Born March 1, 1942 in Exeter NH, John Winslow Irving began his life as an ordinary child, not knowing that he was to become one of the most prominent and successful authors of his time. Irving's mother and Father had divorced before his birth however by the time he was six his mother had remarried to Colin, a history professor at Phillips Exeter Academy. Irving soon realized the advantage of his stepfather's profession when he was accepted to the Academy even though his grades were poor. Despite his academic struggles Irving found a place at the academy as both a wrestler and a writer. These two things would become his life long passions. He attended the University of Pittsburgh for only a year before moving to Vienna on a grant study. Both Vienna and wrestling would later find a place in Irving's novels.

He graduated From the University of New...