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In One Person

by John Irving (Goodreads Author)

3.58 of 5 stars 3.58 · rating details · 8,921 ratings · 1,964 reviews

A compelling novel of desire, secrecy, and sexual identity, In One Person is a story of unfulfilled love—tormented, funny, and affecting—and an impassioned embrace of our sexual differences. Billy, the bisexual narrator and main character of In One Person, tells the tragicomic story (lasting more than half a century) of his life as a “sexual suspect,” a phrase first used b...more

Hardcover, First Edition, 425 pages

Published May 8th 2012 by Simon & Schuster

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Apr 30, 2013 Richard rated it 4 of 5 stars

Rating: 3.75* of five

The Publisher Says: A compelling novel of desire, secrecy, and sexual identity, In One Person is a story of unfulfilled love—tormented, funny, and affecting—and an impassioned embrace of our sexual differences. Billy, the bisexual narrator and main character of In One Person, tells the tragicomic story (lasting more than half a century) of his life as a “sexual suspect,” a phrase first used by John Irving in 1978 in his landmark novel of “terminal cases,” The World Accordin...more

41 likes · like · see review

Sep 13, 2012 Gary McTiernan rated it 3 of 5 stars

John Irving is a unique force in contemporary fiction. He can be a brave and bold voice for fairness and common sense. The complexity of his plots are matched by the quirkiness of his characters. Sexual identity, with all it's twists and permutations, would seem like a perfect fit for the Irving treatment. Sadly, it is not. This story is narrated by Bill Abbott, an impressionable adolescent who is struggling with his bisexuality at a repressive boarding school in the waning days of the 1950's. H...more

38 likes · like · see review

May 26, 2012 Natasha rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

46 likes · like · see review

Jun 25, 2012 Will Byrnes rated it 4 of 5 stars

There is a scene near the end of John Irving’s latest novel, In One Person,
in which a character who is a writer is confronted:

…I’ve read all your books and I know what you do—I mean, in your writing. You make all these sexual extremes seem normal—that is what you do. Like Gee, that girl, or whatever she is—or what she’s becoming. You create these characters who are so sexually ‘different,’ as you might call them—or ‘fucked up,’ which is what I would call them—and then you expect us to sympathize

...more

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May 25, 2012 Ashley Fierro rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fan-fucking-tastic, speechless

LIES, LOVE, SEX, DEATH AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN, AN EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER!

Difficult subject, that been said, Overall, It is a story that I think it deserves to be treated with respect.

John Irving took rich mix of characters and created this story through a gauntlet of tolerance and intolerance; kept me reading and thinking, this book really was absorbing. Billy (main character, who is bisexual) at 13 year old in the mid-1950's (when this erotic history begins),he talks openly of his dangero...more

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May 30, 2012 Jennifer D. rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: petra, cait

Shelves: 2012-books, books-i-own

john, john, john!!
you suck me in.
every time!

there's this matrix on wikipedia. i am sure you have seen it. the matrix makes me sigh and amuses me. it's a conundrum.

near the end of the book, I felt like you were ticking boxes. giving readers a list of socially important things to mull. i don't take issue with the issues...they are important and need to be written about so that tolerance and acceptance become the norms...i take issue with the fact this device (is that what it was?) interrupted th...more

15 likes · like · see review

Jun 15, 2012 Janice rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012

I'm going to have to say that this book is my least favorite of Irving's. I can sum it up in three words:

Wash, Rinse, Repeat!

There were times when I thought I was reading A Prayer for Owen Meany. Change the name of the narrator and the town, and instead of focusing on friendship and the Vietnam War, focus on homosexuality and the Aids Epidemic.

Like I said - wash, rinse, repeat.

8 likes · like · see review

May 30, 2012 Suzanne rated it 3 of 5 stars

John Irving's newest novel has a strong voice. It reads like a memoir. I'm having a difficult time reviewing this book, though I've been reading it for almost two weeks. It feels like four. This is not a good sign.
There were several characters who shape Bill Abbot, the protagonist, but not the hero. This epic begins when Bill is a child and follows him until he is almost seventy, but not in a linear fashion. Bill's lfe journey takes him from Vermont to N. Y. to San Francisco to Europe and final...more

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Jan 31, 2013 Barbara rated it 3 of 5 stars

I felt so much empathy for Bill Abbott . The 50s were not a good time to be growing up gay in America. then I began wondering how did so many boys with gender issues end up at that one school?. How did so many adults with similar issues end up in that one small town? but this Bill Abbott memoir that meandered back and forth in time got to the AIDS epidemic and I felt so sad for the loss of life and talent. it was/is a terrible tragedy and Irving makes that tragedy almost personal for the reader....more

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Mar 12, 2013 Wendy rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is a complicated book and I'll never understand it all, yet as we know, Irving is genius. He is accomplishing so much here. Some random thoughts: he uses Shakespeare in general and "Romeo and Juliet" 's themes at the end as allegory for life's lessons..."My only love sprung from my only hate/Too early unseen unknown, and known to late."

I think that Irving, in describing the tragedy of the AIDs era, is putting out a truth of life that perhaps he is putting forward for larger society's ongoi...more This is a complicated book and I'll never understand it all, yet as we know, Irving is genius. He is accomplishing so much here. Some random thoughts: he uses Shakespeare in general and "Romeo and Juliet" 's themes at the end as allegory for life's lessons..."My only love sprung from my only hate/Too early unseen unknown, and known to late."

I think that Irving, in describing the tragedy of the AIDs era, is putting out a truth of life that perhaps he is putting forward for larger society's ongoing discovery; he is enlightening his readers that transgender individuals are out there and it's OK. There are lots of normals.

Irving saves the scenes that clinch and enlighten us until the end: Bill meeting his father, and Kittredge's son coming to confront Bill. In the last page Kittredge's son is talking to Bill, who is a personage of/represents Irving (I believe) , and he says " I don't know you, I admit--I don't have a clue who my father really was, either. But I've read all your books, and I know what you do--I mean in your writing. You make up all these sexual extremes seem normal--that's what you do. Like Gee, that girl, or whatever she is--or what she's becoming. You create these characters who are so sexually 'different' as you might call them--or fucked up' which is what I would call them--and then you expect us to sympathize with them, or feel sorry for them, or something."

There's just so much here to contemplate. I think that the AIDs era had to leave so many people guessing about their loved ones because so many died and there could not be a discussion. And I think that this is a void that Irving it trying to fill. He is mentoring society. Bill's father says "we are already who we are, aren't we?" And avoidance, in the person of Bill's father, is a way of NOT having to have a discussion.

Shakespeare (quoted at the beginning of the book): "Thus play I in one person many people, And none contented" from Richard II (and despite that; Irving provides humor and irony throughout...)

We know that homosexuality/transgender is not inherited. and yet as I read the book, I thought about how many family members were "sexual suspects" in this story ..some quick research revealed that this has to do with not genetics but epigenetics...how the environment shapes the expression of DNA...making potential for more of my rambling musings..
(less)

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Jun 11, 2012 Melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book started off strong, but ultimately was dissatisfying. It was really fun to read, but I have to admit that there were plenty of parts where I was saying to myself, "WHAT?? That doesn't make sense!"

First of all, much of the structure of the book is related to our narrator Bill's inability to say words that made him uncomfortable. Sometimes the words were something like "penis," but other times, it was a word like "shadow." Fine. That's interesting and unusual. Most people's speech impedi...more This book started off strong, but ultimately was dissatisfying. It was really fun to read, but I have to admit that there were plenty of parts where I was saying to myself, "WHAT?? That doesn't make sense!"

First of all, much of the structure of the book is related to our narrator Bill's inability to say words that made him uncomfortable. Sometimes the words were something like "penis," but other times, it was a word like "shadow." Fine. That's interesting and unusual. Most people's speech impediment is not based upon individual words they cannot say, so this is an interesting defining character bit. But, in this book, at least TWO OTHER CHARACTERS DO THE SAME THING. I mean, WHAT?? Tom, who goes to his same high school with him, can't say "time"?? Then there are some kids later when he's an adult who also can't say random words? I'm sorry, no. That does not work for me. Also, every time I read Irving write "the ________ word" I wanted to be like, "YOU THINK YOU CLEVER BIATCH?" OK, that's an overreaction. But why did Bill have to always call words "the time word" or "the penis word." Never once does he say, "the word time" or "the word penis." It bugged me.

Also, MAN OH MAN did Bill know a lot of male to female transgendered people in his small-town youth. I mean, come on. EVERYONE turned out to be gay or transgendered. Now, I know, a lot of people are gay or transgendered. But it was too much damn coincidence. It struck me as pure absurdity. You know what else? Some gay men didn't die of AIDS in the 80's. I swear. Many survived, uninfected. But you wouldn't know that from this book.

But, also, I basically enjoyed the book. I liked how Bill and Elaine had a Truman Capote/Harper Lee thing going on. Bill narrates that Elaine, despite constantly writing, had only written one book, which he believed was better than any of his own books. Sounds like Harper Lee, right? Also, it's a really great book for opening minds about male bisexuality. If you listen to as many Savage Lovecasts as I do, you know that there is a lot of suspicion about the actual existence of bisexual men -- people think they're gay but not willing to let go of their ability to pass as straight. But this book gives decent insight into how a man can have attractions that vary, honestly. That's a worthwhile public service. It was a pretty entertaining book, even if it didn't always make a hell of a lot of sense. There are certainly worse books to invest your time in reading.(less)

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Melissa You know, I really hear you, and you make excellent points, and it's kinda got me convinced, but...

I guess that because I never read any other John Ir...more
Aug 29, 2012 07:18pm

Melanie Good points again, but what I get from the definition of magical realisim, is realism that kind of stretches into a territory of phantasmagorical. Not...more Good points again, but what I get from the definition of magical realisim, is realism that kind of stretches into a territory of phantasmagorical. Not that it is "magical" in the sense of a fantasy novel, like "he suddenly turned into a wizard and was zapping people with his wand." But that it asks the reader to suspend disbelief. I thought of another example after I wrote the above as well, the story of "Bovary" and the toilets on the ship, THAT is classical MR. If you've ever read Illende, she has similar kinds of "fantastic" stories where we are supposed to believe terribly odd things about people and their habits. I distinctly remember one scene, I believe it was in Eva Luna, where a corporal does all his commanding from a special chair that is in fact a commode chair, so that he never has to get up to use the bathroom, but he can command and relieve himself at the same time. This is what is meant by magical realism. :) And that scene when Bovary smacks all the toilet seats with his bum on way to the end of the pitching and rolling ship... there's a prime example... like that could ever really happen. :D

What you say above... 'Yet it is uncommon enough that this guy having his mother's father, his own father, librarian, and bunches of classmates (including very conventionally straight-seeming ones) all from his small hometown seemed out of the bounds of "realism."' You are exactly explaining the concept of magical realism... it is out of the realms of "real" to have SOOooo many people from his small town as "alternative folk" that is the concept. Not that there was "any" or "some," because that WOULD be real, but BECAUSE there were SO MANY, that makes it "realism plus" or magical realism. Does that make sense?

The term magical realism is one that leaves a lot of room for misinterpretation. It makes one think of fantasy or fables or something like that. It simply means a story based in realism where extraordinary things happen, while still maintaining the feel of the real or the normal. :)

All that said, if this was your first Irving novel, I really recommend you go and read The World According to Garp. That one is more "classical Irving," and worth the read. Thanks for the great conversation btw. I almost never get to discuss literature. :)

and yeah, I'd like to see the duck under. :)(less)
Aug 29, 2012 08:08pm

Aug 16, 2012 Judith rated it 4 of 5 stars

In One Person: A Novel by John Irving begins in a small town Vermont library, ends in a nearby prep school theater, and wanders off to Vienna, New York, and San Francisco along the way. Narrator Bill Abbott recalls his life as a reader, a student, and a writer. This is a novel about memory, but Bill’s issues are desire and honesty. As a bi-sexual man born in the 1940s, Billy’s school days included more than the usual secrets and rejections; in his prime, AIDS destroyed trust, striking down frien...more

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Apr 12, 2013 Laurel rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

I finished this book yesterday. The more I think about it, the more I'm annoyed by it. If Irving was trying to shed light on the struggles of the LGBT community, I personally felt he failed them. I found nothing insightful or even purposeful here. It was utterly emotionless. I came away from this book feeling only that Irving was trying far too hard to be provocative. I used to be a big fan of his, but his last few books have been such a disappointment.

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Oct 06, 2012 Sally Wilson rated it 2 of 5 stars

Let me preface this review by saying I am reading this book for my book club. And now let me say I would rather be reading anything but this book. Okay, perhaps not Toni Morrison's 'Beloved' but pretty much anything else.
Good golly, this book is tedious. Very. I don't care about the main character and the 'storyline' is meandering and boring. Literally counting down the pages and then I'll be giving this book away to the first taker. Anyone want it after this glowing review? It probably burns pr...more

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Sep 09, 2012 Melissa rated it 2 of 5 stars

As a graduate student I had a great interest in gender studies; I thought that domain was where both the most interesting fiction and scholarship was happening.

Unfortunately while reading this novel, it seemed like it was intended a be political statement on gender studies filled with maxims about sexual difference. The actual story was meandering and flat; it needed to be about 150 pages shorter. It should not take a novel 350 pages to become compelling. I kept going because I knew Irving had...more

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May 08, 2013 Sallie rated it 4 of 5 stars

John Irving has always been a favorite author, and this books feels like "peak" John Irving, an author who is able to tell a story about someone I might keep my distance from in real life, but--through his passion and advocacy--I end up adoring. Irving has a gift for breaking down barriers as he compassionately and humorously brings his characters to life. Billy Abbott is no exception.

When Irving was asked why he chose a bisexual man as his leading man for this book, he replied,"I like these peo...more

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May 06, 2013 Liliana Fernandes rated it 3 of 5 stars

John Irving is an author I like very much, he has made me laugh and cry and empathize with many of his characters. He has this clever writing and specific sense of humour that make you feel like you are in the presence of a friend.
In One Person is as usual, a gripping story. As we get to know Bill, a boy struggling with his sexuality, we find a few elements John Irving has accustomed us to: a burlesque sense of humour and characters full of little idiosyncrasies that make us love them.
Even thoug...more

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Apr 20, 2013 Ron Ratchford rated it 5 of 5 stars

The first person narrative and the memoir combined with asurvey of social change from the period of pre-WWII to the turn of the century. The narrator tells the story of a man who was inspired to be a writer by the early environment in a New England boy's school where he meets the people who will eventully be the story characters of his novels. Theses are themes the author John Irving has explored before but with another layer of personal involvement and social distrust. The book and its effect w...more

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Apr 15, 2013 Julie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I wish I could give this another star or two, just because it's Irving, but really he is not wearing well. The infinite parenthetical commentary (like there's always something else to add) becomes very irritating. So why (I ask) doesn't he just construct a full sentence and add it into the flow? The resultant prose (if one could call it that) becomes very choppy (making one almost seasick) with the rising and falling of voice. Add to that -- hmmm -- well that irritating -- and disturbing -- perp...more

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Jacquie Hi Julie,

I'm not going to read this book, but you had me smiling throughout your review with your comments on Irving's style -- (or lack there of) --...more
Apr 16, 2013 05:45am

Jeffrey Julie - THANKS YOU SO MUCH FOR SAYING THIS (really, I mean it). I feel the same way as you and was wary of trying another John Irving novel because I...more
May 20, 2013 06:37pm

Julie Hi Jeffrey

Letting go of Irving was like letting go of childhood -- just tear off the bandage really fast, and maybe it won't hurt as much. Oh dear, I...more
May 21, 2013 04:15am

Apr 11, 2013 Dewayne Clark rated it 5 of 5 stars

Just did something I have not done for a very long time. I read an entire novel in just two sittings; I would have finished it in one but a little over halfway through my eyes were blurring; I was exhausted lol.

The book was "In One Person" by John Irving, one of my absolute favorite writers since the first time I read "The World According To Garp" lo these many years ago. The usual Irving obsessions are there (wrestling, New England boarding schools, Vienna, fatherless boys), and this is Irving...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Carole rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2013

I am a great admirer of John Irving and have read and enjoyed many of his books. His latest novel is no exception. The story is told from the perspective of Billy Abbott, a young boy growing up in small-town Vermont who is gradually coming to the realization that he is bisexual.

While this is interesting enough, what elevates the story to a much higher level of interest is the Shakespearean context in which it is placed. Billy participates in many productions of Shakespeare's plays and the trans...more

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Apr 04, 2013 Gillian rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club

I adore Mr. Irving's work, and I thoroughly fell under the spell of this one as usual. As usual, he selected very extraordinary subject matter, gave it ultra leftwing treatment (so far left that he -- wittingly? unwittingly? -- ended up with a rather violent, right wing kind of behavior in his conclusion), but I cannot resist his willingness to take the time and effort to give us words, words, words. Trite, but true, he is our best modern version of Mr. Dickens. Loads of fabulous description, ch...more

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Mar 28, 2013 Margaret Wilson rated it 2 of 5 stars

I'm conflicted. Like others, Irving has been a "go to" author ever since Garp. I wouldn't recommend In One Person...

yet...

Here's the thing: I read it on my e-reader and the title expired before I finished. The story was compelling enough for me to re-request the title. Three or four months later, it's back.

One of Irving's annoying traits (he's always repeating!)turned out to be a good thing - I backtracked a couple of chapters and was up to speed for the finish.

The characters are generally sym...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Tom Meyer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Nach lang Zeit ein neuer Irving... Und er trifft ins Schwarze. Ein Roman, der mich trifft, wie selten ein Buch. vielleicht zuletzt "at swim, two boys" oder "the Men from the boys".
Es dauerte zwar etwas, bis ich dies Buch durch bekam, aber es war die Zeit Wert. Wenngleich auch der Anfang sich etwas zieht, aber was dann kommt, ist es wirklich Wert. Meine liebsten Zitate, die mich am meisten trafen, sind folgende:

In my case I had felt ashamed of my sexual longings for other boys and men; I fought a...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Elizabeth rated it 2 of 5 stars

I am a John Irving fan who found this book disappointing.
Bill, the main character is a bisexual and he is studying his life, his relationships, and his upbringing to decipher how he has become who he is. He is looking back from the stance of an older man.
Upsides:
One good thing that is portrayed is the new age of AIDS which I think we have all forgotten about.
And another good thing is the point that we have to be mentors to our LGBTQ youth.
The examination of Shakespeare and drama and plays a...more

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Mar 17, 2013 Candace Kinas rated it 3 of 5 stars

I love John Irving and so, when I picked up this novel and read to see he was covering yet another controversial and moving issue, I felt compelled to buy it and read the whole thing. As always, I enjoy the way in which the author writes, but when I finished the novel I was left with a sense of disappointment in the actual story. I suppose the biggest question I kept asking myself as I read this novel, was, "Why doesn't he seek out his father?" (and he really never does!) I was annoyed that ther...more

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Mar 05, 2013 Steven Langdon rated it 4 of 5 stars

"Thus play I," John Irving quotes Shakespeare at the start of this novel, "in one person many people, and none contented." In a somewhat parallel way, this one book encompasses many stories and relationships, none providing a coherent enough story to give this novel the strength which usually marks writing by Irving.

There is a single first-person narrator, William Abbott, whose coming-of-age and hesitant maturing sexual identification as a bi-sexual tie together much of the novel. Abbott's relat...more "Thus play I," John Irving quotes Shakespeare at the start of this novel, "in one person many people, and none contented." In a somewhat parallel way, this one book encompasses many stories and relationships, none providing a coherent enough story to give this novel the strength which usually marks writing by Irving.

There is a single first-person narrator, William Abbott, whose coming-of-age and hesitant maturing sexual identification as a bi-sexual tie together much of the novel. Abbott's relationships are traced frankly with gay men, with women and especially with transgender individuals -- as Irving demonstrates that his abilities in writing about intimacy and sexual love, so well shown in earlier novels, are not limited to the heterosexual context. The individuals with whom Abbott connects are vivid characters in most cases, too, giving a depth to the novel that is striking -- Miss Frost comes alive superbly, Elaine and Kitteridge are strongly drawn, the agonies of Tom Atkins make us suffer, Larry Upton is unforgettable.

Nevertheless, this is a book that works less well for me than many that Irving has written. It takes a long and tedious time to get into its main story of sexual defining -- with many pages first of amateur theatre production and description of small-town life in Vermont. Plus the discussion of Abbott's many different relationships is full of shifts of scene and of character that make the second third of the book quite scattered in many ways. So my views on this book were not that enthused -- until the final third of the novel.

That final large thrust shifts to an extremely graphic and emotionally devastating section on HIV-AIDS and its impact in North America, especially amongst gay men. Suddenly Irving is writing without hesitation in complete command of his powerful gifts of language and imagery. A book that has seemed somewhat problematic suddenly becomes overwhelming.

Like many Irving novels, this is a book with time in Vienna, with a focus on wrestling, with conflict between mother and son, even with bears (at least in slang terms.) It is also, as usual with John Irving, a book with heart and depth, peopled with memorable characters. (less)

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Mar 01, 2013 Judith rated it 1 of 5 stars

I read this book because NYT lead me to believe that Irving had written another "World According to Garp". I should say, I read as much of this book as I could tolerate. I will give you an idea of the story and you can judge for yourself if this is the kind of book that would interest you.

Our hero: Bill, is a 13-year old boy, living in a small New England town with his beloved (divorced) mother, aunt, and grandparents. They are very involved in local amateur theater: mom is a prompter and grand...more

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Feb 18, 2013 Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars

In One Person reads like a memoir, although this is not John Irving’s story. The book is raw, poignant, and often heartbreaking, especially when Billy copes with the deaths of so many friends afflicted by AIDS. Irving brilliantly explores and celebrates human sexuality, identity and desire. His newest novel has a strong voice as well as critically important messages. I believe In One Person will soon be required reading for college sociology and psychology courses, just like James Baldwin’s work...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Sydney rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the best John Irving novel I have read in awhile. It has the same tone as Cider House Rules or the World According to Garp, but the subject matter is even more edgy. He has become really bold in his old age and I think it has really paid off. This story follows the life of a boy (Irving nearly always follows the entire life of this characters) who grows up fatherless in a small Vermont town. He knows from an early age he is bisexual and the book follows his journey through adolescence an...more

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About John Irving

John Irving published his first novel, Setting Free the Bears, in 1968. The World According to Garp, which won the National Book Award in 1980, was John Irving’s fourth novel and his first international bestseller; it also became a George Roy Hill film. Tony Richardson wrote and directed the adaptation for the screen of The Hotel New Hampshire (1984). Irving’s novels are now translated into thirty...more John Irving published his first novel, Setting Free the Bears, in 1968. The World According to Garp, which won the National Book Award in 1980, was John Irving’s fourth novel and his first international bestseller; it also became a George Roy Hill film. Tony Richardson wrote and directed the adaptation for the screen of The Hotel New Hampshire (1984). Irving’s novels are now translated into thirty-five foreign languages, and he has had nine international bestsellers. Worldwide, the Irving novel most often called “an American classic” is A Prayer for Owen Meany (1989)—the portrayal of an enduring friendship at that time when the Vietnam War had its most divisive effect on the United States.

In 1992, Mr. Irving was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma. (He competed as a wrestler for twenty years, until he was thirty-four, and coached the sport until he was forty-seven.) In 2000, Irving won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Cider House Rules—a Lasse Hallström film with seven Academy Award nominations. Tod Williams wrote and directed The Door in the Floor—the 2004 film adapted from Mr. Irving’s ninth novel, A Widow for One Year.

In One Person is John Irving’s thirteenth novel, which will be published by Simon & Schuster in May 2012. A compelling novel of desire, secrecy, and sexual identity, In One Person is a story of unfulfilled love — tormented, funny, and affecting — and an impassioned embrace of our sexual differences. Billy, the bisexual narrator and main character of In One Person, tells the tragicomic story (lasting more than half a century) of his life as a “sexual suspect,” a phrase first used by John Irving in 1978 — in his landmark novel of “terminal cases,” The World According to Garp.

His most political novel since The Cider House Rules and A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving’s In One Person is a poignant tribute to Billy’s friends and lovers — a theatrical cast of characters who defy category and convention. Not least, In One Person is an intimate and unforgettable portrait of the solitariness of a bisexual man who is dedicated to making himself “worthwhile.”

Born John Wallace Blunt, Jr., in Exeter, New Hampshire, in 1942, Mr. Irving’s name was changed to John Winslow Irving in 1948, when his mother remarried. (His mother’s maiden name was Winslow.) Mr. Irving named his first son, Colin, after his stepfather, Colin F.N. Irving, who taught in the History Department at Phillips Exeter Academy, where John Irving graduated in 1961; he was captain of the wrestling team at Exeter, and also wrestled at the University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Irving later attended the Institute for European Studies in Vienna, Austria. He has a B.A. from the University of New Hampshire and a M.F.A. from the Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa, where his mentor was Kurt Vonnegut.

Before the success of The World According to Garp enabled John Irving to become a full-time writer, he had several college teaching positions—not only at his alma mater in Iowa City, where he taught for three years, but also at Mt. Holyoke College and Brandeis University.

In the ‘80s, Mr. Irving lived in New York City and on eastern Long Island; since 1990, he has lived in Toronto and in southern Vermont. He has three sons—Colin, Brendan, and Everett—and four grandchildren. John Irving is married to Janet Turnbull Irving—formerly a Canadian publisher, who is now Mr. Irving’s literary agent in the U.S. His agent in Canada, and for the U.K., is Dean Cooke—at the Cooke Agency in Toronto. Mr. Irving is represented internationally by Nicki Kennedy at I.L.A. in London; his film agent is Robert Bookman at C.A.A. in Los Angeles.

In 2001, Mr. Irving was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. John Irving’s 70th birthday is March 2, 2012.(less)

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“Your memory is a monster; you forget - it doesn't. It simply files things away; it keeps things for you, or hides things from you. Your memory summons things to your recall with a will of its own. You imagine you have a memory, but your memory has you!” — 26 people liked it

“We are formed by what we desire” — 20 people liked it

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In One Person

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