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Sebastian Junger
Sebastian Junger is an internationally acclaimed journalist, best-selling author and Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker.
In 1997, the publication of his international-bestseller, “The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea,” earned him the nickname, “the new Hemingway” and helped usher a renewed interest in adventure non-fiction. It recounts the tale of the October 1991 “perfect storm,” (in fact, the general use of the term originates from this book), focusing on the loss of the fishing boat Andrea Gail and its six crew members off the coast of Nova Scotia. It was subsequently made into a film by Warner Bros. Junger later established The Perfect Storm Foundation to provide cultural and educational grants to children, nationally, whose parents make their living in the commercial fishing industry.
Junger received a National Magazine Award in 2000 for “The Forensics of War,” published in Vanity Fair where he still works as a contributing editor. With friend and photographer Tim Hetherington, Junger received the DuPont-Columbia Award for broadcast journalism for his work on “The Other War: Afghanistan,” produced with ABC News and Vanity Fair, which appeared on Nightline in September 2008.
His most recent book, “War,” revolves around Junger’s time spent with a United States Army platoon in Afghanistan. Time Magazine named “War” a “Top Ten Non-fiction Book” of 2010.
Junger, along with Hetherington, used material gathered in Afghanistan for the book to create a documentary feature “Restrepo” which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary – Feature and won the Grand Jury Prize for a domestic documentary at the Sundance Film Festival in 2010. On April 27, 2011 Junger was presented with the “Leadership in Entertainment Award” byIraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) for his work on “Restrepo.”
Junger established the Tim Hetherington Foundation to honor photographer, Tim Hetherington, who was killed in Libya while on assignment in Spring 2011.
He lives with his wife Daniela in New York City, where he co-owns a bar called The Half-King.
Junger appeared with the National Writers Series and Doug Stanton in May 2011 for a deeply moving evening. On behalf of the National Writers Series, Stanton presented Junger with a $1,000 contribution to his Tim Hetherington Foundation.
Sebastian Junger on Interlochen Public Radio: Listen here.
