The Wages of Guilt

Memories of War in Germany and Japan

Nonfiction, History, Asian, Japan, Germany, Military, World War II
Cover of the book The Wages of Guilt by Ian Buruma, New York Review Books
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Ian Buruma ISBN: 9781590178591
Publisher: New York Review Books Publication: September 1, 2015
Imprint: New York Review Books Language: English
Author: Ian Buruma
ISBN: 9781590178591
Publisher: New York Review Books
Publication: September 1, 2015
Imprint: New York Review Books
Language: English

In this now classic book, internationally famed journalist Ian Buruma examines how Germany and Japan have attempted to come to terms with their conduct during World War II—a war that they aggressively began and humiliatingly lost, and in the course of which they committed monstrous war crimes. As he travels through both countries, to Berlin and Tokyo, Hiroshima and Auschwitz, he encounters people who are remarkably honest in confronting the past and others who astonish by their evasions of responsibility, some who wish to forget the past and others who wish to use it as a warning against the resurgence of militarism.

Buruma explores these contrasting responses to the war and the two countries’ very different ways of memorializing its atrocities, as well as the ways in which political movements, government policies, literature, and art have been shaped by its shadow. Today, seventy years after the end of the war, he finds that while the Germans have for the most part coped with the darkest period of their history, the Japanese remain haunted by historical controversies that should have been resolved long ago. Sensitive yet unsparing, complex and unsettling, this is a profound study of how people face up to or deny terrible legacies of guilt and shame.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In this now classic book, internationally famed journalist Ian Buruma examines how Germany and Japan have attempted to come to terms with their conduct during World War II—a war that they aggressively began and humiliatingly lost, and in the course of which they committed monstrous war crimes. As he travels through both countries, to Berlin and Tokyo, Hiroshima and Auschwitz, he encounters people who are remarkably honest in confronting the past and others who astonish by their evasions of responsibility, some who wish to forget the past and others who wish to use it as a warning against the resurgence of militarism.

Buruma explores these contrasting responses to the war and the two countries’ very different ways of memorializing its atrocities, as well as the ways in which political movements, government policies, literature, and art have been shaped by its shadow. Today, seventy years after the end of the war, he finds that while the Germans have for the most part coped with the darkest period of their history, the Japanese remain haunted by historical controversies that should have been resolved long ago. Sensitive yet unsparing, complex and unsettling, this is a profound study of how people face up to or deny terrible legacies of guilt and shame.

More books from New York Review Books

Cover of the book INRI by Ian Buruma
Cover of the book Berlin-Hamlet by Ian Buruma
Cover of the book Sunflower by Ian Buruma
Cover of the book The Sun King by Ian Buruma
Cover of the book The Life of Henry Brulard by Ian Buruma
Cover of the book Basic Black With Pearls by Ian Buruma
Cover of the book Memoirs from Beyond the Grave by Ian Buruma
Cover of the book Typewriters, Bombs, Jellyfish by Ian Buruma
Cover of the book Love's Work by Ian Buruma
Cover of the book The Collected Poems of Li He by Ian Buruma
Cover of the book The Seventh Cross by Ian Buruma
Cover of the book Zone by Ian Buruma
Cover of the book Anti-Education by Ian Buruma
Cover of the book Our Life Grows by Ian Buruma
Cover of the book My Katherine Mansfield Project by Ian Buruma
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy