A Separate Peace

A Separate Peace
First edition
AuthorJohn Knowles
LanguageEnglish
GenreRealism
PublisherSecker & Warburg
Publication date
1959
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardback and paperback)
Pages236
ISBN978-0-7432-5397-0

A Separate Peace is a coming-of-age novel by John Knowles, published in 1959. Based on his earlier short story "Phineas", published in the May 1956 issue of Cosmopolitan, it was Knowles's first published novel and became his best-known work. Set against the backdrop of World War II, A Separate Peace explores morality, patriotism, and loss of innocence through its narrator, Gene Forrester, in his relationship with classmate and friend Phineas.