We lost an amazing American author this month, Herman Wouk, best known for historical fiction works such as The Caine Mutiny which was published in 1951 and won the Pulitzer Prize.
Other major works include The Winds of War and War and Remembrance – both novels about World War II, in which Wouk served as an officer on two Navy minesweepers.
Wouk books have been translated into 27 languages. On his 80th birthday, he was feted at the Library of Congress where guests considered him the American ‘Tolstoy.’
Married with three children, Wouk at one time lived at St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, where he wrote “Don’t Stop the Carnival” in 1965. It is a comedy about escaping middle-age crisis to the Caribbean, a heaven that quickly turns into a hell for the main character. The novel was turned into a short-lived musical and later, an album by Jimmy Buffett in 1997.
The Cordova Public Library has a plethora of Wouk’s novels. If you haven’t read any take some time to read at least one of his fabulous works.
On our shelves: The Caine Mutiny, Don’t Stop the Carnival, The Glory, The Hope: a novel, Inside, Outside: a novel, Marjorie Morningstar, War and Remembrance, The Winds of War: a novel, and The Lawgiver.
Wouk died in his sleep at the age of 103 in his home in Palm Springs, California on May 17, 2019, just 10 days shy of his 104th birthday.
The Cordova Public Library is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Closed Mondays.
