John Updike: 1932-2009

By Brad Thomas Parsons

We at Omnivoracious join readers around the world in mourning the loss of literary lion John Updike, who passed away today at the age of 76 at his home in Massachusetts. The Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist also wrote poems, essays, criticism, and memoir, but is perhaps best known for his Rabbit series, which chronicled the life of suburban "everyman" Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom. His publisher Knopf shared in a statement, "He was one of our greatest writers, and he will be sorely missed."

Lev Grossman at Time writes "Updike's hallmark was his glittering, gloriously vivid style. His talent for spotting detail, for capturing the slightest shift in light or in a character's mood in prose was unmatched. It was not the most fashionable of gifts--while his contemporaries practiced the rock-ribbed realism of Hemingway and Carver, or the high-concept contraptions of the Metafictionists, Updike conducted his pursuit of eloquence and wit almost alone."

We hope to share more tributes about Updike and remember his work in the days to come.

• The New York Times obituary
• John Updike on Charlie Rose
• The Boston Globe's "6 Essential John Updike Works"
• The New Yorker tribute
  
• Time magazine remembers Updike
• Time's 1968 cover story on Updike
• Salon interview with Updike

--BTP

Comments

[Dylan]

Thank's for this. He'll be missed.