Awarded: April 2000
(b. May 27, 1915)

Herman Wouk is best known for his World War II fiction. His works focus on the moral dilemmas of fictional characters as they interact with historic figures. He first worked as a comedy writer for radio, then he began producing radio shows promoting war bonds. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1942 and began work on his first novel while serving in the Pacific. “The Caine Mutiny” earned him the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1952. He produced two more best-sellers: “The Winds of War” and its sequel, “War and Remembrance.” He also wrote the scripts for several highly successful miniseries versions of his books.

Related Library Resources

• Read “Herman Wouk Makes His Case” from the December 2000 Library of Congress Information Bulletin.
• View a Webcast of Herman Wouk discussing his writing career.
• Read “The Words of Wouk: Novelist Honored in New Library Publication” from the December 1999 Library of Congress Information Bulletin.
• Hear real World War II stories through the Library’s Veterans History Project.