John Updike 1932-2009

 We have just learned that John Updike has died at the age of 76. 
Of John Updike, David Lehman has this to say:  "He excelled at every genre. He exemplified a true man of letters in the classic sense.  Though greatly admired and recognized the world over, he was sometimes taken for granted, as monuments are.  He may have been the best book reviewer in America; he was undoubtedly one of the two supreme novelists of our day; his poetry, essays, art criticism, and occasional writings reveal a solid professionalism and are always a delight to read.  Even his detractors will acknowledge that he wrote like an angel and that at his best -- in the Rabbit novels, the Bech stories, and other fictions -- he made a magnificent and lasting contribution to American literature. I can think of no one I would recommend more heartily for aspiring writers to read in order to learn the nuts and bolts of the craft. He was a sweet man, with a modest demeanor. At the PEN Congress in New York City in January 1986, which I covered for Newsweek, lots of writers were grandstanding about American foreign policy and the like. Updike was asked to make a comment about his native land.  He paused for a beat then said that he wanted to single out the humble blue postal box that one used to find on almost every street-corner, because it symbolized, in a very practical way, our freedom to communicate and exchange our thoughts and ideas -- and also because he associated it with the arrival of good news." 

We invite you to post your favorite encounters with John Updike, whether on the page or in person.  We are deeply saddened by the news of his death.

Comments

[Laura Orem]

That's such a lovely story, and so typical of Updike's attention to the world. Thanks for sharing it.

[Marcia]

I had the pleasure of knowing John Updike because I have known his wife for many decades before they were married. They visited me the first time when I lived in a town of 3000, Bolinas, California, known for being a village of drop outs, hippies, artists and poets, an as home particularly the ex wives of Gary Snyder, Ferlinghetti, Robert Creeley. I stopped in the small one street village before driving to my house and he stepped out of the car looked around and said, "So this is where the 60s went.
He was exactly as we see him on TV, warm, easy-going and very very observant.

I never cared for his stories, what I love about him as a writer was the way he said it. That was true of his novels, his essays which I adore, his short stories which I adore and his poetry.

He left the world a treasure. It was much much too soon for him to leave. Despite his many gifts to the world of literature, I know I will always look to see if his name is listed in the table of contents at the beginning of the New Yorker.

Marcia

[Jenny Factor]

Marcia and David and Stacey, thank you for giving us Updike space on this wonderful blog. I think I must post the story of when Updike wrote my father a letter for his fortieth birthday. (Come to think of it, I turn 40 myself four weeks from tonight.)