Updike at the National Portrait Gallery

Posted on February 10, 2014 by James Plath

In January 2009, the National Portrait Gallery wrote about Updike and the Alex Katz portrait of him that’s on display in Washington, D.C. and posted it on their facetoface blog.

Readers will recognize the portrait as the one from the October 18, 1982 edition of Time magazine. It’s not exactly breaking news, but members headed for the American Literature Association conference in Washington, D.C. this May might be interested to read up on the painting before visiting the National Portrait Gallery.

And Updike fans who don’t know the story behind the cover might find it fascinating. Time donated the oil-on-canvas, which they had commissioned, to the Gallery. Look for it in the 20th Century Americans exhibition on the third floor. The blog post includes a reprint of an article that Frederick Voss, a former historian at the National Portrait Gallery, wrote about the Updike portrait for the museum’s Profile magazine (Spring 2003).

Here’s a link to the full facetoface blog post: “John Updike: March 18, 1932 – January 27, 2009.”

The Other John Updike Archive to remain open

Posted on February 5, 2014 by James Plath

Collector Paul Moran writes that The Other John Updike Archive, a blog he started in order to share some of his treasures with the world, will remain open.

“After much vetting of copyright legalities I am satisfied that The Other John Updike Archive is now in conformity with copyright laws,” he writes. “The site will remain as a kind of U-seum. Possible updates like the article on my collection in yesterday’s Austin American-Statesman will be included.”

Keynote speakers and call for papers announced for Third Biennial John Updike Society Conference

Posted on February 5, 2014 by James Plath

Alvernia University of Reading, Pa., will host the Third Biennial John Updike Society Conference October 1-4, 2014, and the keynote speakers are set.

On Thursday evening, October 2, Chip Kidd will deliver the first keynote talk. Kidd has been called the “rock star” of graphic designers because he has crafted so many iconic images, among them the cover for Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park and, of course, many of John Updike’s dust jackets. He interacted with Updike over the artwork and can offer a great many insights. For those who want to read more, we recently ran a story on Penn State’s University Libraries acquisition of the Chip Kidd archives.

Adam Begley, who wrote the first full-length biography on Updike (published in April, 2014) will deliver the second keynote talk on Saturday, October 4. To quote the HarperCollins website, “Updike is Adam Begley’s masterful, much-anticipated biography of one of the most celebrated figures in American literature: Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Updike—a candid, intimate, and richly detailed look at his life and work.”

From Kirkus Reviews: “A sympathetic, full-meal-deal biography—life, literary works, reputation . . . . Former New York Observer books editor Begley (Certitude: A Profusely Illustrated Guide to Blockheads and Bullheads, Past and Present, 2009, etc.) erects his formidable artifice on a sturdy foundation of research and convention. He interviewed the relevant relatives and friends, trod the ground in Pennsylvania (Updike’s state of birth and youth), Massachusetts and elsewhere, and read all the works of Updike’s most prolific career.”

Program director Maria Mogford has issued a Call for Papers. One-page proposals/abstracts for 15-20 minute papers should be titled “Updike Conference Proposal” and emailed by May 15, 2014 to program director Maria Mogford at mmogford@alb.edu. Decisions on panels and panelists will be announced no later than June 15, 2014, with rolling acceptances—meaning the sooner you get your proposal in, the sooner you’ll hear back from Maria. Moderators are also needed. See the Call for Papers for details.

While Mogford and site director Sue Guay, another longtime member and a professor of English at Alvernia, are still finalizing plans, some of the events for this year’s conference include:

A tour and reception at the Reading Museum and Arboretum (on display is The Drinking Girl as cited in The Centaur).
“A Soft Spring Night in Shillington” tour and reception at The John Updike Childhood Home (pictured), the first time a large-scale event will be held at the house, which is owned by the society and is currently being renovated.

Member elicits responses from Updike readers

Posted on February 4, 2014 by James Plath

Member John McTavish is eliciting responses from John Updike readers regarding such questions as how they discovered JU, their favorite JU book (and why), which book (and why) they would recommend to new readers, and a memorable line (or lines, or paragraph) from JU.

“I hope to collate the results of the survey and publish them,” McTavish says, “but publish or not, I will email a copy of the accumulated results to all the participants.”

McTavish says he’s already received some “sparkling replies” from a number of people, including Don Greiner, Jack De Bellis, and Biljana Dojcinovic. Send your responses to him at: jmctav@vianet.ca

Continue reading →

Panels set for May ALA conference in Washington, D.C.

Posted on January 31, 2014 by James Plath

Scott Dill, who put out the call for papers and assembled the panels for the Society’s annual participation at the American Literature Association Conference, has announced that the panels are set:

Updike and the Short Story: Vol. 1
Chair: Matthew Shipe, Washington University

“Making the Images Move: A Certain Continuity in John Updike’s Short Fiction,” Kanqin Li, University of Leicester
“Updike in His Times: History and Autobiography in the Fiction,” Kathleen Verduin, Hope College
“The John Updike Childhood Home and His Short Fiction,” Maria Mogford, Albright College

Updike and the Short Story: Vol. 2
Chair: Scott Dill, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

“Mind Games Forever: Masculine Self-Delusion in ‘The Morning’ and ‘Slippage,'” Peter Bailey, St. Lawrence University
“Updike on Religion after 9/11,” Liliana Naydan, University of Michigan
“Life after Sex?: Memory and the Diminished Present in John Updike’s Late Short Fiction,” Matthew Shipe, Washington University

The idea for the panels was inspired by the recent publication of the Library of America two-volume set of John Updike’s short stories. Thanks to Scott and congratulations to all who had papers accepted.

Times have not been set yet, but the 25th Annual ALA Conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill from May 22 through May 25. You must register and pay the conference fee to attend.

Granta editor’s book on author encounters includes Updike

Posted on January 24, 2014 by James Plath

Former Granta editor John Freeman interviewed a lot of major writers over the course of 13 years—a number that proved lucky for him, as those encounters inspired a book, How to Read a Novelist (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 334 pages). Included is “U and Me: The Hard Lessons of Idolizing John Updike.”

“He’s a great reader, of novels and novelists (hence this collection’s title),” Chris Vognar of the Dallas Morning News writes. “True to his mission, however, Freeman is quick to get out of the way when the writers have something to say.”

“The only thing an interviewer can do to capture what a novelist does,” [Freeman] writes, “is to make them talk and tell stories, and think aloud. These are not meant to be definitive life profiles but rather glimpses spied through a moving window.”

Book review: ‘How to Read a Novelist,’ by John Freeman

Updike’s advice to writers featured on Brain Pickings

Posted on January 24, 2014 by James Plath

Brain Pickings, a self-described “cross-disciplinary LEGO treasure chest, full of pieces spanning art, design, science, technology, philosophy, history, politics, psychology, sociology, ecology, anthropology, and more,” published a piece that features clips of Updike talking about his writing habits and offering advice to young writers.

“Try to develop actual work habits,” Updike says, “and, even though you have a busy life, try to reserve an hour, say, or more a day to write. Very good things have been written on an hour a day . . . . So take it seriously, set a quota, try to think of communicating with some ideal reader somewhere . . . .

“Don’t try to get rich . . . . If you want to get rich, you should go into investment banking or be a certain kind of lawyer. On the other hand, I like to think that in a country this large and a language even larger, that there ought to be a living for somebody who cares and wants to entertain and instruct a reader.”

For the full article, click on “John Updike on Making Money, How to Have a Productive Daily Routine, and the Most Important Things for Aspiring Writers to Know.”

Updike’s alma frater, the Lampoon, gets a female president

Posted on January 23, 2014 by James Plath

Updike fans know that his stint on the Harvard Lampoon was career-shaping, and that he was one of many distinguished and successful creative minds to serve as its president.

Next year, a woman takes the satiric helm for the first time.

Updike only gets a mention, but here’s The Boston Globe story by Joseph P. Kahn, “Leaders’ rise at Harvard Lampoon marks a serious milestone.”

Author and book reviewer draws inspiration from Updike

Posted on January 21, 2014 by James Plath

Author Nick Mattiske writes that he has published a book of reviews in Australia, and in the introduction he draws inspiration from John Updike to “make a few rambling points about reviewing. The introduction also includes a caricature of Updike,” he says, and he “reproduced part of this introduction and the caricature as the first post on my blog,” which can be found here:

“On Ronald Blythe’s almost-most-recent book”

Before he gets into his own book, Mr. Mattiske evaluates another: “As John Updike has noted,” he begins, “Blythe’s work has a particularity about it regarding place that sometimes requires from the reader a measure of understanding of local village and parish life with which Blythe is saturated.”

When he gets to his own volume he cites an Updike quotation: “The communication between reviewer and his public is based upon the presumption of certain possible joys of reading, and all our discrimination should curve toward that end.”

Mattiske concludes, “The best reviews open doors to rooms never previously noticed that enrich the reader’s or listener’s experience. There is sometimes a great need for negativity, if that means the critique of sloppy thinking rather than merely the reviewer’s personal distaste, but Updike is right: when one has the pleasure of being immersed in books and music, some measure of enthusiasm should spark off onto the reader.”

Bibliographical Society of America lecture will draw heavily on Updike research