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Nature’s fury is such a terrible visitation. It unfurls silent screams of why-us even as the unscathed are burdened with the guilt of escape. It, however, also unites humanity across the seas in gestures of solidarity and assistance, and across the ages in questions about what it means to be an earthling.

Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883
By Simon Winchester
The first major natural disaster after cables connected the world into an almost instant communication web, the volcanic eruption at Krakatoa changed the colour of the sky seen from the Indian coast and caused barometers to go wild in Northern America. It set off a gigantic tsunami, taking away tens of thousands of lives. In Simon Winchester’s telling, after the rain of pumice had settled, social churning continued, sparking off a wave of Islamist rebellions against the colonial masters in Indonesia. Winchester, a geologist by training, also explains in clear prose the mechanics of a tsunami and the reason why Java and Sumatra are sitting on the most volatile faultline anywhere in the world.

After the Quake
By Haruki Murakami
He is the leading Japanese novelist today, and has repeatedly anchored his craft in actual tragedies. The Tokyo sarin attack in the nineties resulted in Underground, a skillfully compiled series of interviews with those touched by the attack. An inquiry into the 1995 Kobe earthquake resulted in this collection of short stories, exploring the transformations in lives just a few moments can trigger.