John Irving facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Irving
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Irving in Cologne, Germany, September 14, 2010
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| Born | John Wallace Blunt Jr. March 2, 1942 Exeter, New Hampshire, U.S. |
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| Notable awards | Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay National Book Award for Paperback General Fiction for The World According to Garp |
John Winslow Irving (born John Wallace Blunt Jr. on March 2, 1942) is a famous American-Canadian novelist and screenwriter. He is known for writing many popular books that have become bestsellers.
John Irving became very well-known after his book The World According to Garp was published in 1978. Many of his other books, like The Hotel New Hampshire (1981), The Cider House Rules (1985), A Prayer for Owen Meany (1989), and A Widow for One Year (1998), were also very successful. He even won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for writing the movie script for The Cider House Rules.
Five of his novels have been turned into movies. Many of his stories take place in New England, in made-up towns that are similar to Exeter, New Hampshire, where he grew up.
Contents
Early Life and Wrestling
John Irving was born John Wallace Blunt Jr. in Exeter, New Hampshire. His parents separated before he was born. He grew up with his stepfather, Colin Franklin Newell Irving, who taught at Phillips Exeter Academy. His uncle, Hammy Bissell, also taught there.
Irving was a student athlete in the wrestling program at Phillips Exeter. He later became an assistant coach for wrestling. Wrestling is a big part of his life and often appears in his books. While at Exeter, he was taught by author Frederick Buechner. John Irving also has dyslexia, which means he sometimes has difficulty with reading.
Irving's biological father was a pilot in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He was shot down in 1943 but survived. John Irving didn't learn about his father's bravery until he was almost 40 years old. This event was even included in his novel The Cider House Rules.
Writing Career and Famous Books
John Irving started his writing career at age 26. His first novel, Setting Free the Bears, was published in 1968. It received good reviews but didn't become very popular. He studied writing at the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop. His next two novels, The Water-Method Man (1972) and The 158-Pound Marriage (1974), were also not widely read.
In 1975, Irving became an assistant professor at Mount Holyoke College. He was not happy with how his first publisher promoted his books. So, he offered his fourth novel, The World According to Garp (1978), to a different publisher, Dutton. They promised to market it better.
The World According to Garp
The World According to Garp became a huge international bestseller. It was nominated for a major book award in 1979 and won the paperback award the next year. This book was later made into a movie starring Robin Williams and Glenn Close. John Irving even had a small role in the film as a wrestling referee.
This book made John Irving a household name. After Garp, all his books became bestsellers.
More Bestsellers and Film Adaptations
His next book was The Hotel New Hampshire (1981). It sold very well and was quickly made into a movie starring Jodie Foster.
In 1985, Irving published The Cider House Rules. This novel was compared to Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist. His next novel, A Prayer for Owen Meany (1989), was another big story set in a New England boarding school. This book became Irving's best-selling book since Garp.
Irving's later books include A Son of the Circus (1995) and A Widow for One Year (1998). A Widow for One Year was named a notable book by The New York Times.
In 1999, after many years of work, Irving's screenplay for The Cider House Rules became a movie. It starred Michael Caine and Charlize Theron. The film was nominated for several Academy Awards, and Irving won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Irving wrote a book called My Movie Business (1999). It was a memoir about his experiences making the film version of The Cider House Rules.
His 10th book, The Fourth Hand (2001), also became a bestseller. In 2004, a children's picture book called A Sound Like Someone Trying Not to Make a Sound was published. It was originally part of A Widow for One Year. His 11th novel, Until I Find You, came out in 2005.
His 12th novel, Last Night in Twisted River, was published in 2009. The main character in this book is a novelist whose career is similar to Irving's own.
John Irving has had four novels reach number one on The New York Times bestseller list:
- The Hotel New Hampshire (1981)
- The Cider House Rules (1985)
- A Widow for One Year (1998)
- The Fourth Hand (2001)
Other Projects and Awards
Before Garp made him wealthy, John Irving sometimes taught at schools. He also helped coach his sons' high school wrestling teams until he was 47. In 1992, he was honored by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum.
Besides his novels, he has published other works:
- Trying to Save Piggy Sneed (1996): A collection of his writings, including a short memoir and stories.
- The Imaginary Girlfriend (1995): A memoir about writing and wrestling.
- My Movie Business (1999): About making The Cider House Rules into a film.
In 2004, his novel A Widow for One Year was adapted into the film The Door in the Floor. Another of his novels, A Prayer for Owen Meany, was partly adapted into the 1998 film Simon Birch.
In 2005, Irving received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement.
His 13th novel, In One Person (2012), was written from a first-person point of view. This book explores themes of understanding and accepting people who are different. He won an award for this book in 2013 for being an ally to the LGBT community.
His 14th novel, Avenue of Mysteries, was published in 2015. He also worked on a TV miniseries based on The World According to Garp. His 15th novel, The Last Chairlift, was published in 2022.
In 2018, Irving received the Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award.
Works
Novels
- Setting Free the Bears (1968)
- The Water-Method Man (1972)
- The 158-Pound Marriage (1974)
- The World According to Garp (1978)
- The Hotel New Hampshire (1981)
- The Cider House Rules (1985)
- A Prayer for Owen Meany (1989)
- A Son of the Circus (1994)
- A Widow for One Year (1998)
- The Fourth Hand (2001)
- Until I Find You (2005)
- Last Night in Twisted River (2009)
- In One Person (2012)
- Avenue of Mysteries (2015)
- The Last Chairlift (2022)
Short fiction
- Trying to Save Piggy Sneed (1996)
Other fiction
- The Cider House Rules: A Screenplay (1999)
- A Sound Like Someone Trying Not to Make a Sound (children's book) (2004)
Nonfiction
- The Imaginary Girlfriend (1995)
- My Movie Business (1999)
Filmography based on writings
- The World According to Garp (1982)
- The Hotel New Hampshire (1984)
- Simon Birch (1998) (partly based on A Prayer for Owen Meany)
- The Cider House Rules (1999)
- The Door in the Floor (2004) (based on A Widow for One Year)
Personal Life
In 1964, John Irving married Shyla Leary. They had two sons, Colin and Brendan. They later divorced. In 1987, he married Janet Turnbull, who was his publisher. They have a daughter named Eva Everett.
Irving has homes in Toronto and Pointe au Baril, Ontario, Canada. In 2019, he became a Canadian citizen. He plans to keep his U.S. citizenship as well.
In 2007, John Irving was diagnosed with prostate cancer and had surgery.
See also
In Spanish: John Irving para niños
