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, , The Italian Lover, Snakewoman of Little Egypt, The Confessions of Frances Godwin and Love, Death, & Rare Books. In addition to these works, he wrote a novella, Six Weeks in Verona, along with a collection of short stories in The Truth About Death and Other Stories. Hellenga also published scholarly essays and literary or travel essays in various venues, including The National Geographic Traveler, The New York Times Sophisticated Traveler, and The Gettysburg Review.