re: Did you ever have a college English professor who wrote good literature?

I had john Gardner in grad school. he had a couple of novels about Norse legends. one from point of view of the monster.
he was a motorcycle rider.
speeded. I was a heavy footed driver and could barely keep up on back roads in my car.
he died in a wreck age 49.
a hard case. unique.
Britannica says:

Gardner published two novels, The Resurrection (1966) and The Wreckage of Agathon (1970), before his reputation was established with the appearance of Grendel (1971), a retelling of the Beowulf story from the point of view of the monster. His next novel, The Sunlight Dialogues (1972), is an ambitious epic with a large cast of characters. Later novels by Gardner include October Light (1976; National Book Critics Circle Award), Freddy’s Book (1980), and Mickelsson’s Ghosts (1982).