John Irving

John Irving
Name	John Irving
Caption	John Irving in 2012
Birth date	2 March 1942
Birth place	Exeter, New Hampshire, U.S.
Occupation	Novelist, screenwriter
Education	University of New Hampshire (B.A.), University of Iowa (M.F.A.)
Notableworks	The World According to Garp, A Prayer for Owen Meany, The Cider House Rules
Awards	National Book Award (1980), Academy Award (2000)

John Irving. John Winslow Irving is an acclaimed American novelist and screenwriter, renowned for his richly detailed, often darkly comic novels that explore themes of fate, sexuality, and personal identity. His breakthrough came with the publication of The World According to Garp, which won the National Book Award in 1980 and solidified his place in contemporary literature. Many of his best-selling works, including The Cider House Rules and A Prayer for Owen Meany, have been adapted into successful film adaptations, with Irving winning an Academy Award for his screenplay adaptation of the former.

Early life and education

Born in Exeter, New Hampshire, he was adopted by his stepfather, a faculty member at the prestigious Phillips Exeter Academy. His biological father, a pilot, served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Irving struggled with dyslexia as a youth but found an early passion for wrestling, a sport that would become a recurring motif in his fiction. He attended the University of New Hampshire before transferring to the University of Iowa, where he studied under noted writers like Kurt Vonnegut at the famed Iowa Writers' Workshop and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree.

Literary career

Irving's first two novels, Setting Free the Bears and The Water-Method Man, received modest critical attention. His career was transformed with his third novel, The World According to Garp, a sprawling family saga that became a massive international bestseller. This success allowed him to write full-time and he subsequently published a series of major novels, including The Hotel New Hampshire and The Cider House Rules. His narrative style is often compared to that of Charles Dickens for its intricate plots, eccentric characters, and social concern, while his thematic focus on predestination and accident shares affinities with the works of Günter Grass.

Major works and themes

His novels frequently feature New England settings, institutions like preparatory schools and hospitals, and protagonists grappling with bizarre accidents and convoluted family histories. Central themes include the search for fathers, the complexities of sexual identity, and the role of fate, as powerfully depicted in A Prayer for Owen Meany with its plot centered on Vietnam War protests. Other significant works include A Son of the Circus, which explores life in India, and Last Night in Twisted River, a metafictional story about a novelist. His writing consistently demonstrates a deep engagement with moral ambiguity, particularly regarding issues like abortion and religious faith.

Awards and recognition

Irving received the National Book Award for Fiction in 1980 for his novel The World According to Garp. In 1992, he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum for his contributions as an author. His adaptation of his own novel, The Cider House Rules, earned him the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 72nd Academy Awards. He has also been a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and his works have been translated into more than thirty-five languages, securing his global literary reputation.

Personal life

He has been married three times and has three sons. For many years, he divided his time between homes in Vermont and Toronto, Ontario, before settling primarily in Toronto. A lifelong enthusiast, he coached wrestling at his alma mater, Phillips Exeter Academy, early in his career. He is also known for his political activism, having been a vocal critic of the George W. Bush administration and an advocate for LGBT rights.

Film adaptations

Several of his novels have been adapted into notable films. The most successful include The World According to Garp, directed by George Roy Hill and starring Robin Williams, and The Cider House Rules, directed by Lasse Hallström and featuring Michael Caine and Charlize Theron. His novel A Prayer for Owen Meany was adapted into the film Simon Birch, though Irving has distanced himself from that production. Other adaptations include The Hotel New Hampshire directed by Tony Richardson and The Door in the Floor, based on a portion of A Widow for One Year.

Category:American novelists Category:American screenwriters Category:National Book Award winners