Tim+O'Brien

Tim O'Brien born October 1,1946 in Austin, Minnesota, is an American novelist who mainly writes about his experiences in the [|Vietnam War] and the impact the war had on the American soldiers who fought there. He regularly teaches in the MFa creative writing program at Texas Sate University in San Marcos, Texas. The book The Things They Carried. He earned his BA in Political Science from Macalester College in 1968. That same year he was drafted into the infantry and was sent to Vietnam, where he served from 1969 to 1970. His writing career was launched in 1973. O' Brien is known for creating works of literature, such as his war memoir, //If I die in a// //Combat Zone//, which reflects his experiences while in the Vietnam War, which reflect the effect emotions and memories hold on our lives, and how many deal with difficult situations. His novel, //Going after Cacciato//, won the 1979 National Book Award in fiction, and explores the Vietnam conflict. His novel, the one in which we will be reading, //The Things They Carried// of 1990, features intertwining stories of various patrolling American soldiers, and was nominated for the National Critics Award in 1990. In an interview with O'Brien, he explained that in his novels he wants to explore all aspects of storytelling, and uses dramatic scenery to clarify and even explain the very complex human heart. (The way in which we operate as humans). O'Brien once stated, "The purpose of writing is to enhance mystery, not solve it". In other words, he is an author who believes in the "open book", or in basic terms, the idea that when one reads a novel their interpretation or relevation upon completing it essentially completes a piece of literature. Although many veiw O'Brien's work as just fiction, Other veiw his writings as the blur between fiction and reality. His work contains actual details of the situations he experienced. He credited, in the interview, authors such as Toni Morrison and John Fowles, explaining that he does not necessarily see himself above any of these writers, as he admires their goals when creating novels. He pinpointed in particular Morrisons' work of "The Song of Solomon" and how she used imaginary occurences to explain something concrete and usable.Although much of Tim O’Brien is classified as “fiction” he uses much of his experiences in the Vietnam War to tell his story. For his novel O'Brien received the National Book Award in 1979 for his book //Going After Cacciato.//

**__Books Written by Tim O'Brien__**

 * //If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home//
 * //Northern Lights//
 * //Going After Cacciato//
 * //The Nuclear Age//
 * //The Things They Carried//
 * //In the Lake of the Woods//
 * //Tomcat in Love//
 * //July, July//