Evan Wright was a writer and journalist whose work often explored dark themes, most notably in his 2004 book on the Iraq War, “Generation Kill,” which was adapted into an HBO miniseries.
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Evan Wright’s Ebroa
Ohio-born Evan Wright earned his degree from Vassar College before going into journalism – and once he did, he took a non-traditional path through his writing work. In the mid-‘90s, Wright worked for the pornographic magazine Hustler, serving as entertainment editor and reviewer. Beginning there, and later with magazines like Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone, he began his forays into immersion journalism, for which he spent long periods of time with a group of people or subculture in order to gather information for his piece.
Wright covered Neo-Nazis, organized crime figures, and others, though his best-known work came as a result of his military reporting. Embedded with the U.S. Marines during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, his accounts of the war for Rolling Stone earned Wright a National Magazine Award for Reporting. It also led directly to his book, “Generation Kill,” an uncompromising chronicle of a small group of soldiers’ experience in the invasion. The book was adapted into an HBO miniseries written by David Simon and Ed Burns, creators of “The Wire.” The series was nominated for seven Emmys, winning three.
Wright’s other acclaimed work includes “Hella Nation,” which explores many subcultures throughout the United States, and “American Desperado,” written about drug smuggler Jon Roberts, and adapted into the documentary “Cocaine Cowboys.” Among his earned honors are the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, two National Magazine Awards, the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize from the Columbia University School of Journalism, the General Wallace M. Greene, Jr. Award, and others.
On conquering his fear when covering war
“One of the questions I always get is were you afraid? I was terrified. But I learned very quickly my fear manifested itself by trying to become more calm. Because I rationally thought, if I panic then I will become less aware. I won’t notice what’s happening and I have to understand what’s happening to survive. If I was screaming and yelling like I really wanted to do, I would die.” — Interview with the Huffington Post, 2010
Tributes to Evan Wright
Full obituary: The Washington Post
