Philip Wylie

Gladiator, first published in 1930, tells the story of Hugo Danner, who is given superhuman speed, endurance, strength, and intelligence by his father as an experiment in creating a better human. We follow Hugo throughout his life viewed from his perspective, from childhood, when Hugo first discovers he's different from others, to adulthood, as Hugo tries to find a positive outlet for his abilities around the time of the first World War.
Gladiator has been made into a 1938 comedy movie, and is thought to be the inspiration for the Superman comic books-though this has not been confirmed.