Richard Bach was many things before he was a bestselling author — but he was always inspired by flying. Born in 1936 in Oak Park, Illinois, but primarily raised in Long Beach, California, Bach built model airplanes in his backyard as a kid, dreaming of one day piloting them himself. After graduating high school, he joined the U.S. Air Force. He later worked as a flight instructor, a stunt pilot, and an aviation writer. In 1959, the idea for his most famous work came to him as he walked home one night. Bach claims to have heard a voice behind him call out “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” — the name of his 1970 novella. He rushed home and wrote down the visual that played in his mind, but the half-finished story sat in a drawer for the next eight years.

Many years and manuscript rejections later, Bach published the serendipitous book to immense success. Flying remained a central motif in much of his literary output, including Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah (1977). Often, flight is used as a philosophical metaphor for life, death, and liberation. Bach’s works have resonated with readers worldwide, selling millions of copies and remaining in print for decades. Though Bach was in a near-fatal plane crash in 2012, flight remained a major part of his life, and he continued flying after his recovery.