John Irving

John Winslow Irving (born John Wallace Blunt Jr.; March 2, 1942) is an American-Canadian novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. He gained international recognition with the success of his novel, The World According to Garp, in 1978. Irving's bestselling novels include The Hotel New Hampshire (1981), The Cider House Rules (1985), A Prayer for Owen Meany (1989), and A Widow for One Year (1998). He received the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 1999 for his script of The Cider House Rules. Five of his novels have been adapted into films, and many of his works are set in and around Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire.