Nagase is also noted for his reconciliation with former british army officer eric lomax, whom he interrogated and tortured at a japanese prisonerofwar camp in 1942. This powerful clip shows former pow eric lomax meeting takashi nagase, his. The japanese captured eric lomax during the second world war. If youve seen the railway man movie or have read the book, this clip from. In the final section of the book he describes the events which resulted in him travelling to thailand to meet takashi nagase, the interpreter who had played a central part in his torture. Read, highlight, and take notes, across web, tablet, and phone. Mr lomax was born on may 30, 1919, in edinburgh and was a royal signals officer attached to the 5th field regiment, royal artillery. Tortured pow meets his japanese tormentor the japan times. A story of torture and forgiveness that spans a half.
Directed by jonathan teplitzky burning man, the railway man is a haunting and inspiring tale of heroism and redemption. The railway man true story confirms that in 1989 the real eric lomax did in fact recognize the japanese interpreter takashi nagase in a japan times newspaper clipping that was given to him by a fellow pow. In the course of my search i learnt that nagase takashi my interrogator and torturer had offered to help others with information. The astonishing story of world war ii veteran eric lomax will be told in a new movie, the railway man, starring colin firth and nicole kidman. Nagase translated orders, supervised interrogations and was. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. His real name is used, nagase takashi, but the real nagase whom i met and interviewed in japan in 1983 has a vastly different story to tell. It was only when he was in his 7os that lomax achieved a kind of peace, by meeting takashi nagase, one of the men who had interrogated.
Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. He became one of the thousands of servicemen used as slave labour to build the railway. Eric lomax project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. When they meet, the men swap war stories and share their astonishment at the utter futility of the project that scared their lives so profoundly. You can read this extraordinary story in the railway man vintage books, 1996 the award winning memoires of eric lomax, or see the new film based on his book the railway man by director jonathan teplitzky, which premiered at the toronto film festival in september 20. Eric lomax in 1996 with his memoir, the railway man, which is being adapted for a film. Both finlasons documentary and lomax s book point up an astonishing contrast, however, between the two former enemies. The railway man by eric lomax, first published in great britain, 1995 by jonathan cape. Get free the railway man eric lomax the railway man eric lomax the railway man eric lomax. The british officer had been captured in singapore in 1942 during the second world war and then sent to work on the infamous burmasiam railway. Eric lomax left was put to work building a railway by his japanese captors during the second world war, before he was accused of being a spy and interrogated by nagase takashi right. Eric sutherland lomax 30 may 1919 8 october 2012 was a british army officer who was sent to a japanese prisonerofwar camp in 1942.
The book chronicled his experience before, during, and after world war ii. Both patti and eric lomax thought this a most moving and beautiful letter. Buy railway man book online at best prices in india on. Eric lomax, originally from edinburgh, was captured by the japanese during the fall of singapore in 1942.
His death was confirmed by his publisher, vintage books. He remembered how nagase would bark at him in broken english, accusing him of being a spy, while the other japanese soldiers tortured him. Buy railway man book online at low prices in india. In that sense, readers are gratified with a light at the end of a long, dark chapter of one life, a bright stroke on the large canvas of wwii history. In the recent feature film the railway man the japanese soldier who tortured eric lomax, an english prisoner of war on the thaiburma railway who was caught with a secret radio, is portrayed as a sadistic officer in the kempeitai, the feared japanese military police. In the course of my search i learnt that nagase takashi my. War hero whose experiences in the far east became a bestselling memoir. Nagase s fervent sorrow for his dirty past comes over extrovertly with. Lomax s personal story is extraordinary for both himself and nagase. John mccarthy, a journalist who was held hostage for five years, described lomax s book as.
The railway man by lomax, eric june 6, 1996 paperback eric lomax. The feature film will have the same title as the book, with colin firth as lomax and nicole kidman as his wife. Lomax then went on to mention his reconciliation with nagase in his autobiography, the railway man. Lomax s autobiography the railway man was published in 1995. Eric lomax was born in 1919 and volunteered for the royal corps of signals in 1939. The book led to led to a syndicated newspaper column, a movie of the same name and, in 1965, to. His later life included reconciliation with one of his former torturers, interpreter takashi nagase of kurashiki, japan. During his time as a pow, lomax suffered under the brutality of his japanese captors, especially when they caught him with a makeshift radio and map.
Biteback publishing is britains leading publisher of political and. A victim from world war iis infamous death railway sets out to find those responsible for his torture. The movie left is based on eric lomaxs 1995 memoir right. He was born in 1918 in kurashiki, okayama, japan and learned english from an american methodist in a college in tokyo. Prisoner of war learns to forgive, reconciles with his. He is most notable for his book, the railway man, about his experiences before, during, and after world war ii, which won the 1996 ncr book award and the penackerley prize. Takashi nagase wrote a series of testaments of his life. The only son of a general post office manager, eric sutherland lomax was born on may 30 1919 at joppa, outside edinburgh, where he developed a burning interest in trains. Academy awardwinner colin firth heads up a stellar cast in this moving war drama, based on the bestselling autobiography of eric lomax. Takashi nagase, the interpreter who had played a central part in his torture.
In his book crosses and tigers, takashi details his experiences as an interpreter with the imperial japanese armys secret police kempetai, his role in the interrogation of pows building the thaiburma railway, and his subsequent efforts to find forgiveness and a sense of inner peace for the crimes he helped perpetrate. Eric lomax, sent to malaya in world war ii, was taken prisoner by the japanese and put to punishing work. During the second world war eric lomax was forced to work on the notorious burmasiam railway and was tortured by the japanese for making a crude radio. It would have been fairly easy for eric lomax to hate takashi nagase forever. Takashi nagase was a japanese interpreter during world war ii. His real name is used, nagase takashi, but the real nagase whom i met and interviewed in japan in 1983 has a vastly different. When nagase takashi returned to japan from his period of service as a kempeitai interpreter at the kanchanaburi pow camp near the thaiburma border at the conclusion of asia pacific war, he returned with a mountain of unfinished psychological business. Railway man true story vs movie real eric lomax, takashi nagase. Left emotionally scarred and unable to form normal relationships, lomax suffered for years until, with the help of his wife, patti lomax, and of the medical foundation for the care of victims of torture, he came terms with what happened. Eric lomax is not primo levi and although this book is beautifully written you can.
Eric lomax was a young army officer who, during the second world war, was one of the men forced to build the burma railway. Eric lomax, a former british soldier who was tortured by the japanese while he was a prisoner during world war ii and half a century later forgave one of his tormentors an experience he recounted in a memoir, the railway man died on monday in berwickupontweed. The story of eric lomax and takashi nagase is a dramatic representation of the need. This pow forgave his former torturer and found internal. Nagase also wrote a book on his own experiences during and after the war entitled crosses and.
Eric lomax and takashi nagase meeting for the first time since wwii. The book is a lot more complex and far reaching than the movie which. Bbc tv film prisoners in time, based on the story of eric lomax, who is played by john hurt, with rowena cooper as his wife, patti. Railway man true story vs movie real eric lomax, takashi. Takashi nagase, eric lomax and his wife patricia meeting for the first time since the war on the rebuilt kwai bridge. For decades, eric lomax had lived with the gruesome memories of his time as.
A story of torture and forgiveness that spans a halfcentury director jonathan teplitsky speaks about his film the railway man. It also details the meeting he had with his japanese former torturer, takashi nagase, many years later. It is a book that stands as a testament to the great capacity of the human spirit for forgivenesst. Lomax s later life included reconciliation with one of his former torturers, interpreter takashi nagase of kurashiki, on the bridge over the river kwai, which was built by prisonerofwar labour. When they next met, in a tokyo hotel room, lomax carefully read out a letter he had written assuring nagase of his total forgiveness. Unknown to lomax, the interrogator, takashi nagase, had. Eric lomax, sent to malaya in world war ii, was taken prisoner by the japanese and put to punishing work on the notorious burmasiam railway. I learnt that he was still alive, active in charitable works, and that he had built a buddhist temple. After the radio he illicitly helped to build in order to follow war news was discovered, he was subjected to two years of starvation and torture. Eric lomax who amazingly forgave his japanese torturers. During the second world war eric lomax was tortured by the japanese on the. Called crosses and tigers, it was written by nagase takashi, a former. Eric lomax was sent a small book that had been published in thailand in 1990. Psthe dagger of your letter thrusted me into my heart to the bottom.
156 626 1391 689 572 1582 1295 20 1462 1096 1253 622 642 633 1062 59 1124 169 57 1057 1574 609 9 992 923 749 454 112 60 347 1356 277 246 116 484 619 1008 1350 263 977 372 558