John Irving

Born in Exeter, New Hampshire, Irving attended the University of Vienna in Austria and the University of New Hampshire. He later enrolled at the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop where he received instruction from Kurt Vonnegut. At the UI, he developed a master's thesis that became his first published novel, Setting Free the Bears (1968). After residing in Vermont and Austria, he returned to Iowa where he taught at the Writers' Workshop from 1972 to 1975.

Irving's literary career was secured with his award-winning fourth novel, The World According to Garp (1978). His other books include The Water-Method Man (1972), A Prayer for Owen Meany (1989), The Imaginary Girlfriend (1996), A Widow for One Year (1998), and The Fourth Hand (2001). Irving's book, The Cider House Rules (1985), was made into a film which won an Academy Award for best adapted screenplay.

Author biography in part by Deanna Sue Thomann, The Iowa Literary Walk website

Alumni |Faculty |Iowa Writers' Workshop
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