Interview: John Irving on writing sexuality

John Irving’s latest novel, In One Person is narrated by a bisexual writer, Billy Abbot, who recalls his high school days from the 1950s, in the small New-England town of First Sister — where the majority of the cross-dressing residents are more likely to celebrate polymorphous perversity than puritanical punishment.

Billy takes a fancy to various people, including: his stepfather; his friend’s mother; the captain of the school wrestling team; and the local librarian, Miss Frost — who reveals to Billy a secret regarding her own identity. The mood of the latter half of the book darkens when Billy moves to New York in the 1980s, witnessing the AIDS epidemic.

Irving published his debut novel Setting Free the Bears in 1968. But it was The World According to Garp, his fourth book, which established him as an internationally-renowned-bestselling-author. To date, four of his books have been adapted for film. In 2000, Irving won Best Adapted Screen Play, for The