Michael Herr
Michael Herr
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Full Name and Common Aliases
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Michael Herr was an American journalist, novelist, and screenwriter, commonly known by his pen name.
Birth and Death Dates
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Michael Herr was born on April 24, 1940, in Albany, New York. He passed away on June 25, 2011, at the age of 71, due to complications from pneumonia.
Nationality and Profession(s)
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Herr's nationality is American, and he worked as a journalist, novelist, and screenwriter throughout his career.
Early Life and Background
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Michael Herr grew up in Albany, New York, and spent part of his childhood on the island of Long Island. He developed an interest in writing at an early age and attended Johns Hopkins University, where he studied English literature. After graduating from college, Herr moved to Paris and began working as a journalist for various publications.
Major Accomplishments
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Herr's work is characterized by his unique blend of journalism and fiction. His most notable works include:
Dispatches, a non-fiction book about the Vietnam War that showcases his innovative storytelling style.
Killing Zone, a novel that draws on his experiences as a war correspondent in Vietnam.
* True Stories, an essay collection that explores themes of identity, politics, and culture.
Notable Works or Actions
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Herr's work has been widely praised for its vivid descriptions of the human experience during times of conflict. His writing often blends elements of journalism and fiction, creating a unique narrative voice that is both immersive and thought-provoking. Herr was also an influential figure in the development of New Journalism, a literary movement that emphasized the use of innovative storytelling techniques to report on contemporary events.
Impact and Legacy
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Michael Herr's work has had a significant impact on the literary world, influencing generations of writers and journalists. His innovative approach to storytelling has paved the way for other writers to experiment with non-fiction forms. Herr's writing continues to be widely read and studied today, offering insights into the human experience during times of conflict.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
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Michael Herr is widely quoted and remembered for his unique perspective on war and its effects on individuals and society. His writing has been praised for its lyricism, insight, and emotional depth, making him one of the most celebrated writers of his generation.
Quotes by Michael Herr
Michael Herr's insights on:
There was a special Air Force outfit that flew defoliation missions. They were called the Ranch Hands, and their motto was, ‘Only we can prevent forests.
You’d meet an optimism that no violence could unconvince, or a cynicism that would eat itself empty every day and then turn, hungry and malignant, on whatever it could for a bite, friendly or hostile, it didn’t matter.
He hadn’t been anything but tired and scared for six months and he’d lost a lot, mostly people, and seen far too much, but he was breathing in and breathing out, some kind of choice all by itself.
Some people think 1963′s a long time ago; when a dead American in the jungle was an event, a grim thrilling novelty. It was spookwar then, adventure; not exactly soldiers, not even advisors yet, but Irregulars, working in remote places with little direct authority, acting out their fantasies with more freedom than most men ever know.
Page took the record that was playing on the turntable off without asking anybody and put on Jimi Hendrix: long tense organic guitar line that made him shiver like frantic electric ecstasy was shooting up from the carpet through his spine straight to the old pleasure center in his cream-cheese brain, shaking his head so that his hair waved all around him, Have You Ever Been Experienced?
After a year I felt so plugged in to all the stories and the images and the fear that even the dead started telling me stories, you’d hear them out of a remote but accessible space where there were no ideas, no emotions, no facts, no proper language, only clean information. However many times it happened, whether I’d known them or not, no matter what I’d felt about them or the way they’d died, their story was always there and it was always the same: it went, “Put yourself in my place.
There was such a dense concentration of American energy there, American and essentially adolescent, if that energy could have been channeled into anything more than noise, waste and pain it would have lighted up Indochina for a thousand years.
It’s a corny old gag about Las Vegas, the temporal city if there ever was one, trying to camouflage the hours and retard the dawn, when everybody knows that if you’re feeling lucky you’re really feeling time in its rawest form, and if you’re not feeling lucky, they’ve got a clock at the bus station.
