. . . somewhere in Europe.
The board of directors voted to put out a call for proposals to host the Fifth Biennial John Updike Society Conference in Europe. At minimum the proposal should list a host institution (which will provide meeting rooms, water, registration table, signage, and any necessary transportation to lodging, if not close enough for members to walk), along with proposed site and program directors (must join, if not already a member), lodging options, closest major airport and airport transport options, details of any Updike connections, possible reception sponsors, and possible side trips—both for bus tours and for individuals to venture off on their own.
Since most members will consider this a vacation, a conference abroad typically tacks on a few additional days, and of course members can add more on their own.
So maybe by 2018 we’ll need a name change: the Fifth International John Updike Society Conference. The society has 280+ members from 17 different countries, and we’ve had an international flavor from the very first conference. Why not?
Updike traveled frequently, and we know he spent a year at Oxford studying art and a year in London following the publication of Couples. He also golfed in Ireland, traveled through eastern Europe as part of a cultural exchange program between the U.S. and Soviet Union, and visited other European countries.
Members interested in submitting a proposal can contact society president Jim Plath (jplath@iwu.edu) with any questions.
Hi,
The plan to place the next conference outside the US has its attractions, and when I was a Director I voted (reluctantly) for this change of venue. I now oppose it for the following reasons:
1. the expense. The foreign venue seems aimed at younger members who have academic support (Mr. Nakatani and a few others come to mind) would be able to travel, but that leaves out others who would have no such support. Yes, possibly the conference could fit as part of a vacation, but that would only extend the expense. Anyway, a foreign trip might be thought discriminatory by some members.
2. Except for “Brazil” and “The Coup,” and segments of “Widows” none of Updike’s trips really impacted his work. Yes, there are the Bech stories, but his genius was scattered there across continents. There’s just not enough there to rationalize a conference in Sydney, Stockholm, Scotland or Bucharest. When the conference gets there, there’s no “there” there.
3. The other “impacts” are scattered stories, poems, and articles.
4. I would rule out “The Coup” as a conference site because of the unpleasantness in the Middle East, Egypt, etc.
5. That leaves Brazil. Would it be attractive despite its economic problems, high humidity, etc.? Also, “Brazil” has drawn criticism for Updike’s treatment of history, customs, etc.
6. Yes, there’s also Oxford, but Updike’s trip failed to produce an extended work and was of course Oxford focused on young Updike’s artistic ambitions, not his writing career. His painting aspirations soon were shelved.
7. I suggest we consider Lancaster, PA, home of Franklin and Marshall college where Updike spent considerable time creating Buchanan Dying. When Updike delivered an acceptance speech of Pa.’s highest award, he spoke with conviction and affection about Buchanan. Lancaster would be a convenient location, has an obvious academic connection, is in the heart of interesting side-trips to observe Mennonite and Amish culture, and Pennsylvania is, after all, Updike’s home state. It can be reached by flites to Philly and about a one hour drive from the airport. There may be connecting flites from Philly. Also, we might get F&M to perform the play, or we might have readings from it.
Objections:
We have done the “Pennsylvania thing” already.
“BD” is one of Updike’s lesser productions.
Rebuttal:
We’ve only scratched the surface of Updike’s PA writings.
The trip and housing in Lancaster would obviously be less expensive, so it might be easier to get support, or if that is not forthcoming, to bear the expense.
A conference in Lancaster would permit those reluctant to attend a conference overseas a chance to attend.
A conference in Lancaster would permit attendees to visit a venue (Buchanan’s home) that Updike actually visited for his research and thus provide a model for their own research and would stimulate their own commentary and criticism.
Updike’s research at Buchanan’s birthplace would enable us to consider Updike the reviewer and critic, pro and con, that hasn’t really been touched in the conferences of the past.
Yours for bigger and better conferences,,
Jack
Lancaster is a good suggestion, Jack, and hopefully someone with F&M connections will propose it in the future. The current board understands that travel to Europe might keep some members from attending, and that’s regrettable. But we are an organization with members in 17 countries, and the board felt that it underscores the international nature of our society to hold at least one conference abroad. We may lose some people in the states, but we may pick up people from Europe and elsewhere who haven’t been able to make the trip across the Atlantic for our Pa. or Mass. conferences.
I would suggest, that if Europe is the desired general destination, then Oxford, England should be considered as the specific venue. Updike’s time at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art did provide an extensive academic base for his writing in Just Looking, Still Looking and Always Looking and for his frequent New Yorker reviews of the art scene. Many critics have noted the breadth of John’s work that is certainly illustrated by his writing on art. As one of the great writers of the last half of the 20th century in the English language one might expect that his works are known and studied at Oxford’s colleges and that scholars could be enlisted to speak to, and engage, our group. The hosting costs and specifics for a meeting at Oxford are no more uncertain than those issues are in regard to any institution or destination at this point in planning.
Should it be deemed that the cost of a European venue make it undesirable and we are bound to stay stateside, I would suggest we strongly consider Philadelphia. Philadelphia offers cultural activities beyond the conference’s purpose. Of high interest might be: The Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Barnes multi-billion dollar collection of post-impressionism art, The Rodin Museum, The Franklin Institute and/or the world renowned Philadelphia Orchestra. Also, one could visit all the major historic sites including the Liberty Bell, Constitution Center, Independence Hall, The US Mint, the Jewish History Museum and the expansive Philadelphia Free Library; the site of Updike readings in 2004 and 2007. The many nationally top rated restaurants could provide superb culinary experiences. Philadelphia’s universities and colleges, second only to Boston in numbers, provide access to scholars of literature for group interaction and presentations. These opportunities in Philadelphia could certainly enhance the conference. The drive from the PHL airport to downtown Philadelphia is minutes, compared to 2 hours drive to a Lancaster site, previously suggested. Should we choose the City of Brotherly Love, we all would then have “Friends from Philadelphia”. Also Shillington and the Updike Homestead are only slightly more than one hour northwest should one choose to visit the ultimate “there”. A side trip to the homestead could provide a look at the then current state of the restoration.
I would argue that Oxford be seriously considered and investigated as a European venue and that Philadelphia is considered should we, for whatever reasons, find ourselves tethered stateside. There is no doubt that the cost of either of these venues would be considerably more than that of the last conference in Reading/Shilington for most members. I would argue that it is a price worth paying for the additional benefits and in one case the international exposure for the JUS.
I lived six years near Lancaster; it’s as dead as Buchanan. The nearby Amish community attracts (although the Amish are not enamored of tourists). A half-day bus trip can easily go from Philly to Reading/ Shillington and other Rabbit locales, including the roads that Rabbit drives when, in Redux, he flees home. (And including Amish-land.) Moreover, the Philly attractions listed above will induce our families to accompany us. And not only the aforementioned Philadelphia cultural assets will be readily available (add the International House at Penn, which offers an excellent film series). Also nearby are the Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington, the Brandywine Museum north of Wilmington, and half the Jacob Lawrence collection at the U of Delaware in Newark, the latter two places teeming with, as is Updike, Americana. (Query: did JU write any criticism about the works in the many art venues in and near Philly? If yes, how about a paper on them–in a museum?) Finally, conference attendees bringing their kids can piggyback, pre- or post-, a rail trip to the Apple (95 miles) or D.C. (150 miles) or the Jersey Shore (“go down the Shore”) without schlepping their stuff in from outside Philly.
Updike wrote, “ When placed in the proximity with paintings in nearby Reading Museum or, as my scope widened, those in the grand hilltop Philadelphia Museum of Art in New York’s Museum of Modern Art, I didn’t shy away but looked , as if I were entitled to look. An art course in high school, a few more at Harvard, and a year unexpectedly spent at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art in Oxford all enlarged my acquaintance with the practice and appraisal of fine art”
Updike’s reviews Just Looking (1989) and Still Looking (2005) do reference Philadelphia area art. He mentions the Brandywine school and significant illustrators there. The Delaware Museum of Art and the Brandywine Museum are replete with examples of this genre. These first two collections of art writing were complied by Updike. The third Always Looking was assembled and edited posthumously by Judith Jones of Alfred A. Knopf. Andrew Wyeth’s Helga is pictured in Still Looking Essays on American Art as is Andrew’s father N.C. Wyeth with illustrations from “The Last of the Mohicans”. Hopper’s works John titles as “Polluted Silence” including the famous canvas “Summertime” on display at the Delaware Museum. Ocean Park by Diebenkorn at the Philadelphia Museum of Art is pictured in “Some Rectangles of Blue”. Thomas Eakins is reviewed featuring “The Gross Clinic” acquired by the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Pennsylvania Academy of Art from the collection of Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia along with 3 others famous Eakin’s. A Whistler, Nocturne in Grey and Silver at Philadelphia is also reviewed among others. One of the reviews that is a personal favorite is the first in Just Looking “What MoMA Done Tole Me” which features a bronze fountain “The Drinking Girl” which many of JUS viewed at the last conference in Reading.
With due respect to Jack, I would correct his statement that Updike’s trips did not influence his work, other than Brazil, The Coup and partially The Widows.
What about Bech stories? The Bulgarian Poetess, the first one among them, and all others from both Eastern block and Third World? I think Sofia would be a great choice for the future conference (close to everything in Europe), but I have nothing against any other location, of course. The only thing I want to stress is that THERE WAS the impact.
Best regards, Biljana