“The building of the architecture of a novel—the craft of it—is something I never tire of.” – John Irving

John Irving, the modern American novelist, has written thirteen novels over the course of his prolific career, nine of which have been international bestsellers. The World According to Garp, which won the National Book Award in 1980, was John Irving’s fourth novel and his first international bestseller. Worldwide, the Irving novel most often called “an American classic” is A Prayer for Owen Meany (1989)—the portrayal of an enduring friendship at the time when the Vietnam War had its most divisive effect on the United States.

In 2000, John Irving won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Cider House Rules, Lasse Hallström’s film adaptation of Irving’s sixth novel. Other film adaptations of John Irving novels include Terry Richardson’s The Hotel New Hampshire, George Roy Hill’s The World According to Garp, and Tod Williams’s The Door in the Floor—adapted from his ninth novel, A Widow for One Year.

A competitive wrestler for twenty years, until he was thirty-four, and a coach of the sport until he was forty-seven, John Irving was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma in 1992.

In One Person, John Irving’s thirteenth novel was published by Simon & Schuster in May 2012. A compelling novel of desire, secrecy, and sexual identity, In One Person is a story of unfulfilled love — tormented, funny, and affecting — and an impassioned embrace of our sexual differences.

We spoke on the publication of the novel Last Night In Twisted River.

www.john-irving.com