An Evening with Karl Marlantes:
Echoes of The Vietnam War
“...one of the most profound and devastating novels ever to come out of Vietnam—or any war.”
Join best-selling author and Vietnam veteran Karl Marlantes for an evening of insightful discussion about his life, military service, and acclaimed literary career. A Yale graduate and Rhodes Scholar, Marlantes served as a Marine in Vietnam, earning the Navy Cross, Bronze Star, and other honors. His celebrated novel Matterhorn was hailed by The New York Times as “one of the most profound and devastating novels ever to come out of Vietnam—or any war.” His other works include Deep River, exploring Finnish immigrants in the Pacific Northwest, and his latest release, Cold Victory, which examines Finland's political climate during World War II.
The evening includes a featured talk by Marlantes, followed by an on-stage moderated conversation. Audience questions are encouraged—don’t miss this rare opportunity to engage with an acclaimed literary voice and decorated veteran, as he shares his insights on war, service, and storytelling.
Your Evening with Karl Marlantes
6pm VIP Reception — Including an opportunity to meet and converse with Karl Marlantes while enjoying a one complimentary beverage (one drink ticket per attendee) and gourmet hors d'oeuvres. Premium seating for the author talk is included, as well as first access to post-event photo opportunity. Premium-level tickets are required.
7pm Moderated Conversation with Audience Q & A — An Evening with Karl Marlantes: Echoes of The Vietnam War, presented in The War Memorial’s Alger Center Ballroom; open seating. Premium level ticket holders will have special access to a designated section nearest the stage.
8pm Photo Opportunity — Photos of individuals and groups with Karl Marlantes will be taken with your own camera or mobile phone, facilitated by The War Memorial’s professional staff. Copies of Karl Marlantes' works will be available for purchase.
Tickets
Premium Tickets: $55/$45 Veteran and Active Military
General Admission: $30/$20 Veteran and Active Military — Arrive for 7pm
Students (Through Undergraduate, with ID): $15 — Arrive for 7pm
Premium tickets include the VIP reception, a designated seating section nearest the stage, first access to the photo opportunity, and a special discount on copies of Matterhorn and What It Is Like to Go to War .
General admission and student tickets include open seating at the at the main event and a photo opportunity with Karl Marlantes.
About Karl Marlantes
Karl Marlantes is a veteran and bestselling and prize-winning author. He served as a Marine in Vietnam, where he was awarded the Navy Cross, the Bronze Star, two Navy Commendation medals for valor, two Purple Hearts, and ten Air Medals. Later in life, he served as managing director of a multinational corporation based in Singapore and then started his own consultancy practice in the international energy business sector.
In the late 1990s, Marlantes asked the Veterans Administration for help with symptoms caused by post-traumatic stress disorder. He entered counseling, and a decade later finished his first book, "Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War," the novel he’d been working on since returning from Vietnam. The book draws from his own war experiences, and he credits the process of writing it with helping him come to terms with what he saw.
Marlantes published his second book, "What It Is Like to Go to War," in 2011. The book weaves his personal recollections of Vietnam with analysis of the effects of war on those who fight, and how we can better prepare soldiers for the experience of war.
Marlantes’s third novel, "Deep River," a family epic set in the logging camps of Southwest Washington at the turn of the twentieth century, won the Washington State Book Award in 2020. It has been translated into several languages and was featured in the 2022 Festival America in Paris, France, under the title "Faire bientôt éclater la terre." His latest novel, "Cold Victory," set in Helsinki, Finland, in 1947 amidst the tensions of the developing cold war, was published on January 9, 2024.
Marlantes is featured in Ken Burns' and Lynn Novick's 10-part documentary series, "The Vietnam War." In 2018, Marlantes was featured in "Going to War," a documentary about what it means to train for, serve in, and return from war.
Marlantes graduated from Yale University and was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, before serving as a Marine in Vietnam.