Who is John Irving?
John Irving is a modern novelist, known for epic, sprawling works that often deal with several generations of a particular family. His work is also notable for frequent themes relating to wrestling, bears, and Vienna. Though primarily a fiction writer, he has also written several collections of autobiographical essays and a children’s book. In 1968, John Irving published his first book, Setting Free the Bears, at the age of 26. This novel and the two that followed failed to build much of a following. However, Irving’s fourth novel, The World According to Garp, published in 1978, was a massive commercial success. The novel, which follows the life of a writer from birth until death, features an array of quirky, eccentric characters and plot lines, including Garp’s mother, a feminist icon who conceived Garp with the help of a comatose soldier. Garp was later made into a film starring Robin Williams, Glenn Close, and John Lithgow. John Irving’s next two novels, The Cider House Rules and A
