In her post-conference report to the Faculty of Philology and board of The John Updike Society, director Biljana Dojčinović, Professor, Dept. of Comparative Literature and Theory of Literature, Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade, noted that the conference was well covered by Serbian media:

On May 26, a teaser on the “Updike & Politics” panel at the National Library appeared in the cultural supplement of the newspaper Politika, along with the first part of an interview John Updike gave them when he visited in 1978.

On May 27, Dojčinović appeared on TV N1 to talk about the conference on the live morning show with journalist Maja Sikimić.

On May 29, Dojčinović appeared on TV Studio B to talk about the conference on the live morning show with journalist Sanja Lubardić.

On May 31, Dojčinović was a guest on RTS, Cultural Daily.

On June 1, Ian McEwan was featured in an RTS, Dnevnik-Daily news story.

On June 2, Politika published the second installment of the John Updike interview.

On June 3, journalist Marina Vulićević interviewed James Schiff for Politika and an interview with Ian McEwan also appeared.

On June 4, Politika posted an interview with McEwan.

On June 5, the National Library of Serbia posted photos on their Facebook page.

On June 6, the Cultural Center ran a 17-minute segment (it begins at 37:43) on the conference featuring brief remarks by Dojčinović and society president James Plath.

On June 14, Politika ran an interview by Marina Vulićević featuring Michael Updike.

At the membership meeting that closed the Fifth Biennial John Updike Society Conference in Belgrade, Serbia, hosted by the Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade, there was consensus that the conference was among the best, if not the best. Everyone agreed that Belgrade was a wonderful city, and the conference hotel was perfectly located in the old city where participants could walk to Belgrade Fortress/Kalemegdan Park, the University, and the pedestrian streets with all the shops and squares and eateries. People enjoyed the sessions, group dinners, and group tours, and those who went on the all-day bus tour of sites outside Belgrade were delighted by the experience. Any time you have a group of academics dancing at a restaurant in Zemun, you’d have to say the conference was an unqualified success. So thank you again, Biljana Dojčinović!

Everyone had such a good time on this group adventure that they voted to adopt a model moving forward where the society alternates between conferences held in the U.S. and conferences held abroad. That means every four years the society will meet outside the U.S. So start saving for 2022. We don’t know where that conference will be yet, but we’ll embark on another adventure..

To see a gallery of 100+ photos from the Fifth Biennial JUS Conference, go to the society’s Facebook page.

Attention now turns to Reading and Shillington, the announced site for the Sixth Biennial John Updike Society Conference. Once again, Alvernia University will welcome society members, and once again Sue Guay, director of The John Updike Childhood Home, will direct the conference with the help of an academic program director. The conference will coincide with the grand opening of The John Updike Childhood Home as a museum-literary center, and members who have visited the house before will marvel at the transformation. The society envisions a celebration that involves not just the community but beyond it as well. It’s also a big year because 2020 marks the 70th anniversary of the publication of Rabbit, Run, and what better way to celebrate than to “run” around Reading/Brewer? Guay said that the city is undergoing a rejuvenation, with a brand new hotel in downtown Reading and newly refurbished areas popping up on a daily basis. Twenty-twenty also happens to be the year in which Toward the End of Time is set, with additional anniversaries for the publication of Bech, a Book (60th), Rabbit at Rest (30th), and Gertrude & Claudius (20th).

Pictured below is Jonathan Houlon reprising his “Talkin’ Rabbit” at Tarposh vineyards and restaurant, where attendees enjoyed a three-hour wine-tasting lunch, and Michael Updike talking with U.S. Ambassador Kyle Scott, who, with his wife, hosted The John Updike Society at a memorable reception at their residence.

Every John Updike Society conference has featured strong presentations, but the past two have been especially publication-worthy. Conference director Biljana Dojčinović wants to remind everyone to send their papers off to ONE of the peer-reviewed journals whose editors addressed the group at a plenary session and invited submissions.

Jim Schiff, editor of The John Updike Review, said that the journal is always looking for interesting and well-written papers. Go to the website—www.updikereview.com—for guidelines on how to submit. Rather than a set submission period, JUR accepts submissions year-round with a rolling review and acceptance policy. Currently the journal has a two-issue backlog, so it remains an option for those who still need time for research in order to fortify or expand their papers. The journal’s goal is to publish semiannually, though that hasn’t always happened..

Radojka Vukčević, editor of Bellgrade BELLS: Belgrade English Language & Literature Studies, said that she would like to publish a group of papers from the conference, since the journal is published by the English department at the University of Belgrade. The journal is published annually, and in previous years the deadline for submissions has been mid-June, so those intending to submit to this peer-reviewed journal should do so as soon as possible. Here are submission guidelines.

The John Updike Society would be delighted to have a group of essays published in both of these fine journals.

Professor Biljana Dojčinović, director of the upcoming June 1-5 Fifth Biennial John Updike Society Conference at the Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade, reports that the May 26, 2018 Politika Daily announced the conference in a top-right, front-page teaser (pictured above), and also published two conference-related articles in the Cultural Section (pictured below). The first is an article by JUS president James Plath on “Updike and Politics” that promotes the June 5 closing panel at the National Library of the Republic of Serbia: “Updike and Politics: Does Rabbit Angstrom’s Political Evolution Help to Explain Trump Supporters?”; the second is the first installment of a reprint from an interview with Updike conducted in October 1978 on the Politika premises, and features a photo published for the first time. Part 2 will be published the following Saturday, on the second day of the conference. Here is the original English text of the “Updike and Politics” article that was translated into Serbian by Milica Abramović, Marija Bulatović, Jana Živanović, Jelena Nešić, and Teodora Todorić: Updike & Politics

Professor Biljana Dojčinović, from the Dept. of Comparative Literature and Theory of Literature, Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade, has released the final program for the upcoming Fifth Biennial John Updike Society Conference that will take place June 1-5, 2018.

JUS5 PROGRAM

Sixty-five people from 14 different countries will participate: 22 from the Republic of Serbia; 21 from the U.S.A.; three each from the U.K. and Japan; two each from Romania, Bulgaria, France, India, and the Republic of Ireland; and one each from Canada, Israel, Russian Federation, Georgia, and the Czech Republic.

The first conference the society will have held outside the U.S. is hosted by the Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade, with the support of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia.

Featured speakers will be writer Ian McEwan, writer-scholar Alexander Shurbanov, and slate sculptor Michael Updike, the youngest son of John Updike.

Though registration is closed, people in the area may want to take note of the McEwan keynote and the closing panel hosted by the National Library of Serbia, both of which are open to the public.

At the membership meeting on the final day, society president James Plath will announce the location of the 2020 conference.

Professor Biljana Dojčinović from the Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade, has edited and published the Book of Abstracts for The Fifth Biennial John Updike Society Conference, which will be hosted by the Faculty of Philology 1-5 June 2018.

A PDF copy of the publication is offered here for the convenience of Updike scholars and readers, courtesy of Professor Dojčinović, the Faculty of Philology, and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of Republic of Serbia.

JUS 5 Abstracts

Biljana Dojčinović is the director of the national project Кnjiženstvo—theory and history of women’s writing in Serbian until 1915—and editor-in-chief of Knjiženstvo, A Journal in Literature, Gender and Culture. She has been a member of The John Updike Society since its founding and a member of the editorial board of The John Updike Review since 2010. Her Ph.D. was focused on the narrative strategies in John Updike’s novels, and in 2007 she published a monograph in Serbian on Cartographer of the Modern World: The Novels of John Updike. She is also the author of numerous essays on Updike’s works and other topics, as well as five more academic books.

When the John Updike Society holds its first conference outside the United States, hosted by the Faculty of Philology at the University of Belgrade in Serbia, June 1-5, it will be the largest-ever international gathering devoted to Updike studies.

Here are brief bios of the speakers, presenters, and moderators, who come from 14 different countries:

JUS5 program participants

Is there anything more difficult than finding the time to write a proposal for a paper topic for an academic conference when you’re up to your elbows in class prep and student papers to grade?

But if you want to be a part of the historic first John Updike Society conference outside the U.S., there’s still a chance. The 5th Biennial John Updike Society Conference will be held 1-5 June 2018 at the Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade. Conference director Biljana Dojcinovic has announced that the deadline for proposals for conference papers has been extended to February 15. All hotel rooms must be booked by March 1, because Belgrade has become an extremely popular tourist destination and early summer the weather is beautiful.

Roundtable discussion panel ideas will also be accepted, if you and colleagues prefer to work in that format rather than presenting a paper and then facing questions afterwards. If you propose a roundtable discussion, please be sure to include the names of all proposed participants—usually four or five.

Details on how to submit a proposal are included below in the PDF registration packet for the conference. Here too you’ll find a tentative schedule of events and tours and details on keynote speakers.

Updike in Serbia registration

Whether it’s home or abroad, no one wants to fly to an academic conference solely to sit in meeting rooms. People want to see some of the local sights, which is why for every conference thus far The John Updike Society has set aside one day for group travel. Everyone is still free to explore on their own, but the group day is a shared experience, a shared adventure.

Be sure to sign up for the Serbian Day Trip when you register for the Fifth Biennial John Updike Society Conference, hosted by the Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade, June 1-5.

Conference director Biljana Dojčinović has shared, on a Powerpoint, a few photos she took of the three main sites we will visit this June (though of course it’s also a treat to take a bus ride into the countryside to see what’s beyond the city!):