"Dispatches"--a great work (of fiction?)
When I first read Michael Herr's "Dispatches" I was terrifically impressed at his ability to capture dialogue and embarrassed that I had nowhere near the ability to do the same. Then years later when I interviewed him he happened to mention that two of the characters in his book who had impressed me so much were "composite characters." The dialogue was more-or-less made up (though based on what he'd heard other soldiers say). I was shocked (and a little disappointed), especially when Herr said he made up names of units and locations of battles as well. This was no great secret, said Herr. The French always listed his books under "fiction."
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