born May 27, 1912, Quincy, Mass., U.S.
died June 18, 1982, Ossining, N.Y.
U.S. short-story writer and novelist.
Cheever lived principally in southern Connecticut. His stories appeared notably in The New Yorker , his clear and elegant prose delineating the drama and sadness of life in comfortable suburban America, often through fantasy and ironic comedy. He has been called the Chekhov of the suburbs. His collections include The Enormous Radio (1953), The Brigadier and the Golf Widow (1964), and The Stories of John Cheever (1978, Pulitzer Prize). Among his novels are The Wapshot Chronicle (1957), The Wapshot Scandal (1964), and Falconer (1977). His revealing journals were published in 1991. Two of his children, Susan and Benjamin, also became writers.