Wallace Stegner (1909-1993) was an American novelist, short story writer, environmentalist, and historian. He is best known for his novels set in the American West, such as "Angle of Repose" and "The Big Rock Candy Mountain," and for his non-fiction works, including "The Sound of Mountain Water" and "Wilderness Letter." He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1972 for "Angle of Repose."