Evan S. Connell was born August 17, 1924 in Kansas City, Missouri. He graduated from the University of Kansas in 1947. His first work, The Anatomy Lesson and Other Stories, was published in 1957. His first novel, Mrs. Bridge, was published in 1959. The sequel, Mr. Bridge, was published ten years later. In 1990, both novels were adapted into the film Mr. and Mrs. Bridge starring Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. He wrote more than 15 books during his lifetime including Son of the Morning Star: Custer and the Little Bighorn, The Patriot, The Diary of a Rapist, The Connoisseur, Deus Lo Volt!, and Lost in Uttar Pradesh. He died on January 10, 2013 at the age of 88.