"The nearest thing to an autobiography Irving has written . . . worth saving and savoring."-Seattle Times
Dedicated to the memory of two wrestling coaches and two writer friends, The Imaginary Girlfriend is John Irving's candid memoir of his twin careers in writing and wrestling. The awardwinning author of bestselling novels from The World According to Garp to In One Person and Avenue of Mysteries, Irving began writing when he was fourteen, the same age at which he began to wrestle at Exeter. He competed as a wrestler for twenty years, was certified as a referee at twentyfour, and coached the sport until he was fortyseven. Irving coached his sons Colin and Brendan to New England championship titles, a championship that he himself was denied.
In an autobiography filled with the humor and compassion one finds in his fiction, Irving explores the interrelationship between the two disciplines of writing and wrestling, from the days when he was a beginner at both until his fourth wresting-related surgery at the age of fiftythree. Writing as a father and mentor, he offers a lucid portrait of those-writers and wrestlers from Kurt Vonnegut to Ted Seabrooke-who played a mentor role in his development as a novelist, wrestler, and wrestling coach.
