2: Writer THOM JONES was a boxer in the Marines in the mid-1960s. He was supposed to ship out to Vietman, but he suffered an epileptic seizure, which he believes was caused by too many punches to the head. So instead of shipping out, he was thrown out. The rest of his unit did go to Vietnam, where they were ambushed and killed. Jones turned to writing, but couldn't get anything published, so he became a high school janitor. He is finally experiencing literary success this year with the publication of his collection of short stories "The Pugilist At Rest" (Little, Brown). His stories revisit worlds Jones has known: that of the boxer, the Vietnam-era soldier, and the alcoholic.
Copyright 1993 Fresh Air