James Salter
Novelist
An American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter, he is best known for his novel, A Sport and a Pastime, about an erotic affair in France. His other works include such screenplays as Downhill Racer (1969) and The Appointment (1969) and such novels as Solo Faces (1979) and Light Years (1975).
He was an officer and pilot in the United States Air Force but later abandoned his military career. He published his first novel, The Hunters, in 1957.
He received the PEN/Faulkner Award for his short fiction collection, Dusk and Other Stories.
He grew up in relative affluence in New York City. In 1998, he married Kay Eldredge; together, he and his wife had one son.
He was influenced by the work of Ernest Hemingway.