Robert Stone is the author of many books and collections of short stories. He is noted for portraying the despair and gloomy side of his characters as they face problems such as natural forces, politics, and their own failures. Writing about life’s hardships seems natural to someone who had a difficult upbringing and grew up in a shattered family. His father abandoned the family when he was a child, and after his schizophrenic mother was institutionalized, he was put to an orphanage. He tried to find solace as a young adult by immersing himself in booze and drugs, but this did not help to calm his disturbed mind. During his four years in the Navy, he traveled to some of the world’s most distant locations. During his time in the military, he experienced war-related bloodshed in a variety of settings and grew fascinated with the notion of politics and the pointless violence it causes across the United States and around the world. He released his first novel, ‘A Hall of Mirrors,’ which depicted ring-wing prejudice, partly as a result of his own tough experiences and partly as a result of what he had experienced as a navy officer. His novel was well-received by critics, and he began his career as a writer as a result. He went on to write a number of additional novels, collections of short stories, and memoirs.
Childhood and Adolescence
Robert Stone was born in New York City to C. Homer and Gladys Catherine Stone. Soon after Robert’s birth, his father abandoned the family. His mother, who used to work as an elementary school teacher, was diagnosed with schizophrenia and was sacked. Working as a hotel maid allowed her to raise her kid.
When he was about five or six years old, his mother was institutionalized, and the little kid was placed in a Catholic orphanage. He was educated in Catholic schools and developed a passion for language and literature. In 1954, he dropped out of high school.
Career of Robert Stone
He joined the US Navy in 1955 and worked as a radioman before becoming a writer. He served in the navy until 1958, and during that time he visited various remote locations such as Antarctica and Egypt, as well as witnessing the French Army shelling of Port Said.
He got a job as an editorial assistant for the ‘New York Daily News’ in 1958. Before moving to New Orleans, he worked there for a few years. In 1962, he returned to New York and was awarded a Stegner fellowship at Stanford’s creative writing department.
He became associated with the beatnik subculture in the early 1960s and met Beat Generation writer Ken Kesey. He started using drugs and began to see everything as a spiritual experience. In 1967, he released his debut novel, ‘A Hall of Mirrors.’ The plot revolved around a once-talented musician who became an alcoholic and became interested in political issues. His first work was well-received, and he was inspired to create more.
He traveled to Vietnam as a journalist for a British newspaper named ‘Ink’ in 1971. Whatever he saw there was shocking—the drug trade in Saigon was just as terrible as the horrific sights he’d seen in the military. He began teaching as a University Professor in 1972 and has since taught at a number of notable schools like Harvard University, Stanford University, Princeton University, and others.
In 1974, he published his second novel, ‘Dog Soldiers,’ which was inspired by his experiences in Vietnam. A journalist and a sailor are involved in a narcotics deal that goes bad in this narrative. The novel was well-received, and in 1978, it was adapted into a film called “Who’ll Stop the Rain.”
His novel ‘A Flag for Sunrise,’ published in 1982, was inspired by his trips to Nicaragua. He’d witnessed widespread and pointless acts of violence, which were depicted in brutal detail in the novel. His work ‘Children of Light’ was published in 1986. The plot revolved around a failing playwright and his old sweetheart, a successful actress, as well as their friendship with a heroin addict.
He published three literary works in the 1990s: two novels, “Outerbridge Reach” (1992) and “Damascus Gate” (1998), and a collection of short tales, “Bear and His Daughter” (1997). His thriller ‘Bay of Souls,’ published in 2003, followed a married professor who becomes involved in an illicit romance with a strange lady.
In 2007, he released a memoir titled “Prime Green: Remembering the Sixties,” in which he detailed his experiences in the 1960s American counterculture. In 2010, he published ‘Fun with Problems,’ a collection of short tales.
He is now writing on his new novel, “Death of the Black-Haired Girl,” which will be released in November 2013.
Major Projects of Robert Stone
‘Dog Soldiers,’ a book about a journalist and a Merchant Marine sailor who become engaged in a heroin operation, is his best-known work. The novel was eventually turned into a film and designated one of the 100 finest English-language novels from 1923 to 2005 by ‘TIME’ magazine.
Achievements & Awards
In 1969, he received the William Faulkner Foundation Award for Outstanding First Novel for ‘A Hall of Mirrors.’ In 1975, he won the National Book Award for Fiction for his work Dog Soldiers.
Personal History and Legacy
In 1959, he married Janice Burr, a social worker. The couple has been happily married for nearly 50 years and has two children. He is a heavy smoker who has developed serious emphysema.
Estimated Net Worth
Rob Stone, an actor and director from the United States, with a net worth of $2 million. Rob Stone was born in September 1962 in Dallas, Texas. From 1985 through 1990, he was most recognized for his role as Kevin Owens on the television sitcom Mr. Belvedere. Stone starred in the 1987 film Terminal Entry and the 1991 television film Revenge of the Nerds.