Dispatches is a book comprising six narratives by Michael Herr, each of which originally appeared in periodicals and were first collected in 1977 by Alfred A. Knopf.Herr, 2009: See Chronology pp. xxvi-xxxii

An early example of the New Journalism, Herr's rendering of his experiences as a Vietnam War correspondent was a critical success.Stone, 2016: "What emerged in Dispatches was the transcendence of New Journalism in one of the greatest nonfiction works of its time."McCrum, 2016: "[T]he definitive account of war in our time, especially the Vietnam war…"Page, 2016: The narratives “heralded” when they first appeared in Esquire.Gross, 2016: “[H]ailed as one of the most important books about the war describing the experiences of disillusioned young American soldiers there.”Feliks, 2016: “Herr’s work in Dispatches has been heralded by critics as one of the greatest pieces of writing about the savagery of war.”

Featured in the book are fellow war correspondents Sean Flynn, Dana Stone, and Dale Dye, and photojournalist Tim Page.

Contents Original periodical publication indicated: Breathing In (Esquire, 1976, titled “The Jubilee”)Herr, 2009 p. xxxii: Chronology Hell Sucks (Esquire, 1968)Herr, 2009 p. xxvi: Chronology Khe Sanh (Esquire, September 1, 1969)Herr, 2009 p. xxviii: Chronology Illumination Rounds (New American Review #7, 1969)Herr, 2009 p. xxviii: Chronology Colleagues (Esquire, April 1, 1970)Herr, 2009 p. xxviii: Chronology Breathing Out (Rolling Stone, 1976, titled “LZ Loon”)Herr, 2009 p. xxxii: Chronology

Background

After freelancing for Holiday magazine in the mid-1960s, Herr approached Esquire’s Harold Hayes and landed a war correspondent assignment in Vietnam. He arrived there in November 1967, age 27, and was attached to combat units with the IV Corps.Ciotti, 1990: A sketch of his interaction with Harold HayesHerr, 2009: See Chronology pp. xxiv-xxxii Two months after his arrival the Tet Offensive began, and Herr accompanied units to Cần Thơ, Huế Khe Sanh and other theaters in the war. During this period he published Hell Sucks with Esquire. In October 1968 he returned to New York.Herr, 2009: See Chronology pp. xxvi-xxxii

During the next 18 months Herr wrote three more of the six narratives that would ultimately appear in Dispatches: Khe Sanh, Illumination Rounds, and Colleagues.Herr, 2009: See Chronology pp. xxiv-xxxiiCiotti, 1990: Herr: “I wrote most of the book in 18 months--everything but the first and last chapter.”

During this interlude of productivity, Herr suffered the loss of several of his co-correspondents which served to trigger an emotional and creative crisis.Ciotti, 1990: “[I]n rapid order, Herr lost three close photographer friends in Vietnam: Larry Burrows, Dana Stone and Sean Flynn.”Feliks, 2016: “Herr obsessed over the book during the 18-month writing process, which triggered an emotional breakdown, he revealed in an interview with The Observer.”Ciotti, 1990: Herr: “I wrote most of the book in 18 months--everything but the first and last chapter. I had a great 18 months working and playing.”

In a June 28, 1990 interview with NPR’s Terry Gross Herr recalled the period between 1969 and 1971:

Herr added that his condition “was not particularly healthy or wholesome or conducive to making good art.”Gross, 2016

Herr discontinued his efforts to complete Dispatches and did not return to the project until 1976, when he wrote the narratives that appeared as Breathing In and Breathing Out. These, along with his four previous narratives, were published as Dispatches in 1977.Herr, 2009: See Chronology p xxxii

Reception John le Carré called Dispatches "the best book I have ever read on men and war in our time." It was featured in the journalism section of The Guardians 100 greatest non-fiction book list in 2011.

After publishing Dispatches, Herr disclosed that parts of the book were invented, and that it would be better for it not to be regarded as journalism. In a 1990 interview with Los Angeles Times, he admitted that the characters Day Tripper and Mayhew in the book are "totally fictional characters" and went on to say:

Similarly, in a separate interview with Eric James Schroeder, he said:

Retrospective assessment Dispatches was hailed by critics as one of the finest books published on the Vietnam War, revealing “what it was like to fight there, how it differed from all our other wars.”Bryan, 1977Gross, 2016: “Dispatches," his hybrid of memoir and fiction, was hailed as one of the most important books about the [Vietnam] war…”Stone, 2016: “What emerged in Dispatches was the transcendence of New Journalism in one of the greatest nonfiction works of its time.”McCrum, 2016: “The upshot was a book, published in 1977, which every journalist and writer…who had ever been in a war zone wished they’d written.”

Paul Ciotti at the Los Angeles Times reports:

Adaptation Dispatches was adapted into a musical with music by Elizabeth Swados.

In screenplays Herr worked on the narration for the movie Apocalypse Now and co-wrote the screenplay for the movie Full Metal Jacket. Several scenes and pieces of dialogue used in the book were later also used in those movies.

Footnotes

Sources Bryan, C. D. B.. 1977. “The Different War.” New York Times, November 20, 1977. https://www.nytimes.com/1977/11/20/archives/the-different-war-war.html Accessed 29 July 2025. Ciotti, Paul. 1990. “MICHAEL HERR: A Man of Few Words : What Is a Great American Writer Doing Holed Up in London, and Why Has He Been So Quiet All These Years?” Los Angeles Times, April 15, 1990. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-04-15-tm-2121-story.html Accessed 29 July 2025. Garcia, Feliks. 2016. Michael Herr: ‘Dispatches’ and ‘Apocalypse Now’ writer dies aged 76. The Independent , June 25, 2016. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/michael-herr-dead-dispatches-apocalypse-now-full-metal-jacket-vietnam-war-a7103086.html Accessed 26 July 2025. Gross, Terry. 2016. Remembering Michael Herr, Whose 'Dispatches' Brought The War In Vietnam Home. National Public Radio, June 28, 2016. Transcript provides Gross’s June 28, 1990 broadcast interview with Micheal Herr.https://www.npr.org/2016/06/28/483776202/remembering-michael-herr-whose-dispatches-brought-the-war-in-vietnam-home Accessed 28 July 2025. Herr, Michael. 2009. Dispatches. Everyman’s Library, New York and Toronto. McCrum, Robert. 2016. The 100 best nonfiction books: No 9 – Dispatches by Michael Herr (1977). The Guardian, March 28, 2016.https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/mar/28/100-best-nonfiction-books-of-all-time-no-9-dispatches-michael-herr-vietnam-war-apocalypse-now Page, Tim. 2016. Words that will forever pursue us: Tim Page on Michael Herr, rock’n’roll voice of the Vietnam War. The Guardian, July 4, 2016.https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jul/05/words-that-will-forever-pursue-us-tim-page-on-michael-herr-the-rock-and-roll-voice-of-the-vietnam-war Accessed 25 July 2025. Schroeder, Eric James. 1989. "Interview with Michael Herr: ‘We've All Been There.’” Writing on the Edge, Fall, 1989, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Fall, 1989), pp. 39-54 Published by: Regents of the University of California, on behalf of its Davis University Writing Program Stable https://www.jstor.org/stable/43158633 Accessed 26 July 2025. Stone, Robert. 2009. Introduction to Dispatches. pp. ix-xiii. Everyman’s Library, New York, Toronto. Stone’s Introduction was published in Literary Hub, “How Michael Herr Transcended New Journalism” June 28, 2016. https://lithub.com/how-michael-herr-transcended-new-journalism/ Accessed 23 July 2025.