Karl Marlantes is the author of Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War

Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War

Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War is a novel by American author and decorated Marine Karl Marlantes. It was first published by El Leon Literary Arts in 2009 and re-issued as a major publication of Atlantic Monthly Press on March 23, 2010.Marlantes is a graduate of Yale University and a...

, a New York Times Top 10 Bestseller

Bestseller

A bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and...

 published in 2010. The New York Times declared Matterhorn "one of the most profound and devastating novels ever to come out of Vietnam" . Matterhorn received the 2011 Washington State Book Award

Washington State Book Award

The Washington State Book Awards are presented annually in recognition of notable books written by Washington authors in the previous year.This literary awards program was established in 1967 as the Governor's Writers Awards. The program was based at the Washington State Library in Olympia...

 in the Fiction category.

The novel is based on Marlantes' experiences in 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...

, where he served as a lieutenant

Lieutenant

A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...

 and received various meritorious service awards from the United States Marine Corps

United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

 . Marlantes first received a National Merit Scholarship to attend Yale University and was then a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford . The decorations he was awarded while serving in the Marines include the Navy Cross

Navy Cross

The Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...

, two Navy Commendation Medals for valor, two Purple Heart

Purple Heart

The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...

s and ten Air Medal

Air Medal

The Air Medal is a military decoration of the United States. The award was created in 1942, and is awarded for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.-Criteria:...

s.

Marlantes was awarded the Navy Cross for an action in Vietnam in which he, as a company commander, led an assault on a North Vietnamese bunker complex on a hilltop.

He has recently published a non-fiction work entitled What It Is Like To Go To War about modern veteran life upon return to the civilian world.

External links

• Interview on Matterhorn at the Pritzker Military Library
• Q&A interview with Marlantes, first aired Nov. 13, 2011