Tree of Smoke
Award History
| Award | Year | Status |
|---|---|---|
| National Book Award for FictionFiction | 2007 | Winner |
About This Book
A vast, hallucinatory novel of the Vietnam War, following CIA operative William 'Skip' Sands and his legendary uncle Colonel Francis Sands through the jungles, villages, and corridors of intelligence work in Vietnam. Drawing on the tradition of Conrad and Graham Greene, Tree of Smoke is a meditation on the nature of evil, illusion, and the corrupting effects of war.
About the Author
Denis Johnson (1949–2017) was an American novelist, poet, and playwright. Born in Munich, Germany, to a US diplomatic official, he grew up in various places including Washington D.C., Tokyo, and Manila, before settling in the United States. He studied at the University of Iowa and struggled with addiction in his youth, experiences that directly informed his most celebrated work. Read more →
