Coover, Robert

Coover, Robert (Lowell) (1932–  ) writer; born in Charles City, Iowa. After studying at several universities he served in the U.S. Navy (1953–57) and then taught philosophy at several colleges. His first novel, The Origin of the Brunists (1966, Faulkner Award), established him as a postmodernist who recombined elements of mythology, Bible stories, and popular culture. His fiction, which often explored dogmatic extremism, included The Public Burning (1977) and A Political Fable (1980). He lived mostly in England and Spain from the 1960s, returning frequently to the U.S.A. to teach.