John Cheever

John Cheever was one of the most successful and influential American short story writers of the 20th century. He was born on May 27, 1912, in Quincy, Massachusetts, to a prosperous shoe salesman, Frederick Lincoln Cheever, and his wife, Mary Liley Cheever. He was the eldest of four children which also included his sister, Mary Cheever.

Cheever attended the Thayer Academy, a private preparatory school in Braintree, from 1911 to 1928 and subsequently, the Holden Chapel School in Evanston, Illinois. After a brief stint at Williams College, Cheever matriculated at the Bouton School of Business in New York City, only to drop out after three months due to recurring frustration and boredom. In 1930, his father passed away from complications from throat cancer, leaving the 19-year-old Cheever solely responsible for the support of his family.

Fortunately for Cheever, his health and finances were restored by the early 1930s when he began writing short stories for The New Republic and The Atlantic Monthly; the two periodicals were Cheever’s primary sources of income throughout his career. His debut collection, The Way Some People Live, was published in 1943 to wide acclaim, and he quickly gained recognition as one of the foremost American authors to emerge during the post-World War II era.

Cheever’s most influential works of fiction include The Wapshot Chronicle (1957), Falconer (1977), and, most recently, Oh, What a Paradise It Seems (1982), which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1983. His body of work, aside from being published in various collections, have also been adapted for the screen and stage; for example, Robert Altman’s critically acclaimed film, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974), is based on Cheever’s 1959 novella of the same name.

Throughout his career as a writer, Cheever rarely alluded to family life and his own personal circumstances during public appearances and readings. However, his written works often served as a reflection of his own inner struggles, particularly his battle against alcoholism and depression. This internal struggle was explored in depth in his novel-length autobiography, Bullet Park (1969), Cheever described himself as an isolated man “wrapped in a vapor of alcoholism and the rancid fragrance of failure.”

Cheever passed away in 1982 due to complications from cancer. While he was hailed as “America’s Chekhov” while alive, ever since his death, Cheever’s writing has been recognized as timeless, and one of America's most pervasive, yet under-appreciated authors. His seminal works encapsulate an astute understanding of human vulnerability coupled with a wry eye for suburban nostalgia, which continues to resonate with contemporary readers.

John Cheever transformed the American short story writing genre of his time and continues to inspire authors around the world. His thought-provoking work, which offers a glimpse of the facets of isolation, joy and yearning present in the modern human condition, will remain embedded in the literary canon for many generations to come.