About the Book

Hiroshima Notes is a powerful statement on the Hiroshima bombing and its terrible legacy by the 1994 Nobel laureate for literature. Oe's account of the lives of the many victims of Hiroshima and the valiant efforts of those who cared for them, both immediately after the atomic blast and in the years that follow, reveals the horrific extent of the devastation. It is a heartrending portrait of a ravaged city -- the "human face" in the midst of nuclear destruction.

Book Synopsis

Hiroshima Notes is a powerful statement on the Hiroshima bombing and its terrible legacy by the 1994 Nobel laureate for literature. Oe's account of the lives of the many victims of Hiroshima and the valiant efforts of those who cared for them, both immediately after the atomic blast and in the years that follow, reveals the horrific extent of the devastation. It is a heartrending portrait of a ravaged city -- the "human face" in the midst of nuclear destruction.

From the Back Cover

Hiroshima Notes is a moving statement from Japan's most celebrated living writer on the meaning of the Hiroshima bombing and its terrible legacy. Kenzaburo Oe's account of the lives of the many victims of Hiroshima - the young, the old, women and children - and the valiant efforts of the doctors who care for them, both immediately after the atomic blast and in the years to come, reveals the horrific extent of the devastation wrought. In Hiroshima Notes, Oe offers a sensitive portrayal of the people of the city - the 'human face' in the midst of atomic destruction. The lives Oe describes and his insights into the nature of human dignity are an indictment of the Nuclear Age as powerful as the ruins in the Hiroshima Peace Park.