'The room was filled with a blinding light. She was paralysed by fear, fixed still in her chair for a long moment. Everything fell.' 2015 is the 70th anniversary of Hiroshima, when, on 6 August at 8.15am, an atomic bomb was dropped, killing one hundred thousand men, women and children in its white fury. John Hersey's spare, devastating report on the attack was first published in the New Yorkerin 1946. Written in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, it chronicles what happened through the eyes of six civilians. It is a classic piece of journalism, and a defining moment of the nuclear age. 'One of the most powerful writers of modern times.' Washington Post
John Richard Hersey Books
John Hersey was an American writer and journalist recognized as an early practitioner of New Journalism, a style that blends novelistic storytelling with non-fiction reportage. He is celebrated for his account of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, a work deemed the finest piece of journalism of the 20th century. Hersey's approach fused compelling narrative techniques with factual reporting to illuminate profound human experiences.
A saga of a magnificent violin, Antonietta, named after a beautiful woman who was the inspiration of Antonio Stradivari's later years. As Hersey brings Mozart, Berlioz, and Stravinsky to life, he offers us a marvelous celebration of the changing character and eternal art and power of music. From the Trade Paperback edition.
Hiroshima
Het beste journalistieke werk van de twintigste eeuw - Met een nawoord van H.J.A. Hofland
- 187 pages
- 7 hours of reading
Al dagen was er de dreiging van luchtaanvallen, hoewel het alles-is-veiligsein had geklonken. Toch was daar plots de flits. Straten waren te warm om over te lopen. Aardappels kwamen gaar uit de grond, pompoenen hingen warm aan hun struiken. Er waren ontelbaar veel doden en gewonden. Door de ogen van zes overlevenden, allen met verschillende achtergronden, beschrijft John Hersey de vernietigende kracht van de bom. De zes aanschouwen vol verbazing de verwoestingen en proberen waar mogelijk gewonden te helpen. Later keert Hersey terug naar Hiroshima en laat zien wat er van de zes geworden is. Het leven heeft nooit meer zijn gewone gang hernomen. In dit klassieke, tijdloze meesterwerk beschrijft Hersey via ooggetuigen de rauwe werkelijkheid, die zo indrukwekkend is dat elk commentaar overbodig is.