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Martin J. Sherwin

マーティン・J・シャーウィン

Maatiin J. Shaawuin

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1937-07-02 （Brooklyn, New York, U.S.）
Died
2021-10-06 （Washington, D.C., U.S.） age 84
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Brooklyn, New York, U.S. → Washington, D.C., U.S. → Aspen, Colorado, U.S.

Career

Occupations
Historian, Author, Professor
Active Years
1960-2021
Affiliations
Tufts University, George Mason University, Princeton University, University of California, Berkeley, University of Pennsylvania
Memberships
The Nation (board member)

Education

Dartmouth College
Department of History
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Period: 1955–1959
Year of Graduation: 1959
Country: United States
Originally intended to study medicine; graduated with a BA in history
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Department of History
Degree: PhD
Period: 在籍期間不確定
Country: United States
Doctoral thesis studied Harry S. Truman's atomic strategy; later became his first book

Awards

Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography
2006
Work: American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
Organization: Pulitzer Prize Board
Result: 受賞
Stuart L. Bernath Prize
Work: A World Destroyed: Hiroshima and Its Legacies
Organization: Unknown
Result: 受賞
National Historical Society's American History Book Prize
Work: A World Destroyed: Hiroshima and Its Legacies
Organization: National Historical Society
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

A World Destroyed: Hiroshima and Its Legacies

1975 History / Military history

A historical study of the development and dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and its political and social legacies, analyzing Truman-era decisions and atomic policy.

Nuclear weaponsPostwar historyDecision-making

American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer

2005 Biography / History

A detailed biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the 'father of the atomic bomb', based on extensive archival research. Co-authored with Kai Bird.

BiographyNuclear developmentEthics
Adaptations
  • [Film] Oppenheimer / Christopher Nolan (2023)

Gambling with Armageddon: Nuclear Roulette from Hiroshima to the Cuban Missile Crisis

2020 History / Non-fiction

Examines several nuclear crises from Hiroshima to the Cuban Missile Crisis, arguing that the avoidance of nuclear war was often the result of chance and fragile control systems.

Cold WarCrisis managementContingency

Bibliography

  • A World Destroyed: Hiroshima and Its Legacies (1975, various editions)
  • American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer (2005, with Kai Bird)
  • Gambling with Armageddon: Nuclear Roulette from Hiroshima to the Cuban Missile Crisis (2020)

Adaptations

  • Film 'Oppenheimer' (based in part on the biography)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Archive-based scholarly proseDetailed, evidence-driven narrative
Recurring Motifs
Dangers of nuclear weaponsContingency in policymakingEthical questions

Health

  • Lung cancer
    2021
    Died in October 2021 from lung cancer

Legacy

Sherwin was a major scholar of nuclear weapons history, best known for his biography of Oppenheimer. He contributed to both academic and public understanding of nuclear issues.

Archives

  • Tufts University — Nuclear Age History and Humanities Center archives

In Popular Culture

  • Biography referenced by the film 'Oppenheimer' (2023), raising public awareness

Quotes

  • I believe the threat of nuclear disaster still looms large, and that the avoidance of nuclear war has often depended on contingency.
    Source: The Washington Post (obituary / article) (2021)

Trivia

  • Served briefly as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy.
  • Won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize (with Kai Bird) for 'American Prometheus'.
  • His daughter predeceased him in 2010.