Winston Francis Groom Jr. (March 23, 1943 – September 17, 2020) was an American author . He is best known for his novel Forrest Gump (1986), which became a cultural phenomenon after being adapted as a 1994 film of the same name , starring Tom Hanks . After the film was released, gaining a high box office and winning numerous awards, Groom's novel sold more than one million copies worldwide. Groom wrote a sequel, Gump and Co. , published in 1995. His last novel was El Paso (2011).
20-568: He also wrote a total of fifteen nonfiction works on such varied subjects as the American Civil War and World War I , including five multiple biographies. Groom was born in Washington, D.C. , the son of Ruth (Knudsen), an English teacher, and Winston Francis Groom, a lawyer at the Pentagon . He and his family returned to Mobile , Alabama where the senior Groom practiced law. Winston Groom
40-582: A new ambition to become a writer. He graduated with Omicron Delta Kappa honors in 1965. Groom served in the U.S. Army from 1965 to 1967, including a tour of duty in the Vietnam War (from 66–67). Most of his service time was spent with the Fourth Infantry Division . Upon his return from Vietnam , Groom worked as a reporter for the Washington Star , a Washington, D. C. newspaper covering
60-445: A non-fiction work may prove inaccurate, the sincere author aims to be truthful at the time of composition. A non-fiction account is an exercise in accurately representing a topic, and remains distinct from any implied endorsement. The numerous narrative techniques used within fiction are generally thought inappropriate for use in non-fiction. They are still present particularly in older works, but are often muted so as not to overshadow
80-480: A seven-figure sum for the film rights to Gump and Co. , plus a percentage of the gross profits. In November 2011, Groom published his latest history, Kearny's March: The Epic Creation of the American West, 1846–1847 . Groom describes how Brigadier General Stephen W. Kearny 's quest for westward adventure coincided with the expansionist desires of U.S. President James K. Polk . The book opens in mid-summer 1846, in
100-479: Is also possible. Some fiction may include non-fictional elements; semi-fiction is fiction implementing a great deal of non-fiction, (such as a fictional description based on a true story). Some non-fiction may include elements of unverified supposition , deduction , or imagination for the purpose of smoothing out a narrative , but the inclusion of open falsehoods would discredit it as a work of non-fiction. The publishing and bookselling businesses sometimes use
120-470: Is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith , to convey information only about the real world , rather than being grounded in imagination . Non-fiction typically aims to present topics objectively based on historical, scientific, and empirical information. However, some non-fiction ranges into more subjective territory, including sincerely held opinions on real-world topics. Often referring specifically to prose writing, non-fiction
140-809: Is one of the two fundamental approaches to story and storytelling , in contrast to narrative fiction , which is largely populated by imaginary characters and events. Non-fiction writers can show the reasons and consequences of events, they can compare, contrast, classify, categorise and summarise information, put the facts in a logical or chronological order, infer and reach conclusions about facts, etc. They can use graphic, structural and printed appearance features such as pictures , graphs or charts , diagrams , flowcharts , summaries , glossaries , sidebars , timelines , table of contents , headings , subheadings , bolded or italicised words, footnotes , maps , indices , labels , captions , etc. to help readers find information. While specific claims in
160-483: The U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. federal courts . Groom resigned and moved to New York to pursue a career in writing novels. Groom's first novel was Better Times Than These , published in 1978. Better Times Than These was about a rifle company in the Vietnam War whose patriotism and lives are shattered. According to P.J O'Rourke , journalist and political satirist, and a friend of Groom, Better Times Than These
180-455: The boundaries between fiction and non-fiction are continually blurred and argued upon, especially in the field of biography ; as Virginia Woolf said: "if we think of truth as something of granite-like solidity and of personality as something of rainbow-like intangibility and reflect that the aim of biography is to weld these two into one seamless whole, we shall admit that the problem is a stiff one and that we need not wonder if biographers, for
200-422: The help of a range of structures or formats such as: And so on. Common literary examples of non-fiction include expository , argumentative , functional, and opinion pieces ; essays on art or literature; biographies ; memoirs ; journalism ; and historical, scientific , technical , or economic writings (including electronic ones). Texas Annexation Too Many Requests If you report this error to
220-412: The information within the work. Simplicity, clarity, and directness are some of the most important considerations when producing non-fiction. Audience is important in any artistic or descriptive endeavour, but it is perhaps most important in non-fiction. In fiction, the writer believes that readers will make an effort to follow and interpret an indirectly or abstractly presented progression of theme, whereas
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#1732869460342240-406: The most part failed to solve it." Including information that the author knows to be untrue within such works is usually regarded as dishonest. Still, certain kinds of written works can legitimately be either fiction or non-fiction, such as journals of self-expression, letters , magazine articles, and other expressions of imagination. Though they are mostly either one or the other, a blend of both
260-502: The novel Forrest Gump . Years before, Groom's elderly father had told him about a mentally disabled boy he had known as a child. Groom began writing Forrest Gump the same day, and within six weeks finished the novel. Forrest Gump was published in 1986. Several years later, it was adapted by screenwriter Eric Roth as a 1994 film of the same name , starring Tom Hanks in the title role of Forrest Gump . The film received six Academy Awards and numerous others; its popularity propelled
280-485: The novel to best-seller status, and it sold 1.7 million copies worldwide. Groom was paid $ 350,000 for the movie rights to the film, but disputed accounting by Paramount Pictures related to profits from the film. He contended the company used Hollywood accounting to deflate profitability numbers; as a result, Groom received no share of the profits , although he held a three percent net profit share. He eventually settled with Paramount in 1995 in an agreement that included
300-581: The period of the Texas Annexation , the Mexican–American War , and brewing issues related to the American Civil War fifteen years in the future. Groom weaves into Kearny's March mountain man Kit Carson , Brigham Young and his Mormon followers, and members of the Donner party . In 2016, Groom published El Paso , his first novel in nearly 20 years. At the time of his death in 2020, Groom
320-478: The phrase " literary non-fiction " to distinguish works with a more literary or intellectual bent, as opposed to the bulk of non-fiction subjects. Based on the author's intention or the purpose of the content, the main genres of non-fiction are instructional, explanatory, discussion-based, report-based (non-chronological), opinion-based (persuasive) and relating (chronological recounting) non-fiction. Non-fictional works of these different genres can be created with
340-415: The production of non-fiction has more to do with the direct provision of information. Understanding of the potential readers' use for the work and their existing knowledge of a subject are both fundamental for effective non-fiction. Despite the claim to truth of non-fiction, it is often necessary to persuade the reader to agree with the ideas and so a balanced, coherent, and informed argument is vital. However,
360-719: Was "the best novel written about the Vietnam War." His next novel As Summers Die (1980) received better recognition. His book Conversations with the Enemy (1982) follows an American soldier who escapes from a POW camp in Vietnam and takes a plane back to the United States. Fourteen years later he is arrested for desertion. Conversations with the Enemy was a 1984 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction . In 1985, Groom moved back to Mobile, Alabama , where he began to work on
380-563: Was raised in Mobile County, Alabama , where he attended the private University Military School (now known as UMS-Wright Preparatory School ). His earliest ambition was to become a lawyer like his father. Groom attended the University of Alabama , where he became a member of Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity and the Army ROTC . While serving as a literary editor in college, he settled on
400-449: Was waiting for publication of The Patriots , his biography of American leaders John Adams , Alexander Hamilton , and Thomas Jefferson . Groom was married three times, and was divorced twice. He had one daughter, and three stepchildren. He died from a suspected heart attack at his home in Fairhope on September 17, 2020, at age 77. Non-fiction Non-fiction (or nonfiction )
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