Paul Fussell, born 1924, is the author of the book and a widely known cultural and literary historian. He is professor emeritus of English literature at the University of Pennsylvania and is the author of numerous books concerning English literature, war, and social class. Fussell was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1943, and during October 1944 he landed in France with the 103rd Infantry Division. He experienced front-line combat as a lieutenant and was wounded in France. Fussell received a Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. His return to civilian life from wartime was marked by depression, attributed to dehumanizing experiences during military service. Fussell has long been a critic of the way that popular culture and official media have romanticized warfare and glorified conflict. Fussell earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University, and has taught at Connecticut College, Rutgers University, the University of Heidelberg, King's College London, and the University of Pennsylvania. Fussell's 1975 The Great War and Modern Memory won the National Book Award for Arts and Letters and the National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism.