John Updike

John Updike was an acclaimed American novelist, poet, short story writer, and essayist. He was born in Shillington, Pennsylvania in 1932 and went on to study at Harvard College, followed by a year at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art in Oxford, England. Updike began his professional writing career at The New Yorker, where he worked as a staff writer for two years. He is perhaps best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom series, which includes the novels Rabbit, Run, Rabbit Redux, Rabbit is Rich, and a novella entitled Rabbit Remembered.

Updike's writing spans more than twenty novels, numerous short story and poetry collections, and critically acclaimed literary criticism. His works often delve into themes of faith, sex, death, and inter-relationships, offering a nuanced exploration of the American small-town, Protestant middle class. His impact on American literature is significant, with two of his Rabbit books earning him Pulitzer Prizes. In addition to his fiction, Updike was also recognized as one of the best American literature and art critics of his generation.

Throughout his career, Updike's stories, poems, and reviews have been featured in various publications since the 1950s. His prolific writing resulted in 22 novels, over a dozen short story collections, poetry, literary criticism, and children's books. Hundreds of his stories, reviews, and poems have appeared in The New Yorker since the 1950s. Updike was a dedicated writer, known for his careful craftsmanship and attention to detail. He passed away in 2009 at the age of 76, leaving behind a lasting legacy in American literature.