Hiroshima: Three Witnesses

An anthology gathering together three firsthand accounts by authors who resided in Hiroshima at the time of the bomb. Two of the accounts are in prose and the final one is a series of poems. For this reader, Poems of the Atomic Bomb, by Tōge Sankichi, is the least interesting of the three, as I felt that the line breaks were artificially placed (possibly the result of translation) and that the poet pushes his conclusions too urgently. The author was a working poet, so I understand his desire to memorialize in poetry, but to my mind, prose does it better in this case. Summer Flowers, by Hara Tamiki, is a three-part narrative of observation, the first two parts about the immediate aftermath of the explosion and what it’s like a month or so later; and the third part about the lives of the residents of Hiroshima just prior to August 6. The first two parts of Summer Flowers are first-person narratives. The author switches to third person for the third part, which reads like a partial novel. The switch in person feels odd to come across, but it represents grammatically and stylistically the before and after, the vast difference between the relative order of a functioning wartime city thus far spared from the devastation of the Allied air war, and the chaos post- atomic bomb. City of Corpses, by Ōta Yōko, is a first-person account interspersed with stories people tell her as she struggles to live after the bomb, and with news reports, statistics, and scientific information. Both narratives are extremely compelling, and both make me realize in ways I never had , even after reading John Hersey’s Hiroshima some years ago, how physically deadly and psychically devastating any proximity to an atomic bomb explosion is. When I remind myself that this bomb was tiny compared with what has been developed since, I cringe at the thought of anyone setting off one of these devices ever again anywhere in the populated world (including populated by non-human animals or plants (what did they do to deserve this!?)). I hark back to my very early school days, when we students practiced getting under our desks in the event of a nuclear attack warning. I now realize viscerally from reading these two narratives how silly that is, how ineffectual in providing any sort of protection from the blast, burns, and radiation poisoning, not to mention the psychological damage of a nuclear bombing. This was a devastating book to read. The two prose authors were both especially good at their craft. Professors and teachers, find slots in your syllabi and assign this book for your classes. It's really good and it will change your students in necessary ways. It will open conversations you didn't know you could have.

This is an extraordinary book. Not only are the three pieces included great examples of literature, but the ample introductions provided by the translator are fantastic. You really get such a complete picture. I read the whole book twice. I must admit I agree with the general critical consensus that Ms. Ota's work pales compared to the others, and some of her statements are downright weird, but her work is invaluable as a chronicle of this horrific event and her realistic style is necessary. Kudos to the translator and I would recommend this book anyone, especially those who love or are interested in Japan and it's history. Absolutely brilliant. And may I say that any such description of the atomic bombing, be it in literature, or painting or film, will always pale in trying to describe this unimaginable horror. Personally I find the photos from that time to be the most horrific. Much love to the people of Japan.

To have survived a nuclear attack is one thing...to be able to condense it into poetry is incomprehensible.

Perfect!

thanks

A great and unforgettable book. Richard H. Minear has translated three great "witnesses" (and survivors) of Hiroshima: Hara Tamiki, Ota Yoko, Toge Sankichi. Everything is very important and useful in this book: introductions, notes, maps, pictures, glossary, Minear added a note and about Maruki Iri and Maruki Toshi, two famous painters of Hiroshima.