American novelist and short-story writer who established his reputation with the novel The World According to Garp (1978; filmed 1982). Characteristic of his other works, it is noted for its engaging story line, colourful characterizations, macabre humour, and examination of contemporary issues.

After graduating from Phillips Exeter Academy, Irving attended the universities of Pittsburgh, Vienna, New Hampshire (B.A., 1965), and Iowa (M.F.A., 1967). He taught until the late 1970s, when he began to write full-time. His early novels—Setting Free the Bears (1969), The Water-Method Man (1972), and The 158-Pound Marriage (1974)—did not achieve the success of The World According to Garp. Infused with comedy and violence, his breakthrough book chronicles the tragic life and death of the novelist T.S. Garp. Irving's later novels include The Hotel New Hampshire (1981; filmed 1984), A Prayer for Owen Meany (1989; filmed as Simon Birch, 1998), A Son of the Circus (1994), A Widow for One Year (1998), and The Fourth Hand (2001). He wrote the screenplay for the 1999 film version of his novel The Cider House Rules (1985), for which he won an Academy Award. His short-story collection Nowhere Man: Stories, 1984–1992 was published in 1992, and his autobiography, The Imaginary Girlfriend, appeared in 1996.