Description
Book SynopsisFrom a novelist known for the complexity of his novels - they are also long - comes an autobiography of compelling simplicity; it is also short. Dedicated to the memory of two wrestling coaches and two writer friends, The Imaginary Girlfriend is a lucid portrait of the writers and wrestlers who played a mentor role in John Irving''s development as a novelist, a wrestler and a wrestling coach. Moreover, this candid memoir portrays a father''s dedication to his children: Irving coached his sons Colin and Brendan to New England championship titles - a championship that, as a competitor, he himself was denied.
John Irving began writing and wrestling when he was fourteen. He competed as a wrestler for twenty years, he was certified as a referee for twenty-four and he coached the sport until he was forty-seven. His thirty-three years in wrestling are three times those he spent as a student and a teacher of Creative Writing; yet his concise autobiography details the interrelationshi
Trade Review
Interesting and surprising revelations -- Michael Moran * Literary Review *
His "inexpressible personal opinions" as a critic are wonderful, slaying many a sacred cow -- Tobias Jones * Spectator *
The patent sincerity of his passion gives an appealing authenticity to this memoir... compelling and alive -- Andrew Rosenheim * The Times Literary Supplement *
Irving can transform sex and violence mythology with the best of 'em -- Adrianne Blue * Independent on Sunday *
Concise, original and enjoyable * The Times *
