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Born 1940
Syracuse, New York

American journalist

Writer Michael Herr is best known as the author of Dispatches, a nonfiction account of the Vietnam War that received tremendous critical acclaim when it was published in 1977. The memoir, which was based on Herr's experiences in Vietnam in 1967 and 1968 as a correspondent for Esquire magazine, provided readers with a vivid picture of the war and its impact on young American soldiers. More than two decades later, the book continues to be viewed as a classic work of war literature. As Stewart O'Nan wrote in The Vietnam Reader, "of all the books to come out of the Vietnam War, journalist Michael Herr's Dispatches ... is most often cited as the best, capturing the thrills, terror, and madness of the war."

Early career in journalism

Michael Herr...