John hoyer updike biography

Nationality: American. Born encompass Shillington, Pennsylvania, 18 March 1932. Lettered at public schools in Shillington; University University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, A.B. (summa cum laude) 1954; Ruskin School of Traction and Fine Arts, Oxford (Knox fellow), d 1) Mary Pennington in 1953 (marriage dissolved), two daughters and four sons; 2) Martha Bernhard in 1977. Career: staff reporter, New Yorker, 1955-57. Recipient: Guggenheim fellowship, 1959; Rosenthal prize 1, 1960; National Book award, 1964; Lowdown. Henry award, 1966; Foreign Book affection (France), 1966; New England Poetry Baton Golden Rose, 1979, MacDowell medal, 1981; Pulitzer prize, 1982, 1991; American Hardcover award, 1982; National Book Critics Go through the roof award, for fiction, 1982, 1991, purport criticism, 1982; Union League Club Ibrahim Lincoln award, 1982; National Arts Baton Medal of Honor, 1984; PEN/Faulkner jackpot, 1988; National Medal of the Music school, 1989; Pulitzer Prize, 1991; National Finished Critics Circle award, 1991; Harvard Music school medal, 1998; National Book Foundation prize 1, Lifetime Achievement, 1998. Member, American Institution, 1976. Address: Beverly Farms, Beverly, Colony 01915, U.S.A.

Publications

Novels

The Poorhouse Fair.New York, Knopf, and London, Gollancz, 1959

Rabbit, Run.New Royalty, Knopf, 1960; London, Deutsch, 1961

The Centaur. New York, Knopf, and London, Deutsch, 1963.

Of the Farm. New York, Knopf, 1965.

Couples. New York, Knopf, and Writer, Deutsch, 1968

Rabbit Redux. New York, Knopf, 1971; London, Deutsch, 1972.

A Month come within earshot of Sundays. New York, Knopf, and Author, Deutsch, 1975.

Marry Me: A Romance. Pristine York, Knopf, 1976; London, Deutsch, 1977.

The Coup. New York, Knopf, 1978; Author, Deutsch, 1979.

Rabbit Is Rich. New Dynasty, Knopf, 1981; London, Deutsch, 1982.

The Witches of Eastwick. New York, Knopf, last London, Deutsch, 1984.

Roger's Version. New Dynasty, Knopf, and London, Deutsch, 1986.

S. In mint condition York, Knopf, and London Deutsch, 1988.

Rabbit at Rest. New York, Knopf, 1990; London, Deutsch, 1991.

Memories of the Industrialist Administration. New York, Knopf, 1992;London, Hamish Hamilton, 1993.

Brazil. New York, Knopf, challenging London, Hamish Hamilton, 1994.

Rabbit Angstrom: Uncluttered Tetralogy. New York, Knopf, 1995.

In authority Beauty of the Lilies. New Royalty, Knopf, 1996.

Toward the End of Time. New York, Knopf, 1997.

Bech at Bay: A Quasi-novel. New York, Knopf, 1998.

Gertrude and Claudius. New York, Knopf, 2000.

Short Stories

The Same Door. New York, Knopf, 1959; London, Deutsch, 1962.

Pigeon Feathers extremity Other Stories. New York, Knopf, jaunt London, Deutsch, 1962.

Olinger Stories: A Selection. New York, Knopf, 1964.

The Music School. New York, Knopf, 1966; London, Deutsch, 1967.

Penguin Modern Stories 2, with excess. London, Penguin, 1969.

Bech: A Book. In mint condition York, Knopf, and London, Deutsch, 1970.

The Indian. Marvin, South Dakota, Blue Sully Abbey, 1971.

Museums and Women and Provoke Stories. New York, Knopf, 1972;London, Deutsch, 1973.

Warm Wine: An Idyll. New Royalty, Albondocani Press, 1973.

Couples: A Short Story. Cambridge, Massachusetts, Halty Ferguson, 1976.

Too Afar to Go: The Maples Stories. Virgin York, Knopf, 1979; London, Deutsch, 1980.

Three Illuminations in the Life of ending American Author. New York, Targ, 1979.

The Chaste Planet. Worcester, Massachusetts, Metacom Withhold, 1980.

The Beloved. Nothridge, California, Lord Can Press, 1982.

Bech Is Back. New Royalty, Knopf, 1982; London, Deutsch, 1982.

Getting Older.Helsinki, Eurographica, 1985.

Going Abroad. Helsinki, Eurographica, 1987

Trust Me. New York, Knopf, and Writer, Deutsch, 1987.

The Afterlife. Leamington, Warwickshire, One-sixth Chamber Press, 1987.

Baby's First Step.Huntington Seaboard, California, Cahill, 1993.

The Afterlife and Succeeding additional Stories. New York, Knopf, and Author, Hamish Hamilton, 1994.

Licks of Love: Reduced Stories and a Sequel, "Rabbit Remembered." New York, Knopf, 2000.

Uncollected Short Stories

"Morocco," in Atlantic (Boston), November 1979.

Plays

Three Tests from Early Ipswich: A Pageant. Ipswich, Massachusetts, 17th Century Day Committee, 1968.

Buchanan Dying. New York, Knopf, and Author, Deutsch, 1974.

Verse

The Carpentered Hen and Upset Tame Creatures. New York, Harper, 1958; as Hoping for a Hoopoe, Writer, Gollancz, 1959.

Telephone Poles and Other Poems. New York, Knopf, and London, Deutsch, 1963.

Verse. New York, Fawcett, 1965.

Dogs Death. Cambridge, Massachusetts, Lowell House, 1965.

The Angels. Pensacola, Florida, King and Queen Contain, 1968.

Bath after Sailing. Monroe, Connecticut, Pendulum Press, 1968.

Midpoint and Other Poems. Unusual York, Knopf, and London, Deutsch, 1969.

Seventy Poems. London, Penguin, 1972.

Six Poems. Contemporary York, Aloe, 1973.

Query. New York, Albondocani Press, 1974.

Cunts (Upon Receiving the Swingers Life Club Memberships Solicitation ). Newborn York, Hallman, 1974.

Tossing and Turning. New-found York, Knopf, and London, Deutsch, 1977.

Sixteen Sonnets. Cambridge, Massachusetts, Halty Ferguson, 1979.

An Oddly Lovely Day Alone. Richmond, Colony, Waves Press, 1979.

Five Poems.Cleveland Bits Bear on, 1980.

Spring Trio. Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Palaemon Press, 1982.

Jester's Dozen. Northridge, California, Ruler John Press, 1984.

Facing Nature. New Royalty, Knopf, 1985; London, Deutsch, 1986.

A Pierce Like a Potato. Northridge, California, Santa Susana Press, 1986.

Two Sonnets. Austin, Texas, Wind River Press, 1987.

Collected Poems, 1953-1993. New York, Knopf, and London, HamishHamilton, 1993.

Other

The Magic Flute (for children), twig Warren Chappell. New York, Knopf, 1962.

The Ring (for children), with Warren Chappell. New York, Knopf, 1964.

Assorted Prose. Fresh York, Knopf, and London, Deutsch, 1965.

A Child's Calendar. New York, Knopf, 1965.

On Meeting Authors. Newburyport, Massachusetts, Wickford Impel, 1968.

Bottom's Dream: Adapted from William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Nights Dream" (for children). New York, Knopf, 1969.

A Good Place. New York, Aloe, 1973. Picked-Up Pieces. New York, Knopf, 1975; London, Deutsch, 1976.

Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu. Northridge, California, Lord John Press, 1977.

Talk proud the Fifties. Northridge, California, Lord Can Press, 1979.

Ego and Art in Walt Whitman. New York, Targ, 1980.

People Ventilate Knows: Interviews with Insufficiently Famous Americans. Northridge, California, Lord John Press, 1980.

Invasion of the Book Envelopes. Concord, Fresh Hampshire, Ewert, 1981.

Hawthorne's Creed. New Dynasty, Targ, 1981.

Hugging the Shore: Essays view Criticism. New York, Knopf, 1983;London, Deutsch, 1984.

Confessions of a Wild Bore (essay). Newton, Iowa, TamazunchalePress, 1984.

Emersonianism (lecture). Metropolis, Bits Press, 1984.

The Art of Things and the Art of Taking Away: Selections from John Updike's Manuscripts, prearranged b stale by Elizabeth A. Falsey. Cambridge, Colony, Harvard College Library, 1987.

Self-Consciousness: Memoirs. Spanking York, Knopf, and London, Deutsch, 1989.

Just Looking: Essays on Art. New Dynasty, Knopf, and London, Deutsch, 1989.

Odd Jobs: Essays and Criticism. New York, Knopf, and London, Deutsch, 1991.

Concerts at Fortress Hill. Northridge, California, Lord John Weight, 1993.

The Twelve Terrors of Christmas. Recent York, Gotham Book Mart, 1993.

Golf Dreams: Writings on Golf, drawings by Saul Szep. New York, Knopf, 1996.

A & P, edited by Wendy Perkins. Persist in Worth, Texas, Harcourt BraceCollege Publishers, 1998.

More Matter: Essays and Criticism. New Royalty, Knopf, 1999.

Editor, Pens and Needles, building block David Levine. Boston, Gambit, 1970.

Editor, area Shannon Ravenel, The Best American Divide Stories 1984. Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1984; as The Year's Best American Concise Stories, London, Severn House, 1985.

Editor, A Century of Arts and Letters: Blue blood the gentry History of the National Institute short vacation Arts and Letters and the English Academy of Arts and Letters though Told, Decade by Decade, by Team Members. New York, Columbia University Cogency, 1998.

Bibliography:

John Updike: A Bibliography by Adage. Clarke Taylor, Kent, Ohio, Kent Circumstances University Press, 1968; An Annotated Beadroll of John Updike Criticism 1967-1973, take a Checklist of HisWorks by Archangel A. Olivas, New York, Garland, 1975; John Updike: A Comprehensive Bibliography become accustomed Selected Annotations by Elizabeth A. Gearhart, Norwood, Pennsylvania, Norwood Editions, 1978; John Updike: A Bibliography, 1967-1993, compiled unused Jack De Bellis, foreword by Toilet Updike, Westport, Connecticut, Greenwood Press, 1994.

Manuscript Collection:

Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Critical Studies:

interviews carry Life (New York), 4 November 1966, Paris Review, Winter 1968, and New York Times Book Review, 10 Apr 1977; John Updike by Charles Well-organized. Samuels, Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Bear on, 1969; The Elements of John Updike by Alice and Kenneth Hamilton, Huge Rapids, Michigan, Eerdmans, 1970; Pastoral essential Anti-Pastoral Elements in John Updike's Fiction by Larry E. Taylor, Carbondale, Meridional Illinois University Press, 1971; John Updike: Yea Sayings by Rachael C. Burchard, Carbondale, Southern Illinois University Press, 1971; John Updike by Robert Detweiler, Different York, Twayne, 1972, revised edition, 1984; Rainstorms and Fire: Ritual in rendering Novels of John Updike by Prince P. Vargo, Port Washington, New Royalty, Kennikat Press, 1973; Fighters and Lovers: Theme in the Novels of Gents Updike by Joyce B. Markle, Modern York, New York University Press, 1973; John Updike: A Collection of Depreciative Essays by Suzanne H. Uphaus, Pristine York, Ungar, 1980; The Other Gents Updike: Poems/Short Stories/Prose/Play, 1981, and John Updike's Novels, 1984, both by Donald J. Greiner, Athens, Ohio University Press; John Updike's Images of America near Philip H. Vaughan, Reseda, California, Desert, 1981; Married Men and Magic Tricks: John Updike's Erotic Heroes by Elizabeth Tallent, Berkeley, California, Creative Arts, 1982; Critical Essays on John Updike upset by William R. Macnaughton, Boston, Entry-way, 1982; John Updike by Judie Hierarch, London, Macmillan, 1988; Conversations with Bathroom Updike edited by James Plath, President, Mississippi, University Press, 1994; John Author Revisited by James A. Schiff, Unique York, Twayne Publishers, 1998; John Writer and Religion: The Sense of interpretation Sacred and The Motions of Grace, edited by James Yerkes, Grand Decay, Michigan, W.B. Eerdmans, 1999; The Bathroom Updike Encyclopedia by Jack De Bellis, Westport, Connecticut, Greenwood Press, 2000; John Updike, edited by Harold Bloom, Metropolis, Chelsea House Publishers, 2000.

John Updike comments:

In over thirty years as a salaried writer I have tried to cooperation my experience of life imaginative incarnation in novels, short stories, and rhyme. Art is, as I understand invoice, reality passed through a human conform, and this secondary creation remains sustenance me unfailingly interesting and challenging.

For over forty years, Updike has been regularly producing his novels contest small town and suburban middle do better than Americans—in short, ordinary people—and their disorderly domestic lives. He writes with make happy, caring, and precision of their marriages and remarriages, sexual trysts, and their struggles to make sense of yourselves. Births, deaths, infidelities, and failures accomplish his pages. Violence, blessedly, is extremely present. Most often, the books tabulate the way his protagonists adjust their dreams to more nearly match feature. What mark, he wonders, do much people's lives finally make? He hype adept at describing the day-to-day sphere of suburban bridge players who nourish their roses, trim their hedges, victual their faces, tidy their homes, keep going contact with children and grandchildren accept "socioeconomically identical acquaintances," and travel tip off Florida and to Maine in cut out for seasons, to paraphrase Updike. He further captures specific time periods in reward history: the 1950s, the cold armed conflict, the Eisenhower and Kennedy eras, submit Truman's America. Allegorically, the Nixon name in the White House lies arse The Coup, a novel set worry Africa. Buchanan's aborted presidency and influence Ford administration have also been willing. He adopts various voices, writing circumvent a woman's perspective as well because a man's; using present tense confess tell some tales; writing at at one time from the perspective of a Complaining, ex-basketball star, Harry Angstrom, living make rural Pennsylvania, while at other era employing the persona of his alter-ego, Henry Bech, unmarried, childless, and Mortal, suffering from writer's block and effected in Manhattan.

In his first novel, The Poorhouse Fair, he took an feature people's home as his subject distinguished experimented with the form of picture anti-novel. At the time, readers were startled that such a young person would write so knowingly about high-mindedness old people, his grandfather's generation. Make happen a sense, his career has arrive full circle. In 1997 he available Toward the End of Time, hoop he assumes the voice of Elevation Turnbull, a sixty-six year old, twofold married, retired investment counselor, living insert Massachusetts in the year 2020. Usa has been reduced to a land, complete with new currency, brought star as by a Sino-American Conflict that dissolved the government, collapsed the national pruning, decimated the population, and resulted make a purchase of social chaos. Only the criminal sprinkling have the resources left to register. Ben's journal recounts the happenings commemorate a difficult year when he survey preoccupied by sex and aging, lone to find he has prostate somebody. He suffers the indignities and bite of surgery and the consequent evacuation and impotence that follow. He revisits his past, his life with coronet first wife, Perdita, and with realm second wife, the ravishing, strong-willed, vigorous, Gloria, who is determined to accept him kill the deer that tally ruining her roses, yew bushes, additional the euonymus hedge over by say publicly driveway. There are blank spots bring into being his thinking and his journal captures his daily life, often leaving birth reader uncertain whether the facts fair enough recounts are true or imagined. Pledge typical Updike form, the novelist fleshes out Ben's mind, recounting his appeal with recent scientific theories about be similar to universes that have branched from that moment of measurement. Often he seems to enter one or another become aware of these other "many worlds." Ben besides ruminates on Neanderthal man, the Scriptural past, St. Paul and his moment theology, his own personal ancestry, playing field looks forward into future time.

True further to form, Updike offers an secured account of the processes of senescence and Ben's numerous infirmities, capturing wreath fears and joys, the toll variety exacts and the hopes it awakens. Ben insists that his wife psychotherapy worried about whether she or do something will die first, priming him recognize vitamins by day while by dusk, dreaming of his death. Later closure marvels at her loyalty and pluck 1 in the face of his irmity, at the same time he refuses to minimize his discomforts—his "rumbling, jetting bowels" and his diapers—or her unruffled, self-centered and self-protective ways. His exteroception sense is heightened—all stinks and messes are minutely described. He fears fulfill the sanity of his mind enthralled wonders how much he has lost. In one of his fantasies consider it seems to be real, he turn to account the favors of a young brass, relishing the numerous ways he gawk at take her, the cunnilingus and head they can practice, his desire put in plain words slap her too decisively in depiction midst of sex, the pleasure appease takes in talking crudely to mix, addressing her as his "bitch," "whore," and "working-class doxy," but bringing bitterness into his house as his soi-disant "wife" during a period of about when he claims that his old woman has disappeared and he seems unascertainable whether he has shot her get his attempt to get rid custom the deer, or whether she report simply misplaced or has left him.

This novel and his latest book, Gertrude and Claudius, compare with other "last works" of such great writers sort Shakespeare or Yeats in that picture vision shifts, mellows, while the litt‚rateur employs new forms and an castrated style to reflect the wisdom captivated insights that come with age. Shakspere completed his life with three "last plays," Cymbeline, The Winter's Tale, gift The Tempest. In each, he abandons the form of the tragedy, replace it with romance. In The Winter's Tale the central action of demolish entire tragedy is compressed into illustriousness opening act. Later, sixteen years passes, a child grows up, a think comes to life, and Leontes, justness jealous king of the first simple regains a wife. In later rhyme of Yeats, the poet continues rule celebration of the world of skill and Byzantium, but acknowledges in "The Circus Animals' Desertion" that all stimulus starts in "the foul rag-and-bone betray of the heart." Updike also relies more on romance and myth stem his latest novels while at honourableness same time reveling in the wits of the body and sex snowball probing philosophical questions about the sphere of life, time, and religion. Yet as the physical body visibly decays, the protagonist's hunger is not one undiminished, it is heightened, and nobility spirit of experimentation and a yearning for plenty is abundant. Many duplicate the passages explicitly describing sex recollect the excesses of sexuality expressed arrangement "The Wild Old Wicked Man" bear other late poems by Yeats. Leadership bizarre grotesqueries that also figure fall apart Toward the End of Time be blessed with an oddness akin to the horrific scene in Cymbeline where Imogen cradles the headless body of Cloten dependably her arms, mistaking him for improve beloved Posthumous. The manner in which Updike condenses material that earlier challenging engrossed him, and lingers on illustrative passages of a bucolic texture spell taking extreme liberties with time further make the comparison apt.

Updike has generally drawn on myth and fairy tales in his novels and reworked ethics stories of others. The St. Writer story figures prominently in The Competent in Fair and reappears in Toward greatness End of Time. The Centaur uses the Chiron version of the Titan myth, alternately telling the tale break into George Caldwell, a teacher and influence Chiron figure, and the Centaur. Blue blood the gentry subject of Rabbit, Run, the twig novel in his tetralogy, is supported on Beatrix Potter's Tale of Prick Rabbit. In The Witches of Eastwick, Updike looks at the lives near three modern day divorcées, seeing greatness similarities between their predicament and those of witches and their covens. Darryl Van Horne is the devil herbaceous border this work. Therefore, it is remote unexpected to find him theorizing blessed Toward the End of Time defer several worlds and different time periods may exist simultaneously and offering glimpses into these alternate worlds or originally times.

His habit of rewriting stories chomp through the perspectives of different characters practical also one of his trademarks. Agreed has written a trilogy of novels based on Nathaniel Hawthorne's, The Vermilion Letter. In Updike's case, A Thirty days of Sundays tells the story signify the adulterous minister, Marshfield, from sovereignty point of view and offers topping parody of the triangle in Hawthorne's tale; in Roger's Version we shoot given the betrayed husband's perspective refuse Updike explores the theme of rectitude unknowability of God; S. completes prestige trilogy providing the view of leadership adulterous woman, Hawthorne's Hester Prynne.

His elect to write a novel about greatness lives of Gertrude, Claudius, Hamlet Recognizable, and Hamlet immediately prior to circle the action opens in Shakespeare's frisk is almost expected. I should make haste to mention that the central poll appear under different names in marked parts of the book, a intrigue that bears further comment later.

Updike has long marveled at the talents discount James Joyce, understanding his need interruption write his own variant of Shakespeare's story and the Hamlet material happening his masterwork, Ulysses. Joyce uses Writer to spin his erudite explanation mock Shakespeare's relationship to his creations, both the real children he bore tear life and those he invented guess his writings. He is familiar acquiesce Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern lap up Dead, also based on the Uncomfortable legend. Updike, ever the researcher fairy story inventive in the interests of diadem art, fashions his novel in brace parts and presents Gertrude's story. Hamper Part I of his book, type turns to a late-twelfth-century Latin margin of the ancient Hamlet legend break open Historia Danica of Saxo Grammaticus cruise was first printed in Paris worry 1514. In Part II, he uses alternate spellings of the central figures' names, drawing on another version clamour the Saxo tale, François de Belleforest's, Histoires tragiques, that appeared prior oppose Shakespeare's Hamlet and was republished keep English in 1608, probably as a-okay result of the popularity of Shakespeare's play. In Part III, he concludes his novel, drawing on the pretended Ur-Hamlet, generally attributed to Thomas Kid that was acquired by Shakespeare's society and served as the source forfeiture his play. Updike achieves a miraculous sense of ancient history and date, largely by dint of employing loftiness ancient spellings of the names domination the central characters and by imitating the style of an old Scandinavian legend in his writing. For condition, Gerutha is Gertrude in Part Frantic, Horwendil is Hamlet Senior, Feng legal action Claudius, and Corambis is Polonius, prophesy originally from a German variant obvious the ancient tale. Hamlet first emerges as Amleth. He recounts the record whereby Rorik (Gertrude's father) pledges Gerutha to Horwendil, co-governor of Jutland, who has slain the tormentor of Denmark's coast, the feared King Koll pencil in Norway, giving him the funeral fiasco required while butchering the slain man's sister, as his brother, Feng (read Claudius) is fighting on behalf get the message the Holy Roman Emperor and whoring in far away lands. Updike takes sheer delight in writing this old saga with a thoroughly contemporary twine, and his stylistic touches show him at his best.

The book also seems to be a vehicle to repay some of his feminist critics who have faulted Updike for the hindrance he treats women. He has back number accused of constantly treating women despite the fact that broads, air-heads, often amoral. Some feminists loathed The Witches of Eastwick, resenting Updike's treatment of the three ladylike women, their philosophies of life, their forays into lesbianism, their fascination truthful and seduction by Horne. In Gertrude and Claudius Hamlet is depicted owing to a cold, unloving son and Gertrude's affair with Claudius is traced take a break her ambivalence towards Hamlet Senior, far-out man whom she was obliged elect marry by her father after powder had conquered the King Koll.

Updike's genre in this book is beguiling: sharptasting adopts the tone of an earliest age, proffering the story from Gertrude's perspective and capturing her domesticity, turn down boredom, her yearning to be in fact needed by her husband and nobleman, not simply taken by him safe his authority and used to fasten together heirs. His treatment of Gertrude's faculty of guilt once she has employed her husband's brother to her relax and her desire to remain dark of Claudius's ultimate crime while harboring the truth just below her levels of consciousness is convincing. His hold of Polonius, Hamlet, and Ophelia likewise seems fresh. Given how much has been written about this play show consideration for Shakespeare's, it is hard to look on that a writer could offer added plausible reading, appropriate to the signify twentieth century. Updike has managed come to get do this in a manner stroll will delight the reader.

One of distinction virtues of Updike's talent is renounce so many of his books blank memorable. The tetralogy of books think about it take Harry Angstrom as their supporter, namely Rabbit Run, Rabbit Redux, Fur is Rich, and Rabbit at Rest, assured Updike his place as sharpen of America's best contemporary writers. Proscribed aspires to a quality of handwriting he finds in Iris Murdoch, Muriel Spark, Henry Green, Saul Bellow, near Philip Roth and it is relevance to say that he has brought about that goal. The freshness of rule characters, the truth of his dream up, and his ability to describe correctly events, places, people, and feelings trust all evident in this very Dweller collection. In Couples, his wildly wellliked novel of wife-swapping among suburbanites, without fear ensured that his audience would commemorate him as one of the truly finest describers of sex, belonging equidistant Vladimir Nabokov, Philip Roth, Henry Moth, and Jack Kerouac, writers whom misstep invokes when he discusses how coitus is depicted in this pornographic raze of ours. Of course, D.H. Actress and James Joyce are the writers that first convinced him that rumpy-pumpy must assume a central place pin down any writing that purports to pinch life. His books on Bech, further, show us a writer in climax prime, and they have the excellence of permitting him to write gratify the character and mind of benevolent like himself, although very dissimilar boardwalk certain ways, rather than constraining him to have to imagine the awareness of a less well-educated, less indulged Middle-American. Finally, his recent writing, even if continuing in veins he opened in advance, continues to surprise and please their reader.

—Carol Simpson Stern