Larry Heinemann
Encyclopedia
Larry Heinemann is an American
novel
ist born and raised in Chicago
. His body of work—three novels and a memoir—is primarily concerned with the Vietnam War
. Heinemann served a combat tour as a conscripted draftee in Viet Nam from 1967 to 1968 with the 25th Infantry Division, and has described himself as the most ordinary of soldiers. Heinemann's prose style is blunt and straightforward, reflecting his working class background. He drew most directly on his Vietnam experience in his first novel Close Quarters which was published in 1977. His second and most critically acclaimed novel is Paco's Story (1986), which won the 1987 National Book Award for Fiction, topping Toni Morrison
's Beloved
in a decision that some thought controversial. Other critics and essayists thought the award appropriate and well deserved. At the time, Heinemann's only response to the controversy was that the prize, a check for $10,000, was already cashed, and that the Louise Nevelson sculpture, a gift from the National Book Foundation, was not likely to be returned. Paco's Story relates the postwar experiences of its protagonist haunted by the ghosts of his dead comrades who provide the novel's distinctive narrative voice. The story deals with the seemingly contradictory and morally ambiguous role of the soldier as both victimizer and victim. It is interesting to note that ghost stories are common in both American and Vietnamese literature about the war. (The Women's Publishing House, Nha Xuat Phu Nu, of Ha Noi published Paco's Story in December, 2010, translated by Pham Anh Tuan with an introduction by celebrated Vietnamese novelist Bao Ninh. The novel is the first American-written war novel published in Vietnam.)
His third novel, Cooler by the Lake (1992), is a comic story about Chicago, and deals with the awful trouble a petty thief gets into when he attempts to return a wallet with 8 $100 bills in it to the rightful owner. Thematically lighter than his first novels, it was less positively received.
Heinemann's military experiences are documented in his most recent work, Black Virgin Mountain
(2005), a memoir. The book chronicles his several return trips to Vietnam and his personal and political views concerning the country and the war. He has often referred to his two war novels and the memoir as an accidental trilogy.
Heinemann's short stories and non-fiction have appeared in Atlantic Monthly, GRAPHIS
, Harper's
, Penthouse, Playboy
, and Tri-Quarterly magazines, as well as Van Nghe, the Vietnam Writers Association Journal of Arts and Letters in Ha Noi, and numerous anthologies including The Other Side of Heaven
, Writing Between the Lines, Vietnam Anthology, Best of the Tri-Quarterly, Lesebuch der wilden Männer, The Vintage Book of War Stories, Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace (edited by Maxine Hong Kingston
), and most recently in "Humor Me" edited by Ian Frazier. His work has been translated into Dutch, German, French, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
Heinemann received a BA from Columbia College, Chicago
in 1971. He taught creative writing there until 1986 when he resigned over a furious argument about nepotism and academic freedom. Paco's Story was published later that year. Since then he has since received literature fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation
and the National Endowment for the Arts
, and a Fulbright Scholarship to research Vietnamese folklore, legends, and mythology at Hue University
. He is the Writer in Residence at Texas A&M University.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist born and raised in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. His body of work—three novels and a memoir—is primarily concerned with the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Heinemann served a combat tour as a conscripted draftee in Viet Nam from 1967 to 1968 with the 25th Infantry Division, and has described himself as the most ordinary of soldiers. Heinemann's prose style is blunt and straightforward, reflecting his working class background. He drew most directly on his Vietnam experience in his first novel Close Quarters which was published in 1977. His second and most critically acclaimed novel is Paco's Story (1986), which won the 1987 National Book Award for Fiction, topping Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison is a Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, editor, and professor. Her novels are known for their epic themes, vivid dialogue, and richly detailed characters. Among her best known novels are The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon and Beloved...
's Beloved
Beloved (novel)
Beloved is a novel by the American writer Toni Morrison, published in 1987. Set in 1873 just after the American Civil War , it is based on the story of the African-American slave, Margaret Garner, who escaped slavery in 1856 in Kentucky by fleeing to Ohio, a free state...
in a decision that some thought controversial. Other critics and essayists thought the award appropriate and well deserved. At the time, Heinemann's only response to the controversy was that the prize, a check for $10,000, was already cashed, and that the Louise Nevelson sculpture, a gift from the National Book Foundation, was not likely to be returned. Paco's Story relates the postwar experiences of its protagonist haunted by the ghosts of his dead comrades who provide the novel's distinctive narrative voice. The story deals with the seemingly contradictory and morally ambiguous role of the soldier as both victimizer and victim. It is interesting to note that ghost stories are common in both American and Vietnamese literature about the war. (The Women's Publishing House, Nha Xuat Phu Nu, of Ha Noi published Paco's Story in December, 2010, translated by Pham Anh Tuan with an introduction by celebrated Vietnamese novelist Bao Ninh. The novel is the first American-written war novel published in Vietnam.)
His third novel, Cooler by the Lake (1992), is a comic story about Chicago, and deals with the awful trouble a petty thief gets into when he attempts to return a wallet with 8 $100 bills in it to the rightful owner. Thematically lighter than his first novels, it was less positively received.
Heinemann's military experiences are documented in his most recent work, Black Virgin Mountain
Black Virgin Mountain
Black Virgin Mountain is a mountain in the Tay Ninh Province of Vietnam. To the Vietnamese the mountain is the center of a myth about Ba Den, a Vietnamese woman. During the Vietnam War the area around the mountain was very active as the Ho Chi Minh Trail ended a few kilometers west across the...
(2005), a memoir. The book chronicles his several return trips to Vietnam and his personal and political views concerning the country and the war. He has often referred to his two war novels and the memoir as an accidental trilogy.
Heinemann's short stories and non-fiction have appeared in Atlantic Monthly, GRAPHIS
Graphis
Graphis Inc. is the international publisher of books and magazines on communication design, advertising, photography, annual reports, posters, logos, packaging, book design, brochures, corporate identity, letterhead, interactive design and other design associated with graphic arts.According to the...
, Harper's
Harper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts, with a generally left-wing perspective. It is the second-oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. . The current editor is Ellen Rosenbush, who replaced Roger Hodge in January 2010...
, Penthouse, Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
, and Tri-Quarterly magazines, as well as Van Nghe, the Vietnam Writers Association Journal of Arts and Letters in Ha Noi, and numerous anthologies including The Other Side of Heaven
The Other Side of Heaven
The Other Side of Heaven is a 2001 film produced by Academy Award winner Gerald R. Molen and directed by Mitch Davis and stars Christopher Gorham and Anne Hathaway .-Overview:...
, Writing Between the Lines, Vietnam Anthology, Best of the Tri-Quarterly, Lesebuch der wilden Männer, The Vintage Book of War Stories, Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace (edited by Maxine Hong Kingston
Maxine Hong Kingston
Maxine Hong Kingston is a Chinese American author and Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, where she graduated with a BA in English in 1962. Kingston has written three novels and several works of non-fiction about the experiences of Chinese immigrants living in the United...
), and most recently in "Humor Me" edited by Ian Frazier. His work has been translated into Dutch, German, French, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
Heinemann received a BA from Columbia College, Chicago
Columbia College Chicago
Columbia College Chicago is one of the largest art colleges in the United States with nearly 12,000 students pursuing degrees within 120 undergraduate and graduate programs...
in 1971. He taught creative writing there until 1986 when he resigned over a furious argument about nepotism and academic freedom. Paco's Story was published later that year. Since then he has since received literature fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was founded in 1925 by Mr. and Mrs. Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died April 26, 1922...
and the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
, and a Fulbright Scholarship to research Vietnamese folklore, legends, and mythology at Hue University
Hue University
Huế University is a university located in Huế, the former imperial capital of Vietnam; this university is one of the important regional universities of Vietnam...
. He is the Writer in Residence at Texas A&M University.
External links
- 2003 interview with Larry Heinemann from Logos: A Journal of Modern Society and Culture
- 1997 interview with Larry Heinemann from The Atlantic MonthlyThe Atlantic MonthlyThe Atlantic is an American magazine founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1857. It was created as a literary and cultural commentary magazine. It quickly achieved a national reputation, which it held for more than a century. It was important for recognizing and publishing new writers and poets,...
online edition