John Updike at Rest

john-updike1Sad news. John Updike, one of the most prolific authors of the last half century, has died at the age of 76. The cause was apparently lung cancer. Get the obit here.

In November, Updike published The Widows of Eastwick, a sequel to The Witches of Eastwick, the bestseller he wrote back in 1984. On his book tour, he stopped in for an interview with Michael Krasny, here in San Francisco, and they covered a wide range of issues — witches, sex, squirrels, oak trees, Rabbit Angstrom, his most famous character and how he died, and more. You can listen here.

Added Content:

As you probably know, Updike was a frequent contributor to The New Yorker magazine since 1954. Today, they’re highlighting a few of his pieces, including a 1960 reportage on Ted Williams’ last game, a short story called Here Come the Maples (1976), and a 2006 essay called Late Works, which looks at writers and artists confronting the end.

You can read other archives of Updike content at The Atlantic, The New York Review Of Books, and The New Republic. (Thanks to the Daily Dish for pointing these out.)

Also, for good measure, we’re adding a lengthy clip from 2006, which features Updike reading from his post 9-11 book, The Terrorist: A Novel.


by | Permalink | Comments (1) |

Support Open Culture

We’re hoping to rely on our loyal readers rather than erratic ads. To support Open Culture’s educational mission, please consider making a donation. We accept PayPal, Venmo (@openculture), Patreon and Crypto! Please find all options here. We thank you!


Comments (1)
You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Leave a Reply

Quantcast
Open Culture was founded by Dan Colman.