Irving, John

Irving, John,

1942–, American writer, b. Exeter, N.H. His mixture of wild plot strategies and eccentric characters brought him to wide attention with his fourth novel, The World According to Garp (1978). The novel concerns the career of a novelist, and its complex narrative gives Irving the opportunity to offer his opinions on a number of contemporary issues, most notably feminism. His other novels include Setting Free the Bears (1979), The Hotel New Hampshire (1981), The Cider House Rules (1985), A Prayer for Owen Meany (1989), A Widow for One Year (1998), Until I Find You (2005), Last Night in Twisted River (2009), In One Person (2012), and Avenue of Mysteries (2015). Several of his books have been made into films.

Bibliography

See his memoir, My Movie Business (1999).

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Irving, John (Winslow)

(1942–  ) writer; born in Exeter, N.H. He studied at the Universities of New Hampshire (B.A. 1965), Iowa (M.F.A. 1967), Pittsburgh (1961–62), and Vienna (Austria) (1963–64). He taught at Mount Holyoke (1967–72), the University of Iowa (1972–75), and at Bread Loaf Writers Conference, Middlebury, Vt. He is considered an inventive writer who combined elements of tragedy and antic comedy, as seen in his popular novel, The World According to Garp (1978). He is also widely praised for several later novels, including The Hotel New Hampshire (1981), and The Cider House Rules (1985). He lived in Dorset, Vt.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.