Updike: America's Man of Letters

by William H. Pritchard

One of America's leading literary critics offers an insightful study of the literary work and career of one of America's leading men of letters, tracing the evolution of Updike's short fiction, novels, poetry, and nonfiction and assessing the impact of John Updike on the literary world of the twentieth century. 25,000 first printing.

Hardcover

Published September 30, 2000

Reviews

[Bob Pearson]

It might seem downright silly to write a review of a book which is a review of someone as well known as John Updike. If you like Updike, however, this book by William Pritchard, well-known professor at Amherst and book critic, is a must read, and you'll come away with a much better understanding of Updike, his time and his work. Reading the review has already inspired me to go back and re-read Roger's Version and Rabbit at Rest. Updike was born eleven years before me, and from the time I first discovered him in The Centaur and then Rabbit Run, I have been a fan. I know he's out of fashion now among many of the newer writers, who wonder how he and his compatriots of that generation could have focused so much on sexual liberation mainly and religion somewhat in the lives of ordinary people in ordinary places. To this point, however, Pritchard does a great job, I think, of putting Updike in his time and place, and he also does not hesitate to wonder along with the reader just why Updike was so obsessed at times. He also doesn't shrink from commenting on Updike's inability -- or deliberate decision not -- to refrain from excess in language, which sometimes was brilliant and sometimes gave the reader the impression that Updike was just playing around -- with words, with the reader, with the story -- just because he was that gifted.

I think there was something existential about Updike's work. In the lives of people he wrote about, who struggled and more often than not failed, the promises and disappointments of religion and sexual liberation perhaps were a way for them to escape the limits of ordinary existence, and let them define themselves on their own terms, even if those terms were banal. How can you ever achieve again, he seemed to say, what once seemed so eternal and transcendent? Even his posthumous Endpoint book of poetry is a uniquely courageous and flamboyant act of defiance against death even as he continued to make us laugh with poems about baseball and Monica and kept on surprising us with his cleverness. I'm sorry Pritchard's review doesn't cover Updike's sports writing ( I suppose that part of his work was not considered serious writing), but I also always enjoyed reading his Sports Illustrated pieces and golf stories.

[Bradthad Codgeroger]

Fun and fairly insightful look at JU's output up to the turn of the century, but definitely written by a fan. Why have an unpublished thought if you don't have to?

[JimZ]

As good a comprehensive reiew of John Updike's works as can be found.