John Updike (1932-2009) was an American novelist, short story writer, poet and critic.  A superb prose stylist, he mostly wrote about the middle-class, though he later addressed other subjects.  He was the recipient of two Pulitzer Prizes.

Updike was one of the first prominent writers to explore eroticism.  Couples portrayed the sexual revolution of the 1960’s.  The Rabbit Angstrom novels (Rabbit Run, Rabbit Redux, Rabbit is Rich, Rabbit at Rest) centered around the sex-obsessed main character.  “A&P” depicted a grocery store clerk’s response to teenage girls in bathing suits.  Updike tended to use physical imagery, rather than inner emotions, in his depictions of sexuality.   He also focused on the theme of adultery.

I have always loved John Updike’s work.  And I have always respected his pioneering efforts, as a mainstream writer, to write about eroticism.

S. Gray

July 2023