of the entertainment company Cedar Grove Productions and Artistic Director of its Asian American theatre company, Cedar Grove OnStage. He is the son of U.S. Circuit Judge A. Wallace Tashima...
, and Valentine.
See also
- Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and NagasakiAtomic bombings of Hiroshima and NagasakiDuring the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted two atomic bombings against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, the first on August 6, 1945, and the second on August 9, 1945. These two events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date.For six months...
- HibakushaHibakushaThe surviving victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are called , a Japanese word that literally translates to "explosion-affected people"...
- List of books about nuclear issues
- Nuclear weapons