John Cheever (1912-1982) was an American writer known for his keen, often critical, view of the American middle class. Known primarily for his short stories, his attention to detail and careful writing found the extraordinary in the ordinary.

I have been a storyteller since the beginning of my life, rearranging facts in order to make them more significant. I have improvised a background for myself--genteel, traditional--and it is generally accepted."--John Cheever, in his journal, 1961.

Only John Cheever the storyteller could have invented a character like John Cheever the author--as, indeed, he did. His life, like the lives of the people who populate the fictional world known as Cheever Country, was double-edged. Behind the pleasant facade of the country squire lurks a vision of deteriorating morality; the satisfied suburban gentleman falls away to reveal insecurity and ambiguity.

Cheever was born May 27, 1912, in Quincy, Massachusetts, to Frederick Lincoln Cheever...