James Jones

James Jones (1921-1977), one of the major novelists of his generation, is known primarily as the author of fiction that probes the effects of World War II on the individual soldier. Born in Robinson, Illinois, Jones entered the U.S. Army and had the distinction of being the only individual who would become a major writer to witness the attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbour. A member of the 27th U.S Infantry Regiment, Jones was wounded at Guadacanal and returned to Robinson, where he started to write about his experiences. After shelving his unpublished first novel, They Shall Inbherit the Laughter, Jones completed the critically acclaimed international bestseller From Here to Eternity (1951). He assisted in the creation of the Handy Writers' Colony in Marshall, lllinois (which lasted from 1949 to 1964) before taking up residence in Paris as part of the Second Generation of American Expatriate writers and artists.