About
John Irving, born John Wallace Blunt Jr. in 1942 in New Hampshire, is an American-Canadian novelist and screenwriter. A graduate of the University of New Hampshire and the Iowa Writers' Workshop, he achieved fame with The World According to Garp (1978), winner of the National Book Award. His novel A Prayer for Owen Meany (1989) is considered an American classic. He won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Cider House Rules (2000). His recurring themes include wrestling, Vienna, absent fathers, sexual identity, and moral choice. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and resides in Toronto.
* 1942-03-02
Major works
- The World According to Garp (1978)novel
- The Cider House Rules (1985)novel
- A Prayer for Owen Meany (1989)novel
- In One Person (2012)novel
Key milestones
- 1980Wins the National Book Award for The World According to Garp.
- 2000Wins the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Cider House Rules.
- 2019Becomes a Canadian citizen, in addition to his American nationality.
Themes
WrestlingViennaAbsent fathersSexual identityMoral choice
Sources: nationalbook.org · britannica.com · dublinliteraryaward.ie