Michael Shaara

Michael Shaara (June 23, 1928–May 5, 1988) was an American writer known for science fiction, sports fiction, and historical fiction. Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, he graduated from Rutgers University in 1951 and served as a sergeant in the 82nd Airborne Division before the Korean War.

His best-known novel, The Killer Angels, portrays the Battle of Gettysburg through the perspectives of several key participants. Published in 1974, it won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1975 and became a landmark of Civil War historical fiction.

Shaara later wrote The Noah Conspiracy and For Love of the Game, the latter published after his death. His son, Jeffrey Shaara, continued his literary legacy with historical novels set during the Civil War and other American conflicts.