"Literature is not a lap dog..." - Tim O' Brien

"Literature is not a lap dog... it's a way of opening doors and overcoming the silence (of war) that occurs." -Tim O' Brien

{Disclaimer} Tim O' Brien is my favorite writer, I idolize not only his prose, but his recollection and hypothesis of the combat experience in the fiction narratives he crafts. I've read most of his novels and story collections numerous times.  I can no longer keep track of how many times I've read The Things They Carried.  I poured over this collection of stories as an immature, naive high school student, as a curious college student about to embark on the adventure of combat, and as a jaded post-war veteran.  No matter how many times I read "On The Rainy River" and "Speaking of Courage" I weep in the end. I cherish his work.  If I could capture a fraction of his intellect and style in my own work, I would be euphoric.  

Reading as a writer is a new voyage.  Here are some interviews/discussion I dug up to better understand his work.

A conversation with Tobias Wolff on Writing & War at Stanford University.

Here's a few highlights:

"I wrote my work out of bitterness and hatred..." 17:20

(Paraphrased) Not many people worry about not finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq (21:45)

Discussing the cliches risen from some war stories 41:00

Discussing the memories of combat 46:00

Questions start from the audience at 57:00

There's an amazing response by Tim around 111:00 on PTSD.

How To Write A War Story
"You have to pick the times not to be scared."

"Every writer has to suffer some wound."

An older documentary not only highlighting the craft of Tim O' Brien, but Richard Bausch, Philip Caputo, and Carolyn Forche