Ernie Pyle is a name that, unless you were heavily involved in studying World War 2, would most likely ring no bells with you. He was one of the finest journalists of his generation who covered the War on the ground with the average foot soldier. Because of that, his dispatches from the front had an authenticity that brought the war up close and personal to so many readers at home. Sadly, he would die in the midst of war, covering the landings on Okinawa only weeks before the would end.
He was known primarily for his war reporting, but it was discovered after his death, a veritable treasure trove of essays and observations of life in America as viewed by the writer who went exploring, looking for America between the years 1935 and 1940.
Like so many journalists, he was a desk writer early on, writing for the Washington Daily News, covering the political goings on in D.C. – but after a period of time he grew dissatisfied and convinced his editors to let him go on a journey, criss-crossing America, filing stories of his encounters and his depictions of every day life from all 48 states. The regular columns Pyle sent back were so popular with readers that it became syndicated to over 200 newspaper throughout the U.S.
Those reports and dispatches, many published but many not, were discovered and assembled into a large volume, called Home Country and published in 1947. Because they predated his war reports, the essays provided some clue as to the style of writing Ernie Pyle used, but also his interest in people and what they did – his subjects ran the gamut from Walt Disney to the average person on the street. They all had a story to tell and Ernie Pyle was the one to capture it for history.
Ernie Pyle was one of a society of writers who looked at the human condition – what made us tick – who we were as people in an increasingly complicated and isolating world (even in the 1930s). He represented Journalism at its finest – a gift for keen observation and engaging storytelling. With few exceptions, his writing and his essays are as important and vital today as they were over 90 years ago. Human condition being timeless and all.
Home Country is reviewed in this broadcast by John Bannister for the program World In Books from July 3, 1947.
