John Treadwell Nichols, who goes by John Nichols, was born in Berkeley, California, on July 23, 1940. He attended Hamilton College, where he graduated in 1962. Nichols has spent many years living in Taos, New Mexico, and has established himself as a prominent author. He is the grandson of the ichthyologist named John Treadwell Nichols and is also a first cousin to a politician from Massachusetts.
Nichols is well-known for his New Mexico trilogy, which includes "The Milagro Beanfield War," "The Magic Journey," and "The Nirvana Blues." These novels explore the intricate relationships between history, race and ethnicity, and land and water rights in the fictional Chamisaville County, New Mexico. Two of his other novels, "The Wizard of Loneliness" and "The Sterile Cuckoo," have also been adapted into films.
In addition to his fiction work, Nichols has also written non-fiction, including "If Mountains Die," "The Last Beautiful Days of Autumn," and "On the Mesa." His writing has earned him a significant place in the literary world, and his contributions to the genre have been widely recognized.