Steven Pressfield
Steven Pressfield | |
---|---|
Born | Port of Spain, Trinidad | September 1, 1943
Occupation | Author |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Duke University (BA) |
Genre | Historical fiction Military fiction Nonfiction |
Notable works | The Legend of Bagger Vance Gates of Fire The Afghan Campaign The Virtues of War The Warrior Ethos |
Steven Pressfield (born September 1, 1943) is an American author of historical fiction, nonfiction, and screenplays, including his 1995 novel The Legend of Bagger Vance and 2002 nonfiction book The War of Art.
Early life
Pressfield was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, in 1943, while his father was stationed there, in the U.S. Navy.
Education
Pressfield graduated from Duke University in 1965. In 1966, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps, serving as an infantryman.[1][2]
Career
Pressfield was an advertising copywriter, schoolteacher, tractor-trailer driver, bartender, oilfield roustabout, attendant in a mental hospital, fruit-picker in Washington state, and screenwriter.[2] His struggles to make a living as an author, including the period when he was homeless and living out of the back of his car, are detailed in his 2002 book The War of Art.[2]
Pressfield's first book, The Legend of Bagger Vance, which was loosely based on the Bhagavad Gita, was published in 1995, and was made into a 2000 film of the same name directed by Robert Redford and starring Will Smith, Charlize Theron, and Matt Damon.[3]
His second novel,
In 2012, Pressfield launched the publishing house Black Irish Books with his agent Shawn Coyne.[8]
Works
Fiction
- The Legend of Bagger Vance, about a young man coming to terms with his spiritual demons through the medium of golf (1995). Adapted into the film The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000).
- USNAand other military institutions, and topped the list of bestsellers in Greece.
- ISBN 0385492529
- ISBN 038550098X
- ISBN 0385500998
- ISBN 038551641X
- ISBN 0385519702
- ISBN 9780385528733. Pressfield's first book set in the future, where military force is for hire everywhere. Oil companies, multinational corporations and banks employ powerful, cutting-edge mercenary armies to control global chaos and protect their riches.
- ISBN 0393358402, a futuristic noir thriller.
- ISBN 9780393540970, a novel set in Jerusalem and the Sinai desert in the first century AD.
Nonfiction
- ISBN 9781936891023
- ISBN 9781936719013
- ISBN 9781936891009
- ISBN 9781936891030
- ISBN 9781936891139
- ISBN 9781595230911
- An American Jew: A Writer Confronts His Own Exile and Identity (2015), ISBN 9781936891412
- Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t: Why That Is and What You Can Do About It (2016), ISBN 9781936891498
- The Artist's Journey: The Wake of the Hero's Journey and the Lifelong Pursuit of Meaning (2018), ISBN 9781936891542
- Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants to Be (2022), ISBN 9798986164311
Filmography
Prior to publishing his first original works of fiction, Pressfield wrote several Hollywood screenplays including 1986's
His novel The Legend of Bagger Vance was made into a 2000 film starring Matt Damon as the golf pro and Will Smith as his spiritual guide and was widely criticized for its use of the "Magical Negro" as a plot device.
Pressfield also appeared as one of the historians in
References
- ^ Inner Wars and Outer Wars Steven Pressfield. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
- ^ a b c Pressfield, Steven. "About". Retrieved May 2, 2012.
- ^ "The Legend of Bagger Vance". Retrieved June 12, 2012.
- ^ Gal Perl Finkel, Wars are won by preparation and not by courage alone, The Jerusalem Post, April 8, 2017.
- ^ Samet, Elizabeth D. (September 30, 2007). "Matriculation: In the Valley of the Shadows". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
- ^ Pressfield, Steven. "About". Retrieved June 15, 2011.
- ^ Perry, Tony (June 28, 2008). "Hunting 'the Desert Fox'". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Pressfield, Steven. "Announcing Turning Pro". Retrieved June 12, 2012.
- ^ "Steven Pressfield: Exploring Ancient Greece through Fiction". greeknewsonline.com.
Additional sources
- Pressfield, Steven. (2012 ed.). War of Art. New York/Los Angeles: Black Irish Books. ISBN 978-1-936891-02-3
- Pressfield, Steven. (2012 ed.). Turning Pro. New York/Los Angeles: Black Irish Books. ISBN 978-1936891-03-0
External links
- Steven Pressfield Official Website
- Steven Pressfield at IMDb
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Steven Pressfield leads discussion about The Creative Battleground as guest host of LitChat
- Steven Pressfield's "Writing Wednesdays" series
- New York Times Blog "At War" features article about Steven Pressfield's blog and the "One Tribe At A Time" paper, by Major Jim Gant