No postwar work of Japanese literature expresses the pity and misery of war for children quite like Akiyuki Nosaka's story of a brother and sister left orphaned and homeless, "Hotaru no Haka" ("Grave of the Fireflies"). Published first in 1967, this novella, which won the prestigious Naoki Prize, was made into a heartbreakingly moving anime film in 1988.
The story, partially autobiographical (his own little sister died a week after war's end), is set in Kobe, where Nosaka grew up; and today, Nada Ward has erected a small monument to 14-year old Seita and 4-year-old Setsuko, the brother and sister of the story, who both died there.
"Boku no Bokugo" ("My Dugout") is a lesser known, but no less poignant, portrait of how a child fares in wartime. As in "Grave of the Fireflies," we learn here how a child takes in the awful traumas that befall all civilians in war. On Aug. 30, NHK, in their Listening Library series, broadcasted an English-language reading of "My Dugout," read by Yuko Aotani. (For details on how to access the reading, see below.)