Culture | A history of 1945

Darkness before dawn

1945 is often seen as the year when war ended and normality returned. It wasn't

Year Zero: A History of 1945. By Ian Buruma. Penguin Press; 368 pages; $29.95. Atlantic Books; £25. Buy from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk

This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Darkness before dawn”

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From the September 28th 2013 edition

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