Author Archives: johnupdikesociety

Blogger: Updike’s Thurber Dog Went to Harvard

Posted on January 7, 2021 by johnupdikesociety

Pets weren’t allowed in the dorm when John Updike went to Harvard in the fall of 1950, but he took his dog anyway . . . that is, James Thurber’s drawing of a dog made especially for young Updike, whose … Continue reading →

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Musician Rufus Wainwright fights Covid with Updike

Posted on December 31, 2020 by johnupdikesociety

In the recent Rolling Stone feature “Year in Review: So, How Was Your 2020, Rufus Wainwright?” the musician responded to a series of questions, including whom he’d want to quarantine with (“Carrie Fisher—mainly because I miss her so much”), an … Continue reading →

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New Yorker cartoonist blog features Updike’s Thurber

Posted on December 31, 2020 by johnupdikesociety

New Yorker cartoonist Michael Maslin posted an entry today on Ink Spill: New Yorker Cartoonists News and Events titled “Updike’s Thurber.” In it,  readers get a rare glimpse of the cartoon dog that Thurber drew especially for a young ‘tween … Continue reading →

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Updike book a perfect read for the Covid holidays?

Posted on December 31, 2020 by johnupdikesociety

As the pandemic rages on, many people are tending toward rage as well. Or at least a profound feeling of being “over it all.” Or disappointment that the usual holiday gatherings had to be abandoned. But the 746 Books blog … Continue reading →

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When Updike waded into Nigerian politics

Posted on December 31, 2020 by johnupdikesociety

BBC News recently ran a story by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani about Nigerian blogger Teslim Omipidan, whose passion for history and all things Nigerian has connected famed American writer John Updike to his country’s politics. Here is one of Omipidan’s stories: … Continue reading →

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Scientific American writer contemplates poetry and science

Posted on December 31, 2020 by johnupdikesociety

In the Arts & Culture/Opinion section of Scientific American posted 23 December 2020, Dava Sobel talks about being tickled to discover “a little over a year ago that the magazine had carried poetry in its earliest issues. Volume 1, Number … Continue reading →

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John Updike Review spotlights The Coup

Posted on December 30, 2020 by johnupdikesociety

Volume 8: Number 1 of The John Updike Review was published earlier this month, with editor James Schiff and managing editor Nicola Mason devoting the running “Three Writers on” feature to The Coup. Updike’s 1978 novel is a black comedy … Continue reading →

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Ereads picks their 10 Best Updike Books

Posted on December 30, 2020 by johnupdikesociety

Ereads, a self-identified “bunch of book enthusiasts who enjoy reading books and writing about them,” recently posted their “10 Best John Updike Books,” with series counting as one: 1) The Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom Series (including “Rabbit, Remembered” in Licks of … Continue reading →

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Latest John Updike Review spotlights The Maples Stories

Posted on July 9, 2020 by johnupdikesociety

The John Updike Review Vol. 7 No. 2 (Spring 2020) was recently published, and in it editor James Schiff turned the spotlight on The Maples Stories, Updike’s 18-story sequence chronicling the marriage—and divorce—of Richard and Joan Maple, characters based on … Continue reading →

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6th Updike conference postponed because of COVID 19

Posted on July 1, 2020 by johnupdikesociety

Because of COVID 19 and concerns for elderly and international members planning to attend, the board of The John Updike Society voted to postpone the 6th biennial conference by exactly one year. Instead of being held September 30 through October … Continue reading →

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