Guadalcanal Diary (book)
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''Guadalcanal Diary'' is a memoir written by war correspondent Richard Tregaskis and originally published by
Random House Random House is an imprint and publishing group of Penguin Random House. Founded in 1927 by businessmen Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer as an imprint of Modern Library, it quickly overtook Modern Library as the parent imprint. Over the foll ...
on January 1, 1943. The book recounts the author's time with the
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
on
Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomons by area and the second- ...
in the early stages of the pivotal months-long battle there starting in 1942. It was the first book published by
Random House Random House is an imprint and publishing group of Penguin Random House. Founded in 1927 by businessmen Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer as an imprint of Modern Library, it quickly overtook Modern Library as the parent imprint. Over the foll ...
to sell more than 100,000 copies. Almost immediately after publication, the memoir was made into a
movie A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
of the same name featuring
William Bendix William Bendix (January 14, 1906 – December 14, 1964) was an American film, radio, and television actor, known for his portrayals of rough, blue-collar characters. He gained significant recognition for his role in ''Wake Island'', for wh ...
,
Richard Conte Nicholas Peter Conte (March 24, 1910 – April 15, 1975), known professionally as Richard Conte, was an American actor. He was known for his starring roles in films noir and crime dramas during the 1940s and 1950s, including '' Call Northside ...
,
Anthony Quinn Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known as Anthony Quinn, was an American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental virility" in over 100 ...
, and John Archer, marking the movie debut of
Richard Jaeckel Richard Jaeckel (born R. Hanley Jaeckel; October 10, 1926 – June 14, 1997) was an American actor of film and television. Jaeckel became a well-known character actor in his career, which spanned six decades. He received an Academy Award nomin ...
.


Synopsis

The book chronicles the author's experiences as a war correspondent for the
International News Service The International News Service (INS) was a U.S.-based news agency (newswire) founded by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1909.
(INS) during the first seven weeks of the
Guadalcanal campaign The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by the United States, was an Allies of World War II, Allied offensive against forces of the Empire of Japan in the Solomon Islands during th ...
, from the first landings on August 7, 1942 to his departure on September 26, 1942. Tregaskis was also around for Operation Dovetail, a practice run for the Guadalcanal landings, but while he was on board one of the troop transports involved, his book does not cover the operation or him being at Koro Island, where the operation took place. Tregaskis relates combat and conversation in vernacular, citing the full name, rank, and hometown of each of the Marines he encountered during the weeks he was on the island.


Background

During his time on the frontlines with troops from the
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
, Tregaskis wrote down what he saw onto various small notebooks, which he stored in his pockets and had numbered for easier reference. At night, he would compile the information into his diary, adding references to specific books in the event he wanted to publish his journal as a full-length book. On September 25, Tregaskis flew out of the island to
New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...
and then boarded a flight for
Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...
, where he began writing ''Guadalcanal Diary''. Due to wartime media regulations, he had to write the book under supervision at the Navy offices at
Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...
, and his diary was kept in a safe during the night. (Tregaskis never got the diary back.) According to a follow-up essay Tregaskis wrote in 1964, his manuscript was subject to military censorship by the
Office of Naval Intelligence The Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) is the military intelligence agency of the United States Navy. Established in 1882 primarily to advance the Navy's modernization efforts, it is the oldest member of the U.S. Intelligence Community and serv ...
. For example, one of the Naval Intelligence officers excised a portion about Japanese encampments smelling "sweet-ish"; the officer, according to Tregaskis, was "apparently" worried about Japanese troops reading the book and using
deodorant A deodorant is a substance applied to the body to prevent or mask body odor caused by bacterial breakdown of perspiration, for example in the armpits, groin, or feet. A subclass of deodorants, called antiperspirants, prevents sweating itself, t ...
to hide their camps. Tregaskis finished his manuscript in November 1942 and sent it over to Barris Faris,
editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...
of the INS, who in turn sent it over to Ward Greene, head editor of
King Features Syndicate King Features Syndicate, Inc. is an American content distribution and animation studio, consumer product License, licensing and print syndication company owned by Hearst Communications that distributes about 150 comic strips, columnist, newspape ...
. Greene then sent it out to nine other publishers for bidding, an unusual practice at the time.
Bennett Cerf Bennett Alfred Cerf (May 25, 1898 – August 27, 1971) was an American writer, publisher, and co-founder of the American publishing firm Random House. Cerf was also known for his own compilations of jokes and puns, for regular personal appearanc ...
, one of the founders of
Random House Random House is an imprint and publishing group of Penguin Random House. Founded in 1927 by businessmen Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer as an imprint of Modern Library, it quickly overtook Modern Library as the parent imprint. Over the foll ...
, received his copy on November 11, read it from beginning to end that night, and called Greene the next day to secure publishing rights, anticipating a high demand for stories about the
Guadalcanal campaign The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by the United States, was an Allies of World War II, Allied offensive against forces of the Empire of Japan in the Solomon Islands during th ...
. Random House rushed ''Guadalcanal Diary'' into print and published the book on January 18, 1943.


Reception

''Guadalcanal Diary'' sold over 100,000 copies, becoming the first book by
Random House Random House is an imprint and publishing group of Penguin Random House. Founded in 1927 by businessmen Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer as an imprint of Modern Library, it quickly overtook Modern Library as the parent imprint. Over the foll ...
to reach such sales numbers. It occupied the #1 spot on the ''
New York Herald Tribune The ''New York Herald Tribune'' was a newspaper published between 1924 and 1966. It was created in 1924 when Ogden Mills Reid of the '' New York Tribune'' acquired the '' New York Herald''. It was regarded as a "writer's newspaper" and compet ...
'' Best Seller List and ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list, staying on the latter for 15 weeks. According to one of the author's later books, it was subsequently made required reading for all USMC officer candidates. A 1943 survey conducted by the
American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...
reported that the book was immensely popular among all age groups, including teenagers and younger children. The book became so widely known that, according to a contemporary article in '' American Speech'', "diary writers" became
Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...
slang for Marines. Most, but not all, reviewers praised the book's writing style. Irving Brant, a historian and journalist writing for ''
The New Republic ''The New Republic'' (often abbreviated as ''TNR'') is an American magazine focused on domestic politics, news, culture, and the arts from a left-wing perspective. It publishes ten print magazines a year and a daily online platform. ''The New Y ...
'', called it "as brilliant a literary style as a wooden Indian" and felt that it was so immersive that adding any literary flourishes would diminish its prose. Writer Marcus Duffield also enjoyed the book's style; in his review for ''
The Nation ''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper ...
'', he wrote that it was "never a dull diary", citing its "eye for detail, refreshing lack of self-consciousness or artifice, and humor." Similarly, Jacob C. Meyer, a historian and professor at
Western Reserve University Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia * Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that ...
, opined in a review '' The Far Eastern Quarterly'' that Tregaskis never wrote more than what was necessary for understanding. Meanwhile, in his review for the ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', John Chamberlain wrote that he felt the book was repetitive at times but still found it enjoyable and recommended it as a "tonic for the war-weary on the homefront". Mark Gayn's review for '' The Saturday Review of Literature'' considered it "an honest book", but found it flat and forgettable, suggesting it might have been better had Tregaskis given it more artistic flair.
Clifton Fadiman Clifton Paul "Kip" Fadiman (May 15, 1904 – June 20, 1999) was an American intellectual, author, editor, and radio and television personality. He began his work in radio, and switched to television later in his career. Background Born in Brook ...
of ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'' called it "rough" and "artless" and wrote that it had a "total lack of literary finish," but thought it made up for it with its "on-the-spot quality." Reviewers generally thought that the book was informative and unbiased. Brant called it a "factual recital" that heightened his understanding of the mindset of the Marines, and Duffield found it generally illuminating, claiming that the news dispatches of the days were so censored and "chopped-up" that they made the Guadalcanal campaign feel unreal. R.L. Duffus, a reviewer for the ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', echoed a similar sentiment; he praised Tregaskis and other reporters who saw the conflict first-hand for their ability to elucidate the "sternly stripped facts" of official war dispatches, opining that "American journalism is writing its brightest pages in this war." He also commended Tregaskis for writing about Guadalcanal "without sentimentality or heroics". In contrast, while Meyer did not observe any bias in the book's point of view, he still urged future scholars to consider the limits of its perspective, encouraging them to consider "whether the reporter told all that he knew and thought important or whether he was limited by conditions which did not permit such a report."


See also

*
Guadalcanal Campaign The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by the United States, was an Allies of World War II, Allied offensive against forces of the Empire of Japan in the Solomon Islands during th ...


Notes

{{Authority control 1943 non-fiction books Guadalcanal Campaign Non-fiction books about the United States Marine Corps History books about World War II Pacific War Random House books American memoirs