John Irving

Hollywood producers have long turned to the printed page for material; and there is an especially large number of film adaptations right now. One writer with a lot of experience seeing his creations come to life on the screen is John Irving, four of his 10 novels have been made into movies. His highly praised 1978 bestseller, “The World According to Garp,” became a film in 1982, a dark comedy directed by George Roy Hill and starring Robin Williams. The novelist himself played a very minor role in “Garp” — as a wrestling referee. Two years later, director Tony Richardson took Irving’s story of a family of innkeepers, “ Hotel New Hampshire,” to the screen. Simon Birch — released in 1998 — was loosely based on Irving’s novel, “A Prayer for Owen Meany.” and “ the Cider House Rules” is in theaters now. Irving spent 14 years getting this novel to the screen. The 57-year old Irving chronicled his experiences in the film industry in a book titled “My Movie Business,” which was published late last year.