20th ANNIVERSARY EDITION

with a new Afterword from the author

The New York Times bestseller

This is the life and times of T. S. Garp, the bastard son of Jenny

Fields--a feminist leader ahead of her times.  This is the life and death

of a famous mother and her almost-famous son; theirs is a world of sexual

extremes--even of sexual assassinations.  It is a novel rich with "lunacy

and sorrow"; yet the dark, violent events of the story do not undermine a

comedy both ribald and robust.  In more than thirty languages, in more than

forty countries--with more than ten million copies in print--this novel

provides almost cheerful, even hilarious evidence of its famous last line:

"In the world according to Garp, we are all terminal cases."

"A wonderful novel, full of energy and art."

-The Washington Post

"A wonderful novel, full of energy and art."

--The Washington Post

"Nothing in contemporary fiction matches it. . . . Irving's blend of gravity and play is unique, audacious, almost blasphemous. . . . Brilliant, funny, and

consistently wise; a work of vast talent."

--The New Republic

From the Trade Paperback edition.

It's the novel that made author John Irving a household name — and launched his consistently bestselling career as one of the world's most beloved storytellers. Now, "The World According to Garp" takes its place among the distinguished titles of the Ballantine Readers Circle.

This is the life and times of T.S. Garp, the bastard son of Jenny Fields — a feminist leader ahead of her times. This is the life and death of a famous mother and her almost-famous son; theirs is a world of sexual extremes — even of sexual assassinations. It is a novel rich with "lunacy and sorrow"; yet the dark, violent events of the story do not undermine a comedy both ribald and robust. In more than thirty languages, in more than forty countries — with more than ten million copies in print — this novel provides almost cheerful, even hilarious evidence of its famous last line: "In the world according to Garp, we are all terminal cases".

Born in New Hampshire, John Irving is the author of nine novels, among them The Cider House Rules, A Prayer for Owen Meany, and A Widow for One Year.

Mr. Irving is married and has three sons; he lives in Vermont and in Toronto.

From the Trade Paperback edition.