Hersey, John (Richard) (1914–1993)

Chinese-born US journalist and writer. During World War II he saw considerable action as a correspondent and he drew on his experiences for several of his works, including the novel A Bell for Adano (1944), which was adapted both as a play and a film. His documentary-style Hiroshima (1946) was the first work to reveal to the general public the true horrors of a nuclear war.

Hersey was born in Tientsin, China. His parents were missionaries and after his early education in China he attended Yale University and Clare College, Cambridge, England. He was briefly Sinclair Lewis's personal secretary (1937), then went to work as a journalist and editor for several New York magazines. He taught at Yale University for many years (from 1950) and continued to publish his fiction and non-fiction.