In his 1978 review of The World According to Garp, Senior Writer R.Z. Sheppard declared that John Irving had moved into "the front rank of America's young novelists." Now, with the arrival of Irving's eagerly awaited new novel, The Hotel New Hampshire, Sheppard's assessment rings more true than ever. "Every once in a while there's a writer of real quality who also appeals to the popular reader," says Sheppard. "Irving is one." No newcomer to the risky but rewarding task of spotting literary talent, Sheppard worked as an editor and reviewer for the book section of the now defunct New York Herald Tribune before joining TIME as a book reviewer in 1967. His cover story this week on Irving, which was edited by Stefan Kanfer and researched by Zona Sparks, is Sheppard's third. (The others: Vladimir Nabokov in 1969 and Mario Puzo in 1978.)

To get an in-depth profile of the man who created Garp, Sheppard began back in May to interview the author and his family, friends and associates. Besides making two trips to Irving's home in Putney, Vt., he tracked his subject in such settings as an American Booksellers Association convention in Atlanta, where he joined Irving for a session of jogging and exercise in a hotel health club. Visiting the set of the film version of Garp in Millbrook, N.Y., he watched Irving coach Actor Robin Williams on the finer points of wrestling--but prudently did not participate. "Whether the subject is Viennese cuisine, bodybuilding or Russian novelists, Irving is equally at ease and in control," says Sheppard. "He's a man of great energy, humor and discipline--all held together by a Doric grace." On arriving for his second visit to the Irving home in Vermont, Sheppard was challenged by the growling family dog, Stranger, while Irving unhelpfully remained inside. Says Sheppard: "I don't know if he was testing my perseverance, but if the dog had bitten me I would have bitten it back."

The photograph of Irving on the cover comes from an unusual source: his wife Shyla, a freelance photographer whose work has appeared on book jackets and in galleries and national magazines. Back in 1939, TIME's cover photo of Pablo Picasso was taken by the artist's longtime mistress Dora Maar, and a 1963 cover portrait of Andrew Wyeth was painted by Wyeth's sister Henriette, but Mrs. Irving may well be the first spouse ever to provide the cover photograph of a TIME cover subject. Says she: "I'm delighted. When I took the picture I wanted it to be a cover somewhere, and nowhere could be better than on TIME. It's an honor for both John and me."

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