Dear Readers, With the publication of Queen Esther just around the corner, I sat down with my longtime editor, Jonathan Karp, to discuss the new novel, my previous novels, and more. Like many of you, Jon was curious about the return, in Queen Esther, of Dr. Larch from The Cider House Rules. Watch a clip of our conversation, below. I’ll be sharing more clips of my conversation with Jon in the coming weeks—stay tuned! — John | John Irving

Dear Readers, Today marks one month to the English-language publication of The Last Chairlift. In anticipation of October 18, my wonderful publishers at Simon & Schuster UK put together an animation inspired by the book’s cover art. I’m sharing it with a note of thanks to everyone who’s left me encouraging, generous comments. You’ve made my past seven years better. The Last Chairlift will soon be in your hands. There’s been excitement in preparation for the fall, but there’s also been terrible n

Dear Readers, I’m continuing the countdown to publication. Less than two weeks until The Last Chairlift is in stores, libraries, and (hopefully) on your bookshelves! This week has been a momentous one; I’ve received my own copies of Chairlift from my publishers. Janet had the forethought to capture the moment I opened my first shipment of books. Thankfully she’s still taken with the giddy author in this video. Next Thursday, I’ll be participating in AuthorFest, in conversation with young-adult w

Dear Readers, Today’s the day: after many years of research, and three years of writing and rewriting, Queen Esther is here! My longtime editor, Jonathan Karp, asked me a pertinent question: What makes Queen Esther, my 16th novel, different from the previous 15? See my answer, below. For my American readers, if you haven’t already, you can still find tickets to my live, virtual event later this evening, hosted by the 92nd Street Y and Barnes & Noble. To hear me in conversation with the terrific

John Irving’s new novel, ‘Queen Esther,’ touches decades of Israeli history

John Irving’s ‘Queen Esther’ returns readers to setting of ‘The Cider House Rules’