updike
John Updike: Overview Critic: Edward Butscher Source: Reference Guide to Short Fiction, 1st ed. ... James Press, 1994 Criticism about: John (hoyer) Updike (1932-), also known as: John Updike, John (Hoyer) Updike, John Hoyer Updike Genre(s): Short stories; Novels; Poetry; Adaptations; Translations; Childrens literature; Essays John Updike published his first story, "Friends from Philadelphia," in The New Yorker in 1954, joining the staff of the magazine a year later. ... The effectiveness of the Maple tales, more direct in narrative thrust than usual for Updike, has much to do with their authors painful empathy for both sides of the marital Punch-and-Judy show, though sympathy patently alights easier on Richards consciousness. ... Relaxed, observant, always in control, Updike seems more concerned with stylistic conceits than satisfying larger fictional expectations; many of the stories are mere sketches, autobiographically etched meditations on the high price paid for lost ideals and an absent godhead. ... Through the next two decades, Updike continued to supply his quota of expertly tailored short fictions.