Original language:
Japanese Translated from: Japanese
Authors: Yamamoto, Mariko
Translated by: Bajarūnas, Romualdas
Full translated source bibliographical description:
Yamamoto, Mariko, Hiroshima no shimai, Vilnius: Vyturys, 1989
ISBN: 5790001416
Published in: Vilnius
Published on: 1989
Publisher: Vyturys
The morning of 6th of August, 1945 marked as the beginning of the week to the Japanese residents of Hiroshima. Some were getting ready for work while others enjoyed their summer holidays. The novel‘s main heroine, a middle schooler named Akiko, however, had to get ready for work in the factory. And while she was having a chat with her sister downstairs, the sky was suddenly struck by intense light, followed by a silent gust of hot wind that many would remember to this day. A day that would enter mankind‘s history as the first atomic bomb to be used in warfare and a day that would take thousands upon thousands of innocent lives, otherwise known as the Hiroshima tragedy.
The first few chapters of the novel can be considered as introductory, as they open up with Akiko discussing the start of her day and the admiration she held towards her elder sister while growing up. Although the girls survive the hit after the city is struck by the atomic bomb, both do not get away without an injury. The story continues with the sisters seeking for medical help while encountering numerous people suffering from the after effects of the bomb, Akiko and her sister included.
The novel does a great job portraying the horrible outcome of the bombing of Hiroshima. The detailed descriptions of people‘s outer appearance after being exposed to excessive levels of radiation and pure helplessness and despair among the survivors makes it hard to believe such events truly took place during World War II. “Hiroshima no shimai” serves as a witness to the Japanese people of Hiroshima struggling for survival in the aftermath of such tragedy.
The author of this novel, Mariko Yamamoto, was born in 1927, Wakayama city, Japan. Even though the author herself has not witnessed the bombing of Hiroshima, Mariko Yamamoto is worried about the remaining peace in the world and thus has dedicated her writing to depicting war and the effect it has on people. Based on the authentic memoirs of “Miss Akiko”, the novel “Hiroshima no shimai” was written as part of the 1971 Japanese writers groups‘ mission to preserve the memories of war survivors.