About tim o brien author biography page

His word choice and diction speaks about the mastery of his art. That is why most of his works vary between simple and controversial style. A major aspect that separates Tim from other writers is his metafictional writing technique that questions the aspects of reality. His works also use verisimilitude to investigate the question of fiction and reality, often portraying time creating images and characters that do not exist.

The recurring thematic strands in most of his literary pieces are war, guilt, and blame, weakness, willingness and unwillingness, and friendship. Regarding literary devices , he often turns to metaphors , similes , symbolism , and sensual imagery to create a unique style.

About tim o brien author biography page

August 19, Archived from the original on September 30, Retrieved September 14, Spark Notes. Retrieved February 26, April 21, National Book Foundation. Retrieved Star Tribune. Archived from the original on December 3, Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award". Verne Morland, Digital Stationery International. Archived from the original on January 12, Pritzker Military Library Literature Award.

June 25, Retrieved November 22, Retrieved December 6, January 15, How to Revise a True War Story. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press. ISBN March 29, Archived from the original on October 23, The subsequent developments are all the products of an imagination feverishly creating alternative scenarios to the horrors of a foot-soldier's daily existence.

Reality becomes malleable as O'Brien weaves memorable sections of recalled events—sentry duty, ambush, patrol, and death—into the path of Cacciato's flight. Imagination is the metaphor for and means of survival—a theme that unites O'Brien's work. Northern Lights brings together two brothers—one returned from Vietnam, the other homebound—and pitches them into a battle for life in the untamed Minnesotan Arrowhead country after a skiing trip goes disastrously wrong.

In a not unexpected role reversal, Harvey, who has proved his manhood in battle, becomes utterly dependent upon Paul, who has "flown a desk" for the duration. O'Brien's portrayals of an impersonal but fiercely hostile winter wilderness and the oppressive atmosphere of a dying small town are vivid and impressive. Northern Lights also introduces us, somewhat ominously, to a bomb shelter dug by Harvey.

O'Brien's third novel, The Nuclear Age , draws that shelter out of the background and deposits it in a dominant position, in the middle and beginning and end of the plot. William Cowling, the narrator of this tale of paranoia and atrophied passion, has led a life determined by dread—the same interminable panic felt by O'Brien in Vietnam but modified into the more universal concept of the all-consuming terror of nuclear Armageddon.

As a child he constructed a refuge in his basement out of a ping-pong table, surrounding it at one point with pencils purloined from school, in the belief that radiation from a nuclear explosion would not penetrate the "lead. The primary motive of the hero is, however, self-preservation: "She was out to change the world, I was out to survive it.

The Things They Carried , more short story cycle than novel, reads so much like a memoir that the author has to emphasize, in a subtitle and prefatory note, that what follows is "a work of fiction. In addition, he has been a vocal supporter of environmental causes and has worked with groups such as the Sierra Club and the Nature Conservancy. Some have accused him of exaggerating or fabricating his experiences in Vietnam, while others have criticized his portrayal of women in his works.

His works continue to resonate with readers and his insights into war and its impact on soldiers have made him a valuable voice in the literary world. His novels and short stories have been translated into numerous languages, including French, German, Spanish, and Japanese. The international success of his books has made him a prominent figure in the literary world, and his works have been studied in universities and schools across the globe.

His works have also been adapted into films and plays, further expanding his reach and influence. The translations of his works have allowed readers who do not speak English to experience the power of his writing, and his impact on the literary world continues to grow. Table of contents. Early Life and Education. Early Writing Career.

Other Notable Works. Awards and Recognition. Personal Life and Family. Teaching and Speaking Engagements. Writing Style and Themes.