Walter Wangerin, Jr.

Walter Wangerin Jr. was an American author, educator, and Lutheran pastor, born in Portland, Oregon, in 1944. He held an M.A. in English literature from Miami University and an M.Div. from Christ Seminary-Seminex, and taught English at the University of Evansville before joining Valparaiso University as a professor of literature, theology, and creative writing. He is best known for the fable The Book of the Dun Cow, which won the National Book Award in 1980, and its sequel The Book of Sorrows. His bibliography extends to more than thirty novels and numerous children's books, many built around religious themes, and he received six Gold Medallion (now Christian Book) awards from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association between 1986 and 2001. Beyond writing and teaching, Wangerin worked as a radio personality and book reviewer. He died in 2021.