Wouk was born into a wealthy family on May 27, 1915, in New York City. He graduated from Columbia University in 1934. His first job was writing for radio in New York, and then scripts for Fred Allen from 1936 to 1941. When war broke out, he put his writing talents into the service of the U.S. government and became a "dollar-a-year man," writing the U.S. Treasury Department's radio plays promoting the sale of war bonds.
In 1942, he joined the U.S. Navy and served aboard the USS Zane and the USS Southard, both minesweepers in the South Pacific. While aboard ship in 1943, Wouk-like the character Tom Keefer-began to write fiction. The experience aboard minesweepers was reflected in The Caine Mutiny. The novel was not autobiographical, except for the shared experience of Navy duty. It.....
This is a free excerpt of 135 words. This section contains 382 words. This
study guide contains 47,059 words (approx. 157 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Literature Guide with our The Caine Mutiny Access Pass.