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Evan Wright

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Evan Wright
Wright in 2008
Born(1964-12-12)December 12, 1964
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
DiedJuly 12, 2024(2024-07-12) (aged 59)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma materVassar College
OccupationWriter
Notable workGeneration Kill, Hella Nation, American Desperado
TelevisionGeneration Kill
SpouseKelly Wright
Children3
AwardsTwo National Magazine Awards

Evan Alan Wright (December 12, 1964 – July 12, 2024) was an American writer, known for his reporting on subcultures for Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair.[1] He was best known for his book on the Iraq War, Generation Kill (2004). He also wrote an exposé about a top CIA officer who allegedly worked as a Mafia hitman, How to Get Away with Murder in America (2012).[2]

Although some compare his writings to those of Hunter S. Thompson, Wright claimed his biggest literary influences were authors Mark Twain and Christopher Isherwood.[3] The New York Times called his military writing "nuanced and grounded in details often overlooked in daily journalistic accounts" and noted his use of "gallows humor".[4]

Biography

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Wright was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on December 12, 1964,[5] and grew up in Willoughby, Ohio. Both of his parents were lawyers. His father was a prosecutor, then the general counsel for a utility. Wright attended Hawken School,[6] but was expelled for selling cannabis and sent to a home for juvenile delinquents called the Seed.[3] He returned to Hawken and made state debate finals in high school. Wright studied at Johns Hopkins University and at Vassar College; he graduated from Vassar with a degree in medieval history.[7] His first writing job was to interview South African political leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi, but it was for a small magazine that did not pay.[6]

Wright died by suicide via firearm at his home in Los Angeles on July 12, 2024, at the age of 59.[5][8][9]

Hustler magazine

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In 1995, Wright became the entertainment editor and chief pornographic film reviewer for Hustler magazine. In 2000, he wrote about the experience and the issues surrounding the pornography industry in an article for Salon, titled "Maxed Out",[10] and for the LA Weekly, in a cover story titled "Scenes from My Life in Porn".[11]

Immersion journalism

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Starting in 1996 at Hustler, then at Rolling Stone, Time, and Vanity Fair, Wright wrote long features based on his immersion in subcultures ranging from radical environmentalists to neo-Nazis. Many of his essays focused on crimes or controversial figures, and were said by him to capture a "dark, untamed America" that resembled "the Wild West".[12] Several of his essays were collected in the book Hella Nation, which Wright called a "sort of autobiography".[3] His essays in Hella Nation were compared to Joan Didion's writings on California.[13] Another reviewer called Hella Nation a "comically macabre portrait of American life".[14]

Military reporting

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In 2002, Wright went to Afghanistan on assignment for Rolling Stone.[7]

In 2003, he was embedded with the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion of the United States Marine Corps during the early stages of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.[15] Wright spent his entire time embedded in a recon team led by then-Sergeant Brad Colbert. He was under fire with the Marines for several weeks, and accompanied them "on point" (i.e., in the lead vehicle). One of the Marines in the unit told The New York Times, "He was in the worst possible place to have a reporter. During the first firefight, he took 10 rounds in his door."[4] Wright expressed admiration for the Marines, but warned them that a reporter's motto is "charm and betray." He published a series of articles for Rolling Stone magazine titled "The Killer Elite" which, in 2004, received the National Magazine Award for Reporting, the top prize in magazine writing. He then wrote Generation Kill.[16]

In 2007, he returned to Iraq when the surge in U.S. forces was beginning. Wright interviewed General David Petraeus and spent several weeks embedded with U.S. troops in Baghdad, Ramadi, and Diwania. He later criticized American television media for promoting misperceptions of the war. He also criticized some U.S. political leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, for calling the surge a failure before it had been fully implemented.[17]

Television and film

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HBO adapted Generation Kill into an eponymous television miniseries first aired in 2008; Wright is portrayed by Lee Tergesen. Wright himself served as a writer and consulting producer on the project, collaborating closely with Emmy-winning producer David Simon.[18]

Wright was hired by Paramount to write a script about Miami's "Cocaine Cowboys" Jon Roberts and Mickey Munday for Peter Berg to direct. The screenplay was based on a book Wright wrote about Roberts, published by Crown Books.[19] Actor Mark Wahlberg was producing the film with plans to star in it, but the film did not make it out of preproduction.[20][21]

In 2010, it was announced that director Ole Bornedal was filming a movie[22] inspired by an article Wright wrote for Time magazine called "Death of a Hostess".[23] Wright's article was a profile of Japanese serial-rapist and killer Joji Obara he wrote in Tokyo for Time magazine.[24]

In 2012, he released the book American Desperado,[2][25] co-written with Jon Roberts, who was featured in the documentary Cocaine Cowboys.[26] In 2024, he appeared in the documentary Teen Torture, Inc, during which he discussed his time at the The Seed, an early troubled teen industry program.[27]

Controversies

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At least six of the Marines Wright wrote about in Generation Kill have claimed they were punished for the remarks he published. Spokesman Lieutenant Nathan Braden denied that any Marines were punished as a result of Wright's work.[7]

In 2004, Wright wrote an op-ed in The New York Times criticizing the U.S. military for allowing Iraq's insurgents to obtain weapons.[28]

Wright criticized college creative writing programs, saying such programs produce bad writers.[3]

Published works

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  • "Mad Dogs & Lawyers", for Rolling Stone, republished in The Best American Crime Writing: 2003 Edition: The Year's Best True Crime Reporting[29]
  • "The Killer Elite", for Rolling Stone, republished in The Best American Magazine Writing: 2004 (Best Reporting)[15]
  • Generation Kill (2004)[30]
  • Hella Nation (2009)[30]
  • American Desperado (with Jon Roberts) (2011)[31]
  • The Best American Magazine Writing: 2008 (Best Profile Writing)[32]
  • How to Get Away with Murder in America (2012)[33]

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ Wright, Evan Alan (May 7, 2001). "Lucie Blackman: Death of a Hostess". Time. Archived from the original on March 25, 2010. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
  2. ^ a b Robert Beckhusen (June 27, 2012). "Top CIA Spy Accused of Being a Mafia Hitman". Wired. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d Timberg, Scott (April 5, 2009). "Evan Wright: Going where the wild things are". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
  4. ^ a b Waxman, Sharon (June 10, 2004). "Sparring No One". The New York Times.
  5. ^ a b Petri, Alexandra E. (July 16, 2024). "Evan Wright, Award-Winning Reporter and Author of 'Generation Kill,' Dies at 59". The New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Heaton, Michael (December 11, 2011). "Author Evan Wright Talks About Rogues and Heroes". The Plain Dealer.
  7. ^ a b c Dechter, Gadi (July 14, 2004). "Rogue Warriors: Rolling Stone Journalist Evan Wright Brings Back a Brutally Candid View of the War—and the Soldiers—in Iraq". Baltimore City Paper. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
  8. ^ "Evan Wright, Author of Generation Kill, Dead at 59". Consequence. July 14, 2024.
  9. ^ "Case Detail — Medical Examiner — Evan Wright". County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner. July 12, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  10. ^ Wright, Evan (January 18, 2000). "Maxed out". Salon.com. Archived from the original on November 25, 2010. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
  11. ^ Wright, Evan (March 29, 2000). "Scenes from My Life in Porn". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on November 4, 2008. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
  12. ^ Reggie, Aqui (April 2009). "Dark, Untamed America". CNN.
  13. ^ Carson, Tom (April 2009). "Hustle and Flow". Los Angeles. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  14. ^ Astor, Michael (April 2009). "Review: Hella Nation". Associated Press. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
  15. ^ a b c Ludden, Jennifer (October 23, 2004). "Evan Wright: Reporting on 'The Killer Elite'". National Public Radio. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
  16. ^ Brand, Madeleine (July 8, 2004). "'Generation Kill': Elite Marines Battle in Iraq". National Public Radio. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
  17. ^ "Evan Wright on Misconceptions and Missing the Mark | Evan Wright | Big Think". Archived from the original on February 4, 2010. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
  18. ^ Smith, Lynn (July 15, 2008). "Ensuring a series is combat ready". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
  19. ^ "Wright takes on "Cowboys" starring Wahlberg". Reuters. July 24, 2008.
  20. ^ "OSCAR Q&A: Mark Wahlberg On 'The Fighter'". Deadline. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
  21. ^ Finke, Nikki (June 27, 2013). "Mark Wahlberg And Peter Berg Sign On To Paramount's 'American Desperado' Adapted By William Monahan For Start Early 2014". Deadline.
  22. ^ "News: Ole Bornedal to helm thriller 'Death of a Hostess'". Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
  23. ^ "Death of a Hostess". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2011. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011.
  24. ^ Wright, Evan Alan (May 14, 2001). "Lucie Blackman: Death of a Hostess". Time. Archived from the original on March 25, 2010.
  25. ^ American Desperado, Crown, November 2011
  26. ^ "Evan Wright – About Evan Wright". Penguin Group (USA). Image credit:Zari. April 7, 2014. Archived from the original on April 8, 2014. Retrieved April 7, 2014. The Seed, a reported memoir of brainwashing to be published in the Summer of 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  27. ^ Cain, Sian (July 16, 2024). "Generation Kill author Evan Wright dies aged 59". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  28. ^ Wright, Evan (June 17, 2004). "How Much Is That Uzi In the Window?". The New York Times. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
  29. ^ Kaloi, Stephanie (July 14, 2024). "Evan Wright, 'Generation Kill' Journalist and TV Writer, Dies at 59". TheWrap. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  30. ^ a b "Evan Wright: Going where the wild things are". LA Times. April 5, 2009. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  31. ^ "Evan Wright, unflinching author of 'Generation Kill,' dies at 59". The Boston Globe. July 16, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  32. ^ The Best American Magazine Writing 2008. Columbia University Press. November 2008. ISBN 978-0-231-14714-9. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  33. ^ "Evan Wright: Where is The Seed Survivor Now?". thecinemaholic.com. July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  34. ^ "Los Angeles Times Names Book Prize Winners". Los Angeles Times. April 23, 2005.
  35. ^ "J. Anthony Lukas Prize Project winners". Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
  36. ^ Snead, Elizabeth (November 11, 2005). "'Mind' wins over weighty matters". Los Angeles Times.
  37. ^ Wright, Evan (April 6, 2009), "Life With the Anarchists", The Daily Beast, retrieved November 19, 2010
  38. ^ "Vanity Fair Lands Six ASME Nominations". Vanity Fair. March 19, 2008.
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