John Updike, 1932-2009

John Updike was born in Pennsylvania but moved to the North Shore of Massachusetts when he was 25 and remained a Mass. resident until his death at the age of 76 yesterday, January 27, 2009.

Mr. Updike is best know for his “Rabbit Angstrom” novels which introduced us to Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom, one of those middle-class Americans who, as Updike wrote, “aren’t especially beautiful or bright or urban, but about whom there is a lot worth saying.”

The Rabbit novels in order are: Rabbit Run; Rabbit Redux; Rabbit is Rich; and Rabbit at Rest. Rabbit Is Rich and Rabbit at Rest both won Pulitzer Prizes for fiction.

His 22nd novel, Terrorist, tells the story of an 18-tear-old American (New Jersey) suicide bomber. The other central figure in Terrorist is Jack Levy, a non-observant Jew and burnt out high school guidance counselor. The climactic moment of the book brings these two figures together in a desperate confrontation that comes a bit too late.

The Boston Globe has a brilliantly put together photo gallery the follows John Updike through the years. Meg