Chapter 4: Wives and Husbands John Updike

John Updike (b. 1932)

American short story writer, poet, and novelist John Updike was born March 10, 1932 in Reading, Pennsylvania (which later became the setting for his fictional Brewer). His parents were diligent about his education, and in 1950 he received a scholarship for study at Harvard University, graduating in 1954. He worked for The New Yorker for two years before deciding to devote himself exclusively to his own writing, but has remained a frequent contributor of stories and poems to that magazine. In 1959, he published his first story collection, The Same Door, and his first novel, The Poorhouse Fair. In 1960, with Rabbit, Run, he began his extensive Rabbit chronicles. In 1981 he received the Pulitzer Prize for Rabbit Is Rich. His collected poems were published in 1993, and he is continually productive in writing new stories and poems. Updike writes mainly about the lives of ordinary people in small-town Pennsylvania settings. Today he is considered one of the best of America’s major writers of fiction and poetry. Author Links The Salon Interview -- John Updike This site contains an interview with John Updike published in the online magazine Salon. Updike Home Page This site features a variety of information on Updike and his work. It also offers an Updike reader discussions every month.

"Wife - Wooing" The Salon Interview -- John Updike Updike Home Page

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