August 2025, no. 478
On the eightieth anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, historian Clinton Fernandes delivers a gripping reassessment of the world’s only use of atomic bombs against civilians and exposes the ‘superweapon alibi’ that enabled a politically convenient end to World War II for both the United States and Japan. Amanda Laugesen and Frank Bongiorno ask if the Australian language is worth saving and Ruby Lowe reports on First Nations publisher Magabala Books. ABR proudly announces the 2025 ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize shortlist and Tara Sharman becomes the youngest ever winner of an ABR prize at just twenty-two years old. Elsewhere, there are reviews by Lynda Ng, Geordie Williamson, Judith Brett, Zora Simic, Bain Attwood, Jennifer Mills, Lucy Sussex, original poems by Ella Jeffery and Derek Chan, and an interview with Andy Griffiths.
August’s cover artwork is by Marc Martin.
