Bern Keating

Born in 1915 and deceased in 2004, Bern Keating was an American author associated with Mississippi literary life. He wrote a number of history-related books, including works on World War II, and at least one source notes that he served as a communications officer in the U.S. Navy during the war.

A Mississippi Writers and Musicians profile links him closely with photographer Franke Keating, describing the pair as an important creative presence in the Delta. That combination of historical interest, travel, and visual sensibility seems to have shaped the tone of his writing, which is remembered for making real events feel immediate and readable.

Keating is especially noted for nonfiction with strong historical and military themes, including The Mosquito Fleet: The Story of the PT Boats of World War II. While detailed biographical information appears limited in the sources I could confirm, the available record presents him as a productive mid-20th-century writer whose books connected personal experience with larger moments in history.