James Salter

James Salter (1925–2015) was a novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. Salter grew up in New York City and was a career officer and air force pilot until his mid-30s, when the success of his first novel (The Hunters, 1957) led to a full-time writing career. Salter’s potent, lyrical prose earned him acclaim from critics, readers, and fellow novelists. His novel A Sport and a Pastime (1967) was hailed by the New York Times as “nearly perfect as any American fiction.”