john cheever's early life was marked by significant familial upheaval. his father's job loss and subsequent struggles with alcohol, coupled with his mother's establishment of a small business - a venture that reportedly brought cheever a sense of humiliation due to prevailing societal views on women in the workforce - shaped his formative years.
following his parents' divorce, he spent a considerable amount of time with his brother, eventually sharing a residence with him in boston's beacon hill neighborhood. during this period, cheever and a companion leased a property in provincetown during the less busy season.
bohemian circles and early relationships
his time in beacon hill immersed cheever in a bohemian social scene.
he frequented gatherings held in intimate apartments, often populated by athletic young men and a few older, international women. within these circles, he cultivated friendships with several older gay men, including the poet jack wheelwright and henry dana. an anecdote recounts dana's forward advances towards cheever, a pursuit that allegedly ended with dana chasing cheever down a hallway of the longfellow house, exclaiming his frustration at cheever's perceived cruelty.
cheever's social interactions were not always smooth.
one instance involved a luncheon with kirstein, during which a reportedly inebriated cheever became embroiled in an argument concerning henry james, directing insults towards kirstein. the narrative also touches on a friendship with e. his literary contributions were later recognized with inclusion in the library of america.
two of cheever's offspring, susan and benjamin, also pursued careers as writers.
cheever himself mused on the nature of sin, referencing personal experiences and an apparent attempt to reconcile them with his artistic and personal life, stating, "perhaps sin has to do with the incident, and i have had this sort of intercourse [oral, it seems] only three times in my adult life." he further expressed a desire to channel his inherent complexities into his creative output: "i know my troubled nature and have tried to contain it along creative lines." he also voiced feelings of isolation and vulnerability: "it is not my choice that i am alone here and exposed to temptation, but i sincerely hope that this will not happen again.
i trust that what i did was not wrong. i trust that i have harmed no one i love." the potential repercussions of his actions weighed on him: "the worst may be that i have put myself into a position where i may be forced to lie."
observations and personal reflections
in 1961, cheever invited paul moor, a writer and admirer of his work, to his hotel room in berlin.
cheever's written observations on homosexual individuals were notably candid and, at times, unconventional, particularly his desire for their preservation after his death, suggesting a complex relationship with these personal reflections. even in his later years, cheever reportedly struggled to accept this facet of his identity, both within himself and in others.
his consumption of alcohol was also significant during this period. ben bailey's accounts describe cheever's fluctuating moods while under the influence of alcohol. the biographical approach suggests that cheever's writing often drew from a blend of autobiographical elements and idealistic or imaginative notions.
his son benjamin remarked on his father's pervasive presence: "one thing about my father was he was always there, you could not get rid of him. he worked at home, he ate at home, he drank at home. that was never the fear." benjamin bailey, however, offered a more critical assessment of cheever's character, describing him as having a "specious" magnanimity and attributing his work to covetousness, exhibitionism, and a lack of empathy: "i think his magnanimity specious and his work seems motivated by covetousness, exhibitionism and a stony heart." benjamin cheever shared a complex perspective, admitting a degree of personal satisfaction in seeing fewer perceived rivals in the literary world: "although the covetousness in me, and stony heart, kind of rejoiced to see one less writer to compete with."
amidst these personal struggles and resentments, two individuals emerged as significant figures for cheever.
he seemed to hold a positive regard for both, perhaps due to their ability to navigate his often critical and spiteful nature, which extended even to his editor at the new yorker, william maxwell, whom cheever found exceptionally dull. his initial encounter with saul bellow in the early 1950s reportedly sparked an immediate connection.
cheever was capable of portraying characters with an apparent ease, prioritizing their human qualities. he contrasted this with a depiction of a woman who, despite lacking practical skills, would pontificate on literary symbolism while neglecting domestic duties: "she cannot add a column of figures or make a bed but she will lecture you on the inner symbolism of
societal shifts and personal impact
as societal attitudes towards women began to shift in america, so too did the stigma associated with homosexuality.
cheever, while seemingly unsettled by the evolving roles of women, found himself profoundly affected by the changing perceptions of homosexuality once he ventured beyond his immediate domestic sphere and engaged with the broader world.
his literary mentorship extended to students such as frederick boyle, ron hansen, and allan gurganus.
some of cheever's correspondence with gurganus contained playful elements, including a request for assistance with an introduction to william maxwell in exchange for favors. he also outlined a perceived requirement for his students to participate in sports: "you must also play soccer, hockey and football." in the early 1970s, at the university of utah, cheever encountered max zimmer, a doctoral candidate in his early thirties who had been raised in the mormon faith.
cheever's journal entry from that spring reflected his complex emotions towards zimmer: "how cruel, unnatural and black is my love for z. love is to instruct, to show our beloved what we know of the sources of light, and this may be the declaration of a crafty and lecherous old man.
i can only hope not. in fact, he hoped not quite a lot of the time."
zimmer, reportedly confused rather than definitively homosexual, experienced discomfort and guilt within the cheever household. despite these challenges, zimmer was a frequent visitor to the cheever residence in ossining.
during these visits, he treated cheever's wife with a notable degree of relaxed courtesy and respect, an observation cheever's son noted as a marked improvement over his father's own treatment of her: "in fact, he treated her a lot better than my father did." benjamin cheever also recalled looking forward to zimmer's visits, finding him pleasant and engaging, and noting that his father seemed more approachable when zimmer was present: "i was always glad to see him.
he was pleasant and funny, and when they were together my father seemed more accessible than he usually was."
sobriety, Falconer, and thematic explorations
in 1977, at the age of 63, following a period of heavy drinking while teaching at boston university, cheever ceased his alcohol consumption.
a year later, he completed his novel, falconer. his daughter, susan cheever, characterized this period as one of catharsis, suggesting that the novel allowed him to articulate long-held sentiments: "these were the things he had been longing to say…" falconer delves into the story of a man incarcerated for his brother's murder, who is also a heroin addict and whose marriage is depicted as a failed union.
a central element of the novel is a tender homosexual relationship. the book achieved significant commercial success, topping the new york times bestseller list for three consecutive weeks. in the early 1980s, after years of alcohol abuse and producing less inspired stories focused on the profound despair and minor difficulties inherent in affluent american suburban life, cheever accepted a teaching position at sing sing prison.
there, he formed a connection with an inmate, and their association continued after the man's release. critics have suggested that falconer serves not merely as a metaphorical representation of cheever's personal anguish and the suffering he inflicted, but as a profound and unflinching exploration and acknowledgment of that pain, rendered in a style that is both factually grounded and emotionally heightened, ultimately conveying deep sorrow.
the novel's stylistic approach is considered daring, juxtaposing stark statements with a sweeping perspective reminiscent of biblical texts.
emotions such as violence, animosity, distress, and profound alienation are presented with raw intensity. against this backdrop, love, or its approximation, emerges as a form of dark salvation or an alternative source of strength. nestled between these extremes lies the mundane reality of prison existence, alongside passages of exceptionally vivid eroticism.
one reviewer described falconer, with the caveat of its somewhat optimistic conclusion, as the finest russian novel written in the english language, praising cheever's ability to elevate ordinary experiences, such as waiting in an airport, into something far more significant through the power of imagination.
cheever himself drew parallels between his experiences of confinement and those of others, stating: "i have seen confinement in prison, but i have experienced confinement as a corporal in a line rifle company, as a stockade guard, as a traveller confined for 36 hours in the leningrad airport during a blizzard, and for as long again in the cairo airport during a strike.
i have known emotional, sexual and financial confinements, and i have actually been confined to a dryout tank on 93rd street for clinical alcoholics."
later years and legacy
the final years of cheever's life were characterized by sobriety and a notable level of public recognition.
his daughter susan observed that during this period, his personality, which had previously exhibited petulant and childlike traits when he was drinking, became predominantly that of the child. she further noted his enjoyment of his late-career success: "at times he seemed to be his own number one groupie… in restaurants, he let head waiters know that he was someone important.
well, you get to say pompous things. you get to talk about aesthetics and things like that."
as he endeavored to mend the strained relationships within his family, cheever was acutely aware of the potential impact of his extensive journals, comprising four thousand pages, which he likened to a 'lovely toy time bomb.' his wife, mary cheever, who remained by his side until his passing, chose not to read them.
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his writing also explored themes of domesticity and societal critique, as seen in the sentiment, "my god, the suburbs!" in his journal from 1959, cheever reflected on a family history of isolation: "my grandfather is supposed to have died, alone, unknown, a stranger to his wife and his sons, in a furnished room on charles street." an early journal entry from 1939 documented a solitary experience in new york city: "i can remember walking around the streets of new york on a summer night some years ago." another journal entry simply stated: "i spend the night with c."