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Harrison Evans Salisbury

ハリソン・エヴァンズ・サリズベリー

Harrison Evans Salisbury

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1908-11-14 (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Died
1993-07-05 (Providence, Rhode Island) age 84
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Minneapolis (birthplace) → Moscow (posted) → New York (The New York Times) → Hanoi (reporting visit) → Providence (death)

Career

Occupations
Journalist, Columnist, Editor, Author
Active Years
1930-1993
Affiliations
United Press (UP), The New York Times, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Philosophical Society
Memberships
Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Member of the American Philosophical Society

Education

Minneapolis North High School
Period: 1921-1925
Year of Graduation: 1925
Country: United States
High school diploma
University of Minnesota
Degree: 学士
Period: 1926-1930
Year of Graduation: 1930
Country: United States
Graduated before embarking on journalism career

Awards

Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting
1955
Work: International reporting (notably Moscow coverage)
Category: 国際報道
Organization: The Pulitzer Prizes
Result: 受賞
George Polk Award (Foreign Reporting)
1957
Work: Foreign reporting
Category: 外国報道
Organization: George Polk Awards
Result: 受賞
George Polk Award (Foreign Reporting)
1966
Work: Foreign reporting
Category: 外国報道
Organization: George Polk Awards
Result: 受賞
The Hillman Prize for Newspaper Journalism
1967
Organization: The Hillman Prize
Result: 受賞
Ischia International Journalism Award
1990
Organization: Ischia International Journalism Award
Result: 受賞
Distinguished Eagle Scout Award
Organization: Boy Scouts of America
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

American in Russia

1955 Non-fiction (reporting)

Reports and analysis centered on his time in Moscow, depicting postwar Soviet politics and society.

Cold WarSoviet UnionInternational reporting

Behind the Lines—Hanoi

1967 Non-fiction (war reporting)

A compilation of his reporting from North Vietnam, detailing US bombing, the war situation, and effects on civilians.

Vietnam WarHuman cost of warInvestigative reporting

The 900 Days: The Siege of Leningrad

1969 Historical non-fiction

A detailed historical account of the Siege of Leningrad during WWII, based on testimony and documentary sources.

World War IISiegeCivilian hardship
Adaptations
  • [Film (planned)] The 900 Days (planned) / Sergio Leone

Tiananmen Diary: Thirteen Days in June

1989 Non-fiction (on-the-ground reporting)

An on-the-ground record of the 1989 Tiananmen events, documenting student protests and the government's crackdown.

Modern Chinese historyPolitical movementsHuman rights

Bibliography

  • American in Russia
  • The Shook-Up Generation
  • To Moscow - and Beyond
  • Behind the Lines—Hanoi
  • The 900 Days
  • Tiananmen Diary
  • Heroes of My Time

Adaptations

  • Appearance in documentary 'In the Year of the Pig'
  • The 900 Days (film adaptation planned; Sergio Leone involved)

Translations of Works

  • Tiananmen Diary (Japanese translation)
  • The 900 Days (Japanese translation)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Fact-based rigorous reportingNarrative emphasis on on-the-ground descriptionAnalytical and explanatory prose
Recurring Motifs
War and civilian sufferingReality of the Communist blocIssues of power and ethics

Legacy

Harrison E. Salisbury was one of the first American correspondents regularly posted in Moscow after WWII and produced seminal on-the-ground reporting throughout the Cold War. His work from Vietnam and China questioned official narratives and underscored the importance of independent, frontline journalism in the modern era.

Academic Societies

  • American Academy of Arts and Sciences
  • American Philosophical Society

Archives

  • Columbia University Libraries: Harrison Salisbury papers

In Popular Culture

  • Appearance in the anti-Vietnam War documentary 'In the Year of the Pig'

Trivia

  • He toured the U.S. for Esquire and was paid $55,000 by Xerox for the tour.
  • He was an Eagle Scout and received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award.
  • The 900 Days had a planned film adaptation involving Sergio Leone, which did not materialize after Leone's death.