The author of 'The Accidental Tourist' is Anne Tyler. She is an American novelist, short story writer, and literary critic. She has published over 20 novels, the most famous of which is 'The Accidental Tourist'. Her work often focuses on the lives of middle-class families in Baltimore, Maryland. She has won numerous awards for her writing, including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1989 for her novel 'Breathing Lessons'.