دوست‌دختر خیالی: خاطرات

"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 award-winning author of best-selling novels from The World According to Garp to In One Person , 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 twenty-four, and coached the sport until he was forty-seven. 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 fifty-three. 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. He reveals lessons he learned about the pursuit for which he is best known, writing. "And," as the Denver Post observed, in filling "his narrative with anecdotes that are every bit as hilarious as the antics in his novels, Irving combines the lessons of both obsessions (wrestling and writing) . . . into a somber reflection on the importance of living well." 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 award-winning author of best-selling novels from The World According to Garp to In One Person, 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 twenty-four, and coached the sport until he was forty-seven. 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 fifty-three. 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. He reveals lessons he learned about the pursuit for which he is best known, writing. 'And," as the Denver Post observed, in filling 'his narrative with anecdotes that are every bit as hilarious as the antics in his novels, Irving combines the lessons of both obsessions (wrestling and writing) ... 'nto a somber reflection on the importance of living well."Skyhorse Publishing, along with our Arcade, Good Books, Sports Publishing, and Yucca imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs. Our list includes biographies on well-known historical figures like Benjamin Franklin, Nelson Mandela, and Alexander Graham Bell, as well as villains from history, such as Heinrich Himmler, John Wayne Gacy, and O.J. Simpson. We have also published survivor stories of World War II, memoirs about overcoming adversity, first-hand tales of adventure, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home “Detail[s] Irving’s parallel careers of writing and wrestling . . . with anecdotes that are every bit as hilarious as the antics in his novels” (The Denver Post). 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 award-winning author of bestselling novels from The World According to Garp to Avenue of Mysteries, Irving began writing when he was fourteen, the same age at which he began to wrestle at Exeter. From those early days until his fourth wrestling-related surgery at the age of fifty-three, he explores the interrelationship between the two disciplines. Writing as a father and mentor, Irving offers a lucid portrait of those writers and wrestlers—from Kurt Vonnegut to Ted Seabrooke—who guided him in his own development as a novelist, wrestler, and wrestling coach. As The Denver Post observed, this memoir is “a rich, wonderful, and diverse look into the creative mind of one of America’s most imaginative and passionate novelists.” “The nearest thing to an autobiography Irving has written . . . Worth saving and savoring.” —The Seattle Times “Irving’s wrestling coaches, his writing mentors, and his family are vivid, inviting readers into a colorful world.” —USA Today “A masterpiece . . . The generosity of spirit that marks his fiction leaks into his memoir in tender and surprising ways.” —Edmonton Journal