Photo: Dr. Jost Hindersmann Krimidoedel / CC BY 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
What I admire most about John Irving is his refusal to choose between heartbreak and humor; he serves both on the same plate and trusts the reader to swallow it. Garp and The Cider House Rules linger in me less for their plots than for how tenderly he treats unlucky, ungainly people. Earning a National Book Award and an Academy Award for adaptation proves his range, but his real gift is propulsion, the way a sprawling novel still pulls you forward. Reading him leaves a heaviness in the chest that, oddly, makes me reach for the next book. That is rare craft.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- John Irving
- Name (Japanese)
- ジョン・アーヴィング
- Reading
- じょん・あーゔぃんぐ
- Born
- March 2, 1942 (age 84)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Pisces / Horse
- Origin
- Exeter, New Hampshire, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- novelist / screenwriter / writer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- University of Iowa
Awards & achievements
- 1976 Guggenheim Fellowship
- 2013 Lambda Literary Award
- 2000 Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
- 1980 National Book Award for Fiction
- 1981 O. Henry Award
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | The World According to Garp | — | |
| Notable work | The Cider House Rules | — | |
| Notable work | A Widow for One Year | — | |
| Notable work | A Prayer for Owen Meany | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was John Irving born?
Born March 2, 1942 (age 84).
Where is John Irving from?
John Irving is from Exeter, New Hampshire, United States.
What does John Irving do?
John Irving works as novelist, screenwriter, writer.
What is John Irving known for?
Notable works include The World According to Garp, The Cider House Rules, A Widow for One Year.
Novelist — see all → · Screenwriter — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-17
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.