THE THINGS THEY CARRIED by Tim O'Brien (hier online bestellen)
The story:
They carried malaria tablets, love letters, 28-pound mine detectors, dope, illustrated Bibles, each other.
And, if they made it home alive, they carried unrelenting images of a nightmarish war that history is only
beginning to absorb. Since it was first published, The Things They Carried has become an unparalleled Vietnam
testament, a classic work of American literature and a profound study of men at war that illuminates the
capacity, and the limits, of the human heart and soul.
Extract from book:
American soldiers in Vietnam during the war carry many things, most of them from home. First Lieutenant Jimmy
Cross carries letters from a girl named Martha, a college student back in New Jersey. He loves her, and though
he knows she doesn't love him, he hopes she will. He often daydreams about romantic vacations with her. He
wonders if she is a virgin. His love sometimes distracts him from taking care of his soldiers. The men in his
platoon carry objects that revealed their personalities. Henry Dobbins is a big man who liked to eat, so he
carries extra food. Ted Lavender was scared, so he carried tranquilizers, which he took until he was shot and
killed. Dave Jensen is worried about disease, so he carries soap and a toothbrush. They all carry heavy helmets
and boots. Kiowa carries a bible--he is a deeply religious Baptist. Mitchell Sanders carries condoms, and Norma
Bowker carries a diary. Rat Kiley, the medic, carries comic books. The nights are cold, the ground is wet, and
you can bleed to death very quickly, so they carry ponchos and bandages. Almost everyone carries, or "humps,"
photographs. Jimmy Cross carries two photographs of Martha, one where she leans against a wall (he wonders who
took the picture) and one where she is playing volleyball, her left knee supporting all her weight. He stares
at that knee, remembering when they went to see the movie "Bonnie and Clyde" together. He had touched her knee,
and she had given him a look that made him take his hand away. Looking at the volleyball picture now, he wishes
he had been more aggressive with her. He should have carried her up to her room that night after the movie.
"Whenever he looked at the photographs, he thought of new things he should have done."
About the author:
Tim O'Brien is from small town Minnesota. He was born in Austin on October 1, 1946, a birth date he shares with
several of his characters (as well as with his webmaster!), and grew up in Worthington, "Turkey Capital of the
World."
He matriculated at Macalester College. Graduation in 1968 found him with a BA in political science and a draft
notice.
O'Brien was against the war, but reported for service and was sent to Vietnam with what has been called the
"unlucky" Americal division due to its involvement in the My Lai massacre in 1968, an event which figures
prominently in In the Lake of the Woods.. He was assigned to 3rd Platoon, A Co., 5th Batt. 46th Inf., as an
infantry foot soldier. O'Brien's tour of duty was 1969-70.
After Vietnam he became a graduate student at Harvard. No doubt he was one of very few Vietnam veterans there
at that time, much less Combat Infantry Badge (CIB) holders. Having the opportunity to do an internship at the
Washington Post, he eventually left Harvard to become a newspaper reporter. O'Brien's career as a reporter
gave way to his fiction writing after publication of his memoir If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Send
Me Home.
Tim O'Brien is now a visiting professor and endowed chair at Southwest Texas State University where he
teaches in the Creative Writing Program.
Buchdaten:
THE THINGS THEY CARRIED by Tim O'Brien
Taschenbuch - 272 Seiten - Broadway Books
Erscheinungsdatum: 1. April 1999
ISBN: 0767902890
Preis: € 12,95
More works from the same author:
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