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Karl Marlantes

カール・アーサー・マーランテス

Kāru Mārantesu

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1944-12-24 （Astoria, Oregon, U.S.）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Seaside, Oregon, U.S. → Astoria, Oregon, U.S. → Pacific Northwest, U.S.

Career

Occupations
Author, Veteran
Active Years
1964-

Education

Yale University
Degree: Bachelor's
Period: 1963–1967
Year of Graduation: 1967
Country: United States
Attended on a National Merit Scholarship; member of Jonathan Edwards College and the Yale rugby team.
University College, Oxford (University of Oxford)
Degree: Master's
Period: 留学（学位取得、在学期間に軍務で中断）
Country: United Kingdom
Attended as a Rhodes Scholar; returned after military service and earned a master's degree.

Awards

Rhodes Scholarship
1967
Organization: Rhodes Trust
Result: winner
Washington State Book Award (Fiction)
2011
Work: Matterhorn
Category: フィクション
Organization: Washington State Book Awards
Result: winner
Flaherty-Dunnan Prize (Center for Fiction First Novel Prize)
Work: Matterhorn
Organization: Center for Fiction
Result: winner
Indies Choice Book Awards
Work: Matterhorn
Organization: American Booksellers Association
Result: winner
James Webb Award (Marine Corps Heritage Foundation)
Organization: Marine Corps Heritage Foundation
Result: winner
William E. Colby Award
Work: Matterhorn
Organization: William E. Colby Award
Result: winner
Navy Cross
Organization: United States Marine Corps / Department of the Navy
Result: recipient

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War

2010 Historical fiction / War novel

A novel based on the author's Vietnam War experience, depicting frontline infantry life, command dilemmas, and moral ambiguities of combat. Noted for detailed, realistic battle scenes and psychological depth.

WarTraumaLeadershipMoral ambiguity

What It Is Like to Go to War

2011 Non-fiction / Memoir

A non-fiction work reflecting on returning from war and the lives of modern veterans, discussing combat experience, its aftermath, and the relationship between society and the military.

ReintegrationPTSDMilitary and society

Deep River

2019 Historical fiction / Family saga

Follows a Finnish family that emigrates and settles in a Pacific Northwest logging community, exploring early-1900s labor movements, the logging industry, and family reconstruction in America.

Immigration and assimilationLabor movementFamily

Cold Victory

2024 Novel

A novel addressing moral and political themes. Summary based on available public information.

Ethics of warPolitical conflict

Bibliography

  • Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War (2010)
  • What It Is Like to Go to War (2011)
  • Deep River (2019)
  • Cold Victory (2024)

Adaptations

  • Featured in Ken Burns & Lynn Novick's documentary series 'The Vietnam War' (2017)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Detailed, realistic battle descriptionsEmphasis on psychological portrayalBlend of narrative and military realism
Recurring Motifs
Ethics of combatTrauma and its effectsCommunity and comradeshipNature and labor (e.g., logging)

Health

  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
    ベトナム戦争従軍および復員後
    Affected post-war life and writing; Marlantes has spoken publicly about living with PTSD.

Legacy

Marlantes is known for his weighty war literature rooted in Vietnam War experience. His works, particularly 'Matterhorn', are highly regarded in contemporary war literature and have won multiple literary awards.

Archives

  • Pritzker Military Museum & Library (holds related materials)

In Popular Culture

  • Appearance in Ken Burns & Lynn Novick's documentary series 'The Vietnam War' (2017)

Quotes

  • 'Matterhorn' is one of the most profound and devastating novels ever to come out of Vietnam — or any war.
    Source: Sebastian Junger (The New York Times Book Review) (2010)

Trivia

  • Awarded a Rhodes Scholarship and attended Oxford.
  • Served with 1st Battalion, 4th Marines in the Vietnam War and received the Navy Cross among other decorations.
  • 'Matterhorn' took decades to be published.
  • Married with three daughters.