American · 1905–1970
John O'Hara won the 1956 National Book Award for "Ten North Frederick" and wrote prolifically about American social class—particularly its markers and barriers. The American author's first novel "Appointment in Samarra" established his territory: Pennsylvania's wealthy suburbs and the people trying to rise into or fall from them. O'Hara's stories for The New Yorker documented American life with documentary precision.