James Jones (author)

James Jones (1921-1977) is an American author most famous for his explorations of World War II and its aftermath.

Life

Jones was born in 1921 in Robinson, Illinois. He served in the US 25th Infantry Division during World War II, and was injured in the Battle of Guadalcanal.

His wartime experiences inspired some of his most famous works. He witnessed the bombing of Pearl Harbor, which led to his first novel, From Here to Eternity. He wrote The Thin Red Line about the Battle of Guadalcanal. From Here to Eternity won the National Book Award in 1952.

Selected bibliography

• From Here to Eternity, 1951 (made into a movie in 1953)
• Some Came Running, 1957 (made into a movie in 1958)
• The Thin Red Line, 1962 (made into a movie in both 1964 and 1998)
• Go to the Widow-Maker, 1967
• The Ice-Cream Headache and Other Stories, 1968
• A Touch of Danger, 1973
• The Merry Month of May
• Whistle (novel)

Miscellaneous

From Here to Eternity was loosely based on Jones's experiences in the 19th Infantry Division, Company E ("The Boxing Company"). Fellow company member Hal Gould said that while the novel was based on the company including some real people, the charatcers are changed, the harsh conditions and the events are fictional.

External links

• The James Jones Literary Society