John Jiambalvo

John was initially inspired to start writing at fifteen-years-old. He read the Prologue to The Canterbury Tales and “was astonished that someone could describe so much of his society so pointedly and in such few words.” This fascination led to writing his first works of prose and poetry, which were published when he was nineteen. Literature is, and continues to be, John’s first love, but intellectual history is a close second. He also enjoyed studying foreign languages as well, at one point being able to work in seven languages. His Master’s work focused on Renaissance and Seventeen Century English literature, and his doctoral studies, though interrupted before completion, concentrated on John Milton and his writings.

The late Professor John M. Wallace is one of the great influences in John’s life. While studying with Wallace at the University of Chicago, John learned how to apply rules for reading developed by classical authors and he was led to discover how seventeenth-century English authors applied these rules in order to create political meanings.

Like many of his generation, John’s political awakening began with the assassination of John F. Kennedy, which led directly to the ramping up of the war in Vietnam. Decades later the events of 9/11 and the decision to invade Iraq, a country that had no role in the 9/11 attacks, reignited John’s political fire. These events had him asking “How my beloved country could stray so far from its political ideals?” Under any circumstances John would have found an outlet for his creativity. When the United States transformed into a nation he could not recognize, he applied his education in literature and history and sat down to write Smirk. Among his goals was to show his children that he saw the dangers of what was happening and that, however quixotically, he wasn’t going to remain on the sidelines, but instead was making known his opposition to his country becoming an empire.

The authors that are John’s role models set excellent examples for using satire and humor to affect and reflect the world they lived in. From Homer, Euripides, Virgil and Dante to Swift, Twain, Heller, Vonnegut and Grass, John’s heroes demonstrated how to treat evil in the world while championing compassion and rationality.

Literary works lambasting the powerful with humor and sarcasm are relatively rare. John recognizes that and appreciates the political satire found in other media. He also understands that a comprehensive political satire like Smirk demands much from its audience. However, he is confident that the novel and its soon-to-be-completed successor will find a following among the politically engaged who think outside the corporate media bubble and wish to promote the common good.

John has been married for over 40 years and has two adult children. He and his wife Jane live in the western suburbs of Chicago.