{"product_id":"updike-paperback","title":"Updike - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eAdam Begley\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eUpdike\u003c\/em\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this magisterial biography, Adam Begley offers an illuminating portrait of John Updike, the acclaimed novelist, poet, short-story writer, and critic who saw himself as a literary spy in small-town and suburban America, who dedicated himself to the task of transcribing \"middleness with all its grits, bumps and anonymities.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eUpdike\u003c\/em\u003e explores the stages of the writer's pilgrim's progress: his beloved home turf of Berks County, Pennsylvania; his escape to Harvard; his brief, busy working life as the golden boy at \u003cem\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/em\u003e; his family years in suburban Ipswich, Massachusetts; his extensive travel abroad; and his retreat to another Massachusetts town, Beverly Farms, where he remained until his death in 2009. Drawing from in-depth research as well as interviews with the writer's colleagues, friends, and family, Begley explores how Updike's fiction was shaped by his tumultuous personal life--including his enduring religious faith, his two marriages, and his first-hand experience of the \"adulterous society\" he was credited with exposing in the bestselling \u003cem\u003eCouples\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith a sharp critical sensibility that lends depth and originality to his analysis, Begley probes Updike's best-loved works--from \u003cem\u003ePigeon Feathers\u003c\/em\u003e to \u003cem\u003eThe Witches of Eastwick\u003c\/em\u003e to the \u003cem\u003eRabbit\u003c\/em\u003e tetralogy--and reveals a surprising and deeply complex character fraught with contradictions: a kind man with a vicious wit, a gregarious charmer who was ruthlessly competitive, a private person compelled to spill his secrets on the printed page. \u003cem\u003eUpdike\u003c\/em\u003e offers an admiring yet balanced look at this national treasure, a master whose writing continues to resonate like no one else's.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFront Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this eye-opening, authoritative biography, Adam Begley offers a captivating portrait of John Updike, the author who saw himself as a literary spy in small-town and suburban America, and who dedicated himself to the task of transcribing middleness with all its grits, bumps, and anonymities. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUpdike explores the stages of the writer's pilgrim's progress: his beloved home turf of Berks County, Pennsylvania; his escape to Harvard; his brief, busy working life as the golden boy at \u003cem\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/em\u003e; his family years in suburban Ipswich, Massachusetts; his extensive travel abroad; and his retreat to another Massachusetts town, Beverly Farms, where he remained until his death in 2009. Begley examines how Updike's fiction was shaped by his tumultuous personal life--including his enduring religious faith, his two marriages, and his firsthand experience of the adulterous society he was credited with exposing in the bestselling novel \u003cem\u003eCouples\u003c\/em\u003e. With a sharp critical sensibility, Begley probes Updike's best-loved works and reveals a surprising and deeply complex character fraught with contradictions: a kind man with a vicious wit, a gregarious charmer who was ruthlessly competitive, a private person compelled to spill his secrets on the printed page.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCandid, intimate, and utterly absorbing, \u003cem\u003eUpdike\u003c\/em\u003e is a masterful biography of a national treasure whose writing continues to resonate like no one else's.\u003c\/p\u003e--\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe New Republic\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this eye-opening, authoritative biography, Adam Begley offers a captivating portrait of John Updike, the author who saw himself as a literary spy in small-town and suburban America, and who dedicated himself to the task of transcribing \"middleness with all its grits, bumps, and anonymities.\" \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUpdike explores the stages of the writer's pilgrim's progress: his beloved home turf of Berks County, Pennsylvania; his escape to Harvard; his brief, busy working life as the golden boy at \u003cem\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/em\u003e; his family years in suburban Ipswich, Massachusetts; his extensive travel abroad; and his retreat to another Massachusetts town, Beverly Farms, where he remained until his death in 2009. Begley examines how Updike's fiction was shaped by his tumultuous personal life--including his enduring religious faith, his two marriages, and his firsthand experience of the \"adulterous society\" he was credited with exposing in the bestselling novel \u003cem\u003eCouples\u003c\/em\u003e. With a sharp critical sensibility, Begley probes Updike's best-loved works and reveals a surprising and deeply complex character fraught with contradictions: a kind man with a vicious wit, a gregarious charmer who was ruthlessly competitive, a private person compelled to spill his secrets on the printed page.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCandid, intimate, and utterly absorbing, \u003cem\u003eUpdike\u003c\/em\u003e is a masterful biography of a national treasure whose writing continues to resonate like no one else's.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 592\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1 x 7.9 x 5.2 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e March 31, 2015\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42135894884487,"sku":"9780061896460","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/fa7fe7cda0331f8df24187c36f4748d4.webp?v=1732652717","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/updike-paperback","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}