John G. Cawelti

John George Cawelti (December 31, 1929 – May 30, 2022) was an American novelist who wrote The Spy Story as well as other literature on the genres of detective fiction and westerns. He was born in Evanston, Illinois.

The John G. Cawelti Award is annually presented in his honor by the Popular Culture Association to the author of a noteworthy textbook, primer, or scholarly book used in the classroom on popular culture and American Culture. He was also interested in science fiction and taught the course on it at the University of Chicago while there.

Cawelti was one of the pioneers in establishing an academic respectability to the study of popular culture. His 1971 book The Six Gun Mystique, analyzes the messages contained in the western novels which were very popular for many decades with the public. His seminal Adventure, Mystery, and Romance: Formula Stories as Art and Popular Culture dissected the formulas used in these popular genres and argued for their importance alongside "high" literature.

Cawelti died in Louisville, Kentucky on May 30, 2022, at the age of 92.