Walter Stone Tevis (1928 – 1984) was an American novelist and short story writer. He was born in San Francisco and boy contracted rheumatic fever when he was ten. Hospitalised and given heavy doses of drugs, Walter was left there while his parents went to live in Kentucky with Walter’s paternal aunt. Walter was left in the hospital for 12 months before he travelled to Kentucky on his own to join his family.

Tevis served 2 years in WWII, after which he attended the University of Kentucky, earning both a Bachelor & Masters degree in English. He then taught at various local high schools, and for 12 years from 1966, at Ohio University. Tevis’ first book, The Hustler, was published in 1959 and adapted for film in 1961. The film, starring Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason, became a classic.