John Gardner

John Gardner was an American writer, critic, and professor. After growing up in New York, he attended DePauw University and Washington University in St. Louis, studying English. He went on to get his M.A. and PhD. from the University of Iowa and then taught creative writing and medieval literature (including, no doubt, Beowulf) at various universities. Late in his career, Gardner wrote Grendel and the novel was his first work of fiction to garner much acclaim. Grendel established Gardner as a significant American writer and, while he went on to write several other well-received books, Grendel is still his best-known work.