Vietnam War reporter Michael Herr dies at 76

Michael Herr - the reporter who wrote about the Vietnam War and inspired the movie "Apocalypse Now" through his book "Dispatches" - has passed away in New York at the age of 76.

War correspondent and writer Michael Herr (photo: Jane Brown)

The news of Michael Herr's death was shared with the media by his daughter, Claudia Herr. The brief statement only mentioned Michael Herr's passing and said nothing more.

Michael Herr's "Dispatches" is one of the most powerful books about the devastation of war. The book is a compilation of his notes about his experiences in Vietnam during the American resistance, when Michael was a war correspondent for Esquire magazine.

In the book, Michael looked straight at the Vietnam War caused by the Americans, he saw it as an unacceptable absurdity. The journalistic nature in the work was perfectly combined into art, bringing the book into the treasure trove of American war literature.

With chillingly realistic and haunting descriptions of the corpses of innocent civilians, accompanied by the brutal gunfire of American soldiers, Michael Herr showed Americans the horror and nakedness that the soldiers themselves had to endure in the land they themselves called "hell".

"Dispatches" was published shortly after the war ended, and was praised by critics and many writers. The New York Times magazine commented on this book: "Beyond politics, beyond arguments about "pacification", the number of deaths and brief press conferences from Saigon, 'Dispatches' goes to the bottom of hell with the sounds of war."

However, the constant media attention also made Michael Herr tired, leading him to decide to leave New York. Coming to England, he received an offer he could not refuse: to write the script for Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now". This film later won 2 Oscars and the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. In addition, Michael also participated in the script of the film "Full Metal Jacket".

In 1990, Michael returned to New York and continued to "remain anonymous". According to the Telegraph, in his later years he became a Buddhist and stopped writing.

According to Laodong