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Jon Krakauer

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Author

The Resume

    (April 12, 1954- )
    Born in Brookline, Massachusetts
    Author and mountaineer
    Took part in a guided ascent of Mt. Everest, during which blizzards resulted in the deaths of eight climbers, including four members of Krakauer's group (May 10-11, 1996)
    Wrote 'Into the Wild' (1996), 'Into Thin Air' (1997), 'Under the Banner of Heaven' (2003), and 'Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman' (2009)
    Frequent contributor to 'Outside' magazine

Why he might be annoying:

    He said, 'The drive to climb is extremely irrational. It defies logic.'
    His account of the Everest disaster in 'Into Thin Air' generated controversy, especially his criticism of guide Anatoli Boukreev.
    One of Boukreev's defenders wrote to Krakauer, '[T]he fact [is] that every one of Boukreev's clients survived without major injuries while the clients who died or received major injuries were members of your party. Could you explain how Anatoli's shortcomings as a guide led to the survival of his clients?'
    He said, 'I'm glad I wrote a book about it, but you know, if I could go back and relive my life, I never would have climbed Everest.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    His father introduced him to mountaineering at age eight, and by age ten he had summitted Mount Rainier.
    He spent five months embedded with combat forces along the Afghan-Pakistani border while researching 'Where Men Win Glory.'
    He was honored by the American Academy of Arts of Letters, who wrote, 'Krakauer combines the tenacity and courage of the finest tradition of investigative journalism with the stylish subtlety and profound insight of the born writer.' (1999)

Credit: C. Fishel


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Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 7 Votes: 28.57% Annoying