Who was John Updike? Fifty-three commentators have much to tell us. They reveal Updike through anecdote, observation, and insight. Their memories reveal Updike the high school prankster, the golfer, the creator of bedtime stories, the charming ironist, the faithful correspondent of scholars, the devoted friend, and the dedicated practitioner of his art. Among those who share their prismatic views of Updike through interviews and essays are his first wife and three of their children; high school and college friends; authors John Barth, Joyce Carol Oates and Nicholson Baker; journalists Terri Gross and Ann Goldstein; and academics Jay Parini, William Pritchard, James Plath, and Adam Begley, Updike's biographer. These writers provide views of Updike not revealed before. Concluding his offering, Donald Greiner maintains that we each create our own John Updike. Many readers may well find themselves enjoying remembrances of their own encounters with John Updike and his work.
About the AuthorJack A. De Bellis, professor emeritus at Lehigh University, was a founder of the John Updike Society serving as a director from 2009 until 20014 and is an editor of the
John Updike Review. He lives in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Reviews"Knowledgeable...deftly edited...insightful...strongly recommended" -
Midwest Book Review.
Book InformationISBN 9781476667065
Author Jack A. De BellisFormat Paperback
Page Count 229
Imprint McFarland & Co IncPublisher McFarland & Co Inc
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 10mm