Robert Hellenga (August 5, 1941 – July 18, 2020) was an American novelist, essayist, and short story author.
His eight novels included The Sixteen Pleasures, The Fall of a Sparrow, Blues Lessons, Philosophy Made Simple, The Italian Lover, Snakewoman of Little Egypt, The Confessions of Frances Godwin and Love, Death, & Rare Books.
He received his Ph.D. from Princeton and began teaching English literature at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, in 1968.
The Sixteen Pleasures received The Society of Midland Authors Award for Fiction published in 1994.
The Confessions of Frances Godwin received The Society of Midland Authors' Award for fiction published in 2014.