I suppose at heart it was the haircut that did it; that exploded the ordinary order of things and showed me the possibilities that had been there all along, hidden among the patterns in the wallpaper. In a different age, we used to take acid for more or less the same reason.

Early life and education
Cunningham was born in Cincinnati Ohio and grew up in Pasadena California. He studied English literature at Stanford University where he earned his degree. His short story "White Angel" was later used as a chapter in his novel A Home at the End of the World.

Cunningham is currently a professor of creative writing at Yale University. Michael Cunningham (born November 6 1952) is an American writer.