John Cheever

John Cheever, a renowned American novelist and short story writer, was born on May 27, 1912, in Quincy, Massachusetts. He was the second child of Frederick Lincoln Cheever, a successful shoe salesman, and Mary Liley Cheever. Cheever's childhood was largely spent in a grand Victorian house on 123 Winthrop Avenue, where he developed a deep appreciation for the cultural traditions and sense of community that would later influence his work.

Cheever is often referred to as "the Chekhov of the suburbs" or "the Ovid of Ossining" due to his masterful storytelling and exploration of the human condition. His fiction is primarily set in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the suburbs of Westchester, New York, and old New England villages that bear a resemblance to the South Shore towns around Quincy, Massachusetts, where he was born. Cheever's writing is known for its exploration of the duality of human nature, often depicted through the lens of a character's discrepancy between their polished social persona and inner corruption. This theme is also exemplified through conflicts between characters who embody both light and dark, flesh and spirit.

Many of Cheever's works express a longing for a bygone era, one that is characterized by a rich cultural heritage and a deep sense of belonging. In contrast, he critiques the alienating and transient nature of modern suburbia, which he saw as eroding traditional values and community ties. Cheever's ability to capture the complexities of human nature and the changing social landscape has earned him a place as one of America's most celebrated writers.