Gustav Hasford was born in 1947, in Russellville, Alabama. He joined the Marines right out of school in 1967 and used his experiences as a Combat Correspondent in Vietnam to write his first novel, The Short-Timers, which 斯坦利·库布里克 turned into 全金属外壳 (1987). Hasford's second novel, published in 1990, was a sequel to The Short-Timers titled The Phantom Blooper. It detailed Private Joker's transformation after living in a Vietnamese village. Hasford's final novel, A Gypsy Good Time, was a dialogue-rich detective story. When he died of a heart attack in 1993 he was living on the island of Ithaca in Greece.
Died alone, living in a cheap motel on the island of Aegina in Greece.
He married Charlene Broock in September 1978. In his 1979 novel "The Short-Timers", Leonard ("Private Pyle") names his M-14 rifle "Charlene".
His sequel to "The Short-Timers" (1979), "The Phantom Blooper", was published in 1990. Though his two war novels, particularly his first, are considered classics of Vietnam War-era fiction, neither book currently is in print.
Won an Academy Award nomination (along with co-screenwriters 迈克尔·海尔 and 斯坦利·库布里克 ) for the only produced screenplay he ever wrote.
Maintained lifelong friendships with his fellow combat correspondents of the First Marine Division, the self-proclaimed "Snuffies."
Did not graduate high school because he refused to take his graduation exams.
As a struggling writer, he associated with various 1970s science fiction writers, and roomed with 哈尔兰·艾莉森 for a time.
He collaborated with Stanley Kubrick for three years on the screenplay for 全金属外壳 (1987), which is based on his 1979 novel "The Short-Timers." Hasford met Kubrick in person only once, and during dinner, Kubrick said to co-screenwriter 迈克尔·海尔 "I can't deal with this man.".
A voracious reader and bibliophile, he was sentenced to six months in jail in 1988 for stealing 748 books from nine libraries throughout the country.