Chaim Potok, born Herman Harold Potok on February 17, 1929, was a renowned American author, novelist, playwright, editor, and rabbi. His most famous novel, The Chosen (1967), was listed on The New York Times Best Seller list for 39 weeks, selling over 3.4 million copies. It was later adapted into a well-received 1981 feature film of the same title.

Potok was born in Buffalo, New York, to Polish immigrant parents and received an Orthodox Jewish education. Inspired by Evelyn Waugh's novel Brideshead Revisited, he decided at a young age to pursue writing. He began writing fiction at the age of 16 and made his first submission to The Atlantic Monthly at 17. Though unpublished, his submission was met with praise from the editor.

Potok's early works appeared in the literary magazine of Yeshiva University in 1949, where he also served as an editor. Graduating summa cum laude with a BA in English Literature in 1950, he went on to study at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, where he was ordained as a Conservative rabbi.