Los Angeles Times Book Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 25 (2004) Winner
Evan Alan Wright
エヴァン・アラン・ライト
Evan Alan Wright
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1964-12-12 （Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.）
- Died
- 2024-07-12 （Los Angeles, California, U.S.） age 59
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Willoughby, Ohio → Santa Monica, California → Los Angeles, California
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Journalist
- Active Years
- 1995-2024
- Influenced By
- Mark Twain, Christopher Isherwood, Hunter S. Thompson (often compared to)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johns Hopkins University | — | — | — | — | United States |
| Vassar College | — | Medieval History | 学士（中世史） | — | United States |
Johns Hopkins University
Country:
United States
Vassar College
Medieval History
Degree:
学士（中世史）
Country:
United States
Graduated from Vassar with a degree in medieval history. Attended Hawken School in high school; experienced expulsion and later return.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Los Angeles Times Book Prize | Generation Kill: Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America and the New Face of American War | — | Los Angeles Times | 受賞 |
| 2004 | National Magazine Award for Reporting | The Killer Elite (published in Rolling Stone) | — | American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) | 受賞 |
| 2005 | J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize | Generation Kill | — | Columbia University School of Journalism / Nieman Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2005 | PEN USA Literary Award (research nonfiction) | Generation Kill | — | PEN USA | 受賞 |
| 2005 | General Wallace M. Greene, Jr., Award | Generation Kill | — | U.S. Marine Corps Heritage Society | 受賞 |
| 2008 | National Magazine Award for Profile Writing | Pat Dollard's War on Hollywood (published in Vanity Fair) | — | American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) | 受賞 |
Los Angeles Times Book Prize
2004
Work:
Generation Kill: Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America and the New Face of American War
Organization:
Los Angeles Times
Result:
受賞
National Magazine Award for Reporting
2004
Work:
The Killer Elite (published in Rolling Stone)
Organization:
American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME)
Result:
受賞
J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize
2005
Work:
Generation Kill
Organization:
Columbia University School of Journalism / Nieman Foundation
Result:
受賞
PEN USA Literary Award (research nonfiction)
2005
Work:
Generation Kill
Organization:
PEN USA
Result:
受賞
General Wallace M. Greene, Jr., Award
2005
Work:
Generation Kill
Organization:
U.S. Marine Corps Heritage Society
Result:
受賞
National Magazine Award for Profile Writing
2008
Work:
Pat Dollard's War on Hollywood (published in Vanity Fair)
Organization:
American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME)
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Generation Kill: Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America and the New Face of American War
2004 Non-fiction (military reporting)An immersive account based on time embedded with a U.S. Marine reconnaissance battalion during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, offering detailed, ground-level reporting of combat and soldiers' experiences. It won multiple awards and was adapted into an HBO miniseries.
WarMilitary lifeImmersion journalismGallows humor amidst tragedy
Adaptations
- [TV miniseries] Generation Kill (HBO, 2008) (2008)
Hella Nation
2009 Non-fiction (essay collection)A collection of long-form essays about subcultures and outsiders, containing autobiographical elements. It offers a satirical and often dark portrait of American (especially Californian) life.
American subculturesOutsidersViolence and dark humor
American Desperado
2011 Memoir / Non-fictionA co-written memoir about Jon Roberts, a figure in Miami's cocaine trade, detailing the inner workings of crime and violence.
Drug crimeMemoirDescriptions of violence
Adaptations
- [Planned film (unproduced)] American Desperado (planned, unproduced)
How to Get Away with Murder in America
2012 Investigative reporting / Non-fictionInvestigative reporting centered on allegations that a high-ranking CIA officer acted as a Mafia hitman, exploring connections between crime and state power.
CrimeIntelligence agenciesPower and violence
Bibliography
- Generation Kill (2004)
- Hella Nation (2009)
- American Desperado (with Jon Roberts, 2011)
- How to Get Away with Murder in America (2012)
- Various long-form reportage and essays (Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Time, etc.)
Adaptations
- Generation Kill (HBO miniseries, 2008)
- Teen Torture, Inc. (documentary, appeared, 2024)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Immersion journalism (immersive reporting)Detail-oriented reportageBiting, dark humor
- Recurring Motifs
- Military and battlefield lifeOutsiders and extremistsNormalization of violence
Health
-
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)幼少期〜生涯に影響Reported to have suffered PTSD stemming from childhood abuse; it affected his life and work and was reported as a factor in his eventual suicide.
Legacy
Known for immersive war reporting and long-form reportage grounded in detail, praised for his dark humor and granular reporting. Generation Kill was adapted for television, and he won several major journalism awards.
Academic Societies
- Columbia University School of Journalism
- Nieman Foundation
In Popular Culture
- Involved in the HBO miniseries adaptation of Generation Kill (2008); served as writer and consulting producer on the project.
- His writings on real figures and subjects have been sources for films and documentaries.
Quotes
-
His military writing was called "nuanced and grounded in details often overlooked in daily journalistic accounts."
Source: The New York Times (2004)
Trivia
- Was expelled from Hawken School in high school for selling cannabis and was sent to a troubled-teen program called The Seed.
- Worked as entertainment editor and porn-film reviewer for Hustler magazine.
- Married to Shana "Kelli" Wright; had three children (two sons and a daughter).
- Reportedly died by suicide via firearm at his home in Los Angeles in July 2024.
- Generation Kill originated from embedded reporting for Rolling Stone and won multiple awards.