South Carolina may still be a fresh memory, but it’s time for Updike scholars and aficionados to look ahead to June 2018, when the Fifth Biennial John Updike Society Conference will be held in Belgrade, Serbia. Please note that one day has been added to the schedule, and the conference will now take place June 1-5 2018.

Conference director Biljana Dojčinović has issued a first-call-for-papers to be presented at the conference, which will be co-sponsored and hosted by the Faculty of Philology at the University of Belgrade.

To give people plenty of time to plan for the trip, Biljana will respond to proposals within two weeks of receipt, with rolling acceptances. As with previous conferences, moderators are also sought.

ALL topics will be considered, but especially appropriate for this conference are paper proposals for the following:

• Updike in Translation
• Updike and Traveling
• Updike in the U.S.S.R.
• Updike in (Post)Socialist Countries
• Updike and Religion(s) and Idealogies (socialism, pacifism, etc.)
• Updike and Gender Politics
• Updike and Ethnic Politics
• Coming of Age in Updike’s Fiction
• Aging in Updike’s Fiction
• Narrative Techniques in Updike’s Fiction
• Narration in Updike’s Poetry
• Intertextuality in Updike’s Fiction
• Updike in Comparative Perspectives

and also papers dealing with Updike works celebrating a milestone anniversary in 2018:

• Couples (50th)
• The Coup (40th)
• S. (30th)
• Collected Poems and Love Factories (25th)
• Bech at Bay (20th)
• The Widows of Eastwick (10th)

Interested scholars should consult the complete call for papers for additional information and contact Biljana with any questions: jus5thconference@gmail.com.