A special*40th anniversary edition of the*bestselling coming-of-age classic novel by John Irving, with a new introduction by the author.*

"He is more than popular. He is a Populist, determined to keep alive the Dickensian tradition that revels in colorful set pieces...and teaches moral lessons."--The New York Times*

The opening sentence of John Irving's breakout novel,* The World According to Garp, signals the start of sexual violence, which becomes increasingly political. "Garp's mother, Jenny Fields, was arrested in Boston in 1942 for wounding a man in a movie theater." Jenny is an unmarried nurse; she becomes a single mom and a feminist leader, beloved but polarizing. Her son, Garp, is less beloved, but no less polarizing.*

From the tragicomic tone of its first sentence to its mordantly funny last line--"we are all terminal cases"-- The World According to Garp*maintains a breakneck pace. The subject of sexual hatred--of intolerance of sexual minorities and differences--runs the gamut of "lunacy and sorrow." Winner of the National Book Award,* Garp*is a comedy with forebodings of doom. In more than thirty languages, in more than forty countries--with more than ten million copies in print-- Garp*is the precursor of John Irving's later protest novels.