Tim O'Brien
(b. 1946)

Award-winning author Tim O'Brien is best known for his fictional but gripping portrayals of the Vietnam War. Drafted into the Army following his graduation from college in 1968, O'Brien remains one of the most compelling voices to emerge from the Vietnam War. His stories explore the emotional and physical experiences of the U.S. infantry in Vietnam and are based on his own combat exposure. A sergeant in the U.S. Army, he received a Purple Heart, the highest award given to a serviceman, and a Vietnam Veterans of America Award.

O'Brien's literary works convey the lasting and unresolved effects of the war in Vietnam–not only on his life but also on the lives of Americans in general. His first work, If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home (1973), is a largely factual account of a soldier's year in Vietnam, although some events are fictitious. His second book, Northern Lights (1975), is a fictional account of the difficulties encountered by a Vietnam veteran coming home to his family. His best-known work, Going After Cacciato (1978), is about an infantryman who deserts the Vietnam War. It won the National Book Award and two O. Henry Awards in 1978.

O'Brien shifts his focus to a civilian's perspective in The Nuclear Age (1985), a story about a draft dodger who opposes the war. The Things They Carried (1990) is a fictional memoir about Vietnam narrated by a character named Tim O'Brien. His latest work, July, July (2002), is a dramatization of the Vietnam War and a social commentary on the generation that came of age during that turbulent era in American history.

A  |  B  |  C  |  D  |  E  |  F  |  G  |  H  |  I  |  J  |  K  |  L  |  M
N  |  O  |  P  |  Q  |  R  |  S  |  T  |  U  |  V  |  W  |  X  |  Y  |  Z