Anthony Swofford is an American writer and former U.S. Marine, best known for his memoir, Jarhead, which details his experiences in the 1990-91 Persian Gulf War as part of a Surveillance and Target Acquisition/Scout-Sniper platoon. He received the PEN/Martha Albrand Award for the Art of the Memoir for Jarhead.
A feature film of Jarhead, directed by Sam Mendes and featuring Jake Gyllenhall, playing Tony Swofford, was released in 2005.
Subsequent to his military service, Tony pursued writing, earning a B.A. from UC Davis and an M.F.A. from the renowned Iowa Writers' Workshop. He’s taught at the University of Iowa, Lewis and Clark College, and currently Carnegie-Mellon University.
I’ve read Jarhead and watched the movie multiple times and can tell you Tony’s story is as harrowing as it is darkly funny. I was blown away by the depths of Tony’s beautifully written, dare I say poetic telling of such a deeply personal, nerve-wracking experience.
I’ve also read another of Tony’s memoirs, Hotels, Hospitals, and Jails, which is an equally wild ride through his personal and family life, especially dealing with his ailing father who was trying to maintain his boisterous lifestyle as his body was failing him. Both books are brilliantly written. I highly recommend them to you, as well as his novel, Exit A.
Tony has also published fiction and nonfiction in numerous major publications. including The New York Times and Harper's.
