Conversations with Tim O'Brien

Patrick A Smith

ISBN 10: 1496846486 / ISBN 13: 9781496846488

Published by University Press Of Mississippi, 2023

About this Item

nach der Bestellung gedruckt Neuware - Printed after ordering - On the strength of a National Book Award for his novel Going After Cacciato and a widely acclaimed short-story cycle, The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien (b. 1946) cemented his reputation as one of the most compelling chroniclers of Vietnam--and, in the process, was cast as a 'Vietnam writer.' But to confine O'Brien to a single piece of ground or a particular style is to ignore the broad sweep of a career spanning nearly four decades. In addition to detailed discussions of all of O'Brien's work--a memoir, If I Die in a Combat Zone, and seven books of fiction--the sixteen interviews and profiles in Conversations with Tim O'Brien explore common themes, with subtle differences. Looming large is the experience of Vietnam and its influence as well as O'Brien's youth in Minnesota and the expectations of a midwestern upbringing. Interviews allowed the writer to fully examine the shifting boundaries of truth and identity, memory, and imagination in fiction; the role of war in society; gender issues; and the craft of writing. O'Brien approaches each of these topics and a host of others with a directness and an evident passion that will resonate with both readers and prospective writers.

Seller Inventory # 9781496846488

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Conversations with Tim O'Brien
• Publisher: University Press Of Mississippi
• Publication Date: 2023
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1496846486
• ISBN 13: 9781496846488
• Binding: Taschenbuch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 229W x 152H x 14D millimeters 229 millimeters width by 152 millimeters height by 14 millimeters depth
• Weight: 390 grams

About this title

Synopsis

On the strength of a National Book Award for his novel Going After Cacciato and a widely acclaimed short-story cycle, The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien (b. 1946) cemented his reputation as one of the most compelling chroniclers of Vietnam—and, in the process, was cast as a “Vietnam writer.” But to confine O’Brien to a single piece of ground or a particular style is to ignore the broad sweep of a career spanning nearly four decades.

In addition to detailed discussions of all of O’Brien’s work—a memoir, If I Die in a Combat Zone, and seven books of fiction—the sixteen interviews and profiles in Conversations with Tim O’Brien explore common themes, with subtle differences. Looming large is the experience of Vietnam and its influence as well as O’Brien’s youth in Minnesota and the expectations of a midwestern upbringing. Interviews allowed the writer to fully examine the shifting boundaries of truth and identity, memory, and imagination in fiction; the role of war in society; gender issues; and the craft of writing. O’Brien approaches each of these topics and a host of others with a directness and an evident passion that will resonate with both readers and prospective writers.

About the Author

Patrick A. Smith is professor of English at Bainbridge State College in Bainbridge, Georgia. His previous books and edited collections include "The True Bones of My Life": Essays on the Fiction of Jim Harrison, Tim O'Brien: A Critical Companion, Conversations with Tim O'Brien, and Conversations with William Gibson, the latter two titles published by University Press of Mississippi.