By Jimena Gómez
The New Yorker is one of the top outlets for narrative journalism, and many classic examples of it have been published on its pages. With the advent of digital publishers, this type of writing has seen a huge surge, since it doesn’t constrain the writer in terms of space.
These four pieces read as well now as they did back when they were written and show that, beyond the traditional questions of every student of journalism learns at school -who, what, when and how-, journalism ca also answer the elusive why. They let us peer into a timeless window to witness not only the events, but the people that took part in them and how they were affected. It also gives the writer the freedom of exploring storytelling as a craft, to bend the rules of journalism and tell the truth in a way that borrows its beat from fiction and its ability to engage the reader.
These four articles are the perfect example of the potential of narrative journalism, and we guarantee they will change your outlook on reporting as a whole.
The Man Who Sailed His House by Michael Paterniti
Michael Paterniti’s entire career is a love letter to journalism, so this was a tough choice, but “The Man Who Sailed His House” shines even among the consistently great work of its author. It’s the emotionally charged tale of Hiromitsu Shinkawa’s survival, the man rescued from the sea two days after the Japanese tsunami of 2011. By telling the story in the second person, Paterniti took a great risk, but the rhythm and intense prose succeeds in immersing the reader in the story of a man, lost and alone, as he watches his life being washed away.
Gateway quote: “Against the wall are full bags of rice seed—and from outside you can hear your wife’s voice calling your name. Hiromitsu. Night falls—and in the bedroom you lie beside her. You will remember this later when trying to keep yourself alive: falling asleep one last time by the body of your wife in your house, beneath its roof of white tin, in the shadow of the sea.”
Hiroshima by John Hersey
Hiroshima is an astounding read. It portrays the bombing of the city and its grisly aftermath through the telling of the lives, and deaths, of its inhabitants. But this is also a very old article, from 1946, to be precise, and it’s the first work that talked about the victims of what most other media wrote off as a victory for the Allies, without considering the damage it may have caused on that far away place only known as an enemy.
Gateway quote: “The asphalt of the streets was still so soft and hot from the fires that walking was uncomfortable. They encountered only one person, a woman, who said to them as they passed, ‘My husband is in those ashes’.”
In the Valley of the Shadow of Death: Guyana After the Jonestown Massacre by Tim Cahill
Although all the items on this list do -in one way or another- the same thing, Tim Cahill’s “In the Valley of the Shadow of Death” is especially clear in detailing the dirty job that is the coverage of one of the most tragic events in the past fifty years. With casualties nearing the thousand, the Jonestown massacre was a cult turned massive murder-suicide, from which no one came back the same, survivors and reporters alike.
Gateway quote: “Off to the side, over bottles of Banks beer, the survivors talked to reporters. You’d hear the most heart-wrenching, bloody awful details – ‘Part of her skull landed in my lap’; ‘… lost five children out there…’; ‘my child was dead, and my wife was dying’ – over the din of laughter and applause and Christmas carols.”
The Curse of the Bahia Emerald, a Giant Green Rock That Ruins Lives by Elizabeth Weil
The Curse of the Bahia Emerald comes last to prove that narrative journalism doesn’t just cover large tragic events; a good journalist will find a story to tell even in what seems to most like an inane and small case of trying to get rich quick. It reads almost as a comedy of errors, filled with shattered dreams and charming conmen: a grand story of a big break that wasn’t, and of the world’s biggest emerald, which might turn out to be just a very big rock.
Gateway quote: “Over the past 10 years, four lawsuits have been filed over the Bahia emerald. Fourteen individuals or entities, plus the nation of Brazil, have claimed the rock is theirs. A house burned down. Three people filed for bankruptcy. One man alleges having been kidnapped and held hostage. Many of the men involved say that the emerald is hellspawn but they also can’t let it go.”
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Do you have an idea for an article like this? Do you know of some other hidden gems of journalism online? Share your knowledge with our readers! Send a 500 word article to storyteller@culturacolectiva.com for a chance to be published in our platform!
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