Literary Journalism
Hey
Continuing my cultural ramblings on this lovely blog... now, a book. Hiroshima, by John Hersey. The book was originally an article for the New Yorker - like many of the writings of the "new journalism" period. In fact, this particular article was published not in chapters, as it usually was the case, but it was published entirely in one edition of the magazine - which meant that none of the normal sections was published in that edition, just Hersey's text. And it was not only a historical edition, but one of the fastest selling numbers of the New Yorker.
Obviously, it tells the story of Hiroshima, and the atomic bomb that destroyed it. Most importantly, it tells the story of 6 people who survived the bomb, and how they - and the rest of the city - returned to their lives, having to rebuild them from scratch. He made the story of the bomb and it's effects human, giving the reader faces to go with the story, which is one of the things that made it so special.
The book is interesting not only because of the story of those particular 6 people, but because they reflect the japanese society and it´s values. How accepting they were, how they moved on and, well, lived. Theydidn't complain, moan, or drown in self pity. They just got up and went on.
I am quite fond of literary journalism, so I am maybe a bit biased on this post. Still, with all my knowledge and wisdom, I will recommend this one, concluding with a quote from the author himself, that obviously knows better than me: "Journalism allows its readers to witness history; fiction gives its readers an opportunity to live it".
beijos
posted by Julia Moreira Leite @ 4:45 PM
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