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Wages of Guilt
Memories of War in Germany and Japan
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Wages of Guilt
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In Wages of Guilt, Ian Buruma explores the duplicity of feeling towards World War II amongst the people of two very different participant countries: Germany and Japan.
'A comparative study of great subtlety and intelligence' Spectator
In Wages of Guilt, Ian Buruma explores the duplicity of feeling towards World War II amongst the people of two very different participant countries: Germany and Japan. 'A comparative study of great subtlety and intelligence' Spectator
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
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Description
With a new introduction
'A comparative study of great subtlety and intelligence' Spectator
In this highly original and now classic text, Ian Buruma explores and compares how Germany and Japan have attempted to come to terms with their violent pasts, and investigates the painful realities of living with guilt—and with its denial. As he travels through both countries, Buruma encounters people whose honesty in confronting their past is strikingly brave, and others who astonish by the ingenuity of their evasions of responsibility.
In Auschwitz, Berlin, Hiroshima, and Tokyo, he explores the contradictory attitudes of scholars, politicians, and survivors towards the Second World War and visits the contrasting monuments that commemorate the atrocities of the war. These opposing voices reveal how an obsession with the past, especially distorted versions of it, continually raises questions about who should indeed pay the wages of guilt.
'Absorbing and sometimes surprising' A.C. Grayling, Financial Times
‘Buruma's sensitive account . . . is most disturbing to read. I strongly recommend this unusual book’ Paul Johnson, Sunday Times
'Wise and very readable' New Statesman
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Wages of Guilt by Ian Buruma is celebrated as a profound and intelligent comparative study. Reviewers find it absorbing, with surprising elements and a sensitive, yet disturbing, account of its themes. Highly recommended for its depth, the book is seen as both insightful and unusual.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781843549604
Publisher: Atlantic Books
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 01 September 2009
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Atlantic Books
Edition: Main
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 25.0mm
Width: 129.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 303g
Pages: 352
About the Author
Ian Buruma is the Henry R. Luce Professor of Human Rights and Journalism at Bard College in New York state. His previous books include God's Dust, Bad Elements, Anglomania and Murder in Amsterdam, which won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Best Current Interest Book and was shortlisted for The Samuel Johnson Prize. He was the recipient of the 2008 Shorenstein Journalism Award, which honoured him for his distinguished body of work, and the 2008 Erasmus Prize.
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