goes on, but a part of Matuo’s soul would remain in that work of art, the legacy of a life that is at another place.
Appendix: the legend of the tsuru
Sadako Sasaki was only 2 years old when the atomic bomb was launched over Hiroshima, in Japan, in August 1945. She did not get hurt, took a normal life, and even practiced athletics.
In 1955, aged 12, after taking part in a running test, she felt tired and dizzy. The illness did not pass in the following days. When she was taken to a hospital, she received the diagnosis of leukemia, the atomic bomb disease.
Her best friend, Chizuko, went to visit her, took origami papers and told Sadako the legend of the thousand tsurus . Chizuko explained that the tsuru was a sacred bird that lived for a thousand years and that, if a person bent a thousand birds of paper, he or she would be granted a wish.
Sadako kept the hope that the gods would grant her the cure and then she started to make the origamis with the help of her family and friends who went to visit her in hospital. She died October 25, 1955, before completing the thousand tsurus .
The thing is Sadako never gave up and kept on bending as much as she could the little papers in the format of tsuru .
Inspired on her courage and strength, her friends mounted and published a book with the letters written to her. This way, they began the dream of building a monument for Sadako and for all children who died in consequence of the atomic bomb.
In favor of the cause, many Japanese youngsters started to collect money for the project.
In 1958, the statue of Sadako holding a bent tsuru was built in the Peace Park, in Hiroshima. Children involved in the campaign, made a wish that remained written for ever in the statue: This is our shout. This is our prayer. Peace in the world!
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The Author
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M auricio R B Campos was born in São Paulo, in 1977. With a degree in Administration, he works in the financial market. He is married and is rooted in São Carlos (SP) since 2008. He published short stories in several anthologies in the most variable literary genres, both in the traditional and in e-book formats, of publishing companies Andross, Aped, Babelcube Inc., Buriti, Clube de Autores, Darda, Draco, Ixtlan, Illuminare, Komedi, Multifoco and Navras Digital.
He maintains a web site , an account on Twitter, Facebook and so many other social networks that he cannot check, update, post and share.
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S ocial:
Mauricio R B Campos
Web site: http://www.mauriciorbcampos.com.br
Facebook: https ://www.facebook.com/mauriciorobe
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mauricio_rbc
Blog: http://goo.gl/X7pWMz
The Translator
João Rosa de Castro has a degree of Bachelor of Arts in Language and Literature from the University Cruzeiro do Sul, in São Paulo.
After translating essays by Oscar Wilde, such as Pen, Pencil and Poison, The Decay of Lying and The Soul of Man under Socialism, he translated, through Babelcube, by Michael Ruman, the first part of the children and young people saga Invaders from Mars: The Adventures of Joaquim and Eduardo, and Urban Mosaics , by Mauricio R B Campos; he took part, as a special student, in 2005, of the meetings held by Professor Munira H. Mutran, organized by her and the Modern Languages Department (DLM) FFLCH-University of São Paulo.
It was from the proposal in such meetings, with the graduation, master degree, doctoral degree students that he had his first formal contact with the Anglo-Irish literature, especially the contemporary Irish drama.
He started post-graduation course in 2006, in the Program of Linguistic and Literary Studies in English, also organized by the Modern Languages Department (DLM).
The author has poetry works in Portuguese, which have been regularly published in the Internet that had been released in several anthologies; and his first non-fictional book, Post Scriptum, was released in 2007, with promise of more prose,