Author's Life

Tim O’Brien grew up in a small Minnesota town, situated between the borders of Iowa and South Dakota. The “Turkey Capital of the World”, Worthing, Minnesota There are several accounts that Worthing was a small, insulated community; full of baseball, friends, and bullies. Tim spent many hours on the field over his many years of little league baseball. His father, an insurance salesman, often helped him practice for his big games. Tim recounts that this only happened when his father was sober. Many times during the week, in fact, his father was drunk. Tim O’Brien’s father, William Timothy O'Brien, was an abusive alcoholic. During these days, Tim would often hide in his room and read a plethora of books. Tim was often quoted saying “ Books were a form of bending reality and escaping it.” His mother, a teacher at a local school, never defended Tim from his father. People speculate that is because she was also being abused, although Tim nor his family have confirmed this. The constant reading to escape his family drama led him to want to be a writer. “ I always identified myself as a writer even from the time I was a little boy.” Other than reading, Tim was never fascinated by anything else except magic. Tim recounts several times when he saw local magicians throughout the town and was captivated by it. As he grew into adolescents, the war in Vietnam was raging. It was at this time the chance of him being drafted became real. When he turned 21 he was drafted into the war.

Life Experiences 

As he was drafted into the war, he started basic training for the army. O’Brien faced internal conflict while serving in the war. He did not agree with the causes of the war, but he felt it was important to serve because of pressure from his hometown. His small Minnesotan town believed that it was the duty of the people to serve in the war. During O’Brien’s time in the United States Infantry, he faced many violent war crimes. He was scared by watching his friends get shot, injured, or died. He recounts the massacre of unarmed villagers, scaring him. Many of Tim O’Brien’s novels are inspired by the crimes witnessed. He believed that many of these memoirs were fake, he did not feel that the war was real. He also believed the stories hold the incredible power to keep people, the living, and the dead alive. When O’Brien was 50 he had kids. This time was extremely hard on him as a writer. With two babies at home he wanted to step away from writing entirely, but he did not. He persevered. He kept writing. As his kids started to grow up, they realized that he was older than most of their peers' dads. They made remarks: “Dad you are old,” and “You are going to die soon.” At first these remarks left O’Brien in anguish. As he pondered these comments, he realized that he had the experience that most the other fathers did not. 

Further Education

After high school, O’Brien attended Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. While attending, he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1968. Tim O’Brien graduated summa cum laude. Summa cum laude is Macalester College’s honors program. At Macalester he earned his Bachelor’s in Political Science. After graduating, he was drafted and rushed into the Vietnam War. After his time in the war, he continued his education and attended Harvard University. His graduate major was in Government, but there is no confirmation if he graduated. Between his military experience, and his academic background, O’Brien had the material and skills to become a successful author.

Achievments 

Tim O’Brien had several successful books through his time as an author. The Things They Carried was a New York Times bestseller. This book makes him a household name, and is one of the most influential books about the Vietnam War, still used in schools all over today. Because of his experience, he was able to work as a National Affairs Reporter from the years 1973-1974. He focused his time on reporting political and social issues regarding the post-vietnam era. In 1979 his war novel Going After Cacciato was awarded the National Book Award, the most prestigious literary honors in the United States. This award was a major milestone in his career. This marked him as one of the most influential voices in American War literature. The Things They Carried was awarded France’s prestigious Prix du Meilleur Livre Entranger. This marked him as a worldwide War Literature author. His remarks over the Vietnam war were translated into French and deemed one of the best literary works from outside of France. This showed the global impact that his book made. In 1999 Tim O’Brien was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters Recognition. This honor makes O’Brien one of the top American voices for war literature. The academy itself is known for its honors and recognizes a lifetime of achievements. O’ Brien was awarded the 2013 Pritzker Military Library Literature Award for his lifelong service, and the educational factors his books contributed. Tim O’Brien marks the first fictional author to receive the award making it even more remarkable. His last notable achievement is his acceptance into the Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship. This fellowship supports him as an exceptional writer. The fellowship helps to support authors' future endeavors, so that they can continue to write.