Tim O'Brien

Tim O'Brien is one of the most respected authors in modern literature. He is the author of many unforgettable works including the award-winning novel, The Things They Carried, and his other best-selling books such as Going After Cacciato and In the Lake of the Woods. O'Brien is widely known for combining the horror of war with the beauty of compassion and loyalty. His writing also often touches on themes of morality and contemporary society, with his stories full of personal reflection and timeless lessons.

Born in 1946 in Austin, Minnesota, an Army brat who grew up in various cities, O’Brien earned a scholarship to Harvard University. After earning his bachelor’s degree in political science in 1968, he was drafted into the Vietnam War. After his service in the war from 1969 to 1970, O’Brien held a variety of jobs ranging from anchor for CBS Radio in Minot, North Dakota to writing for The Washington Post.

The impact of the Vietnam War is evident in O'Brien's early works, starting in 1977 with the publication of his novel Northern Lights. The following year, he won the National Book Award for Going After Cacciato. The novel follows the journey of a soldier gone AWOL on his quest to march to Paris, and details both the spiritual journeys of the soldiers sent in pursuit of him and their interactions with people they meet along the way. This book also informed his later works.

In 1990, The Things They Carried, a collection of interrelated stories based on his experiences as a soldier, was published. The collection contains both factual stories that examine the intensity of war and imaginary stories. With the exploration of the physical and psychological effects of battle, O’Brien inserts himself in the narrative, exposing his personal reflections on Vietnam and the language of storytelling. This work was a major success and was named a New York Times Bestseller and one of the New York Times Best Books of the Century.

In 1994, In the Lake of the Woods was released. It is an intricate and disturbing story about a Vietnam vet whose wife has gone missing. It is a complex novel that both challenges readers and offers moments of humanity. This novel was again a major success, reaching #1 on the New York Times Hardcover Fiction Bestseller list and winning France's Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger, the Irish Times International Fiction Prize, and the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize for Fiction.

O’Brien has received numerous awards over the years, including the Carl Sandburg Award, the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. Honor and the Harriet Beecher Stowe Award. He has also served as a professor at various universities and currently resides in Austin, Texas, where he serves as professor emeritus at Texas State University.

O'Brien's work continues to be praised and studied. His works are widely read in universities, particularly those related to war, trauma, and the art of storytelling. O'Brien's writings are timeless and deeply meaningful, depicting the complexities of human experience while challenging us to confront ourselves and the world around us. He stands as one of the preeminent authors in American literature.