Tim O’Brien

Date of Birth: October 1, 1946

Zodiac Sign: Libra

Biography

Tim O’Brien is a renowned American author best known for his works that explore the complexities of the Vietnam War and its aftermath. Born in Austin, Minnesota, O’Brien grew up in a small-town environment that greatly influenced his writing style. He graduated from Macalester College in 1968 and was immediately drafted into the United States Army, where he served from 1969 to 1970, including a tour in Vietnam. His experiences during the war deeply impacted his writing career, leading him to pen some of the most poignant and reflective literature on the subject. His notable works include “The Things They Carried,” “Going After Cacciato,” and “In the Lake of the Woods.” Over the years, O’Brien has received numerous awards, including the National Book Award for Fiction. He currently resides in Austin, Texas, where he continues to write and occasionally teaches creative writing.

5 Interesting Facts about Tim O’Brien

1. Tim O’Brien’s book “The Things They Carried” is often used in high school and college curricula to teach about the Vietnam War.

2. He received the National Book Award in 1979 for his novel “Going After Cacciato.”

3. O’Brien’s works are often classified as metafiction, blending elements of truth and fiction to explore deeper psychological and moral questions.

4. He has taught creative writing at various institutions, including Texas State University.

5. O’Brien’s mother was also a writer, and he credits her for nurturing his love of storytelling.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Tim O’Brien

1. “They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing—these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight.”

2. “Stories are for joining the past to the future. Stories are for those late hours in the night when you can’t remember how you got from where you were to where you are. Stories are for eternity, when memory is erased, when there is nothing to remember except the story.”

3. “A thing may happen and be a total lie; another thing may not happen and be truer than the truth.”

4. “A true war story is never moral. It does not instruct, nor encourage virtue, nor suggest models of proper human behavior, nor restrain men from doing the things men have always done. If a story seems moral, do not believe it.”

5. “That’s what fiction is for. It’s for getting at the truth when the truth isn’t sufficient for the truth.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

At the peak of his career, Tim O’Brien’s net worth has been estimated to be around $1 million.

Children

Tim O’Brien has two sons, Timmy and Tad, who have occasionally been mentioned in interviews and his writings. He has expressed the influence of fatherhood on his later works and personal reflections.