The World According to Garp is John Irving's fourth novel. Published in 1978, the book was a bestseller for several years. It was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction in 1979, and its first paperback edition won the Award the following year.A movie adaptation of the novel starring Robin Williams was released in 1982, with a screenplay written by Steve Tesich.BBC Radio 4's Classic Serial broadcast a three-part adaptation of the novel by Linda Marshall Griffiths in January 2014.