John Updike papers

Collection

Identifier: MS-0489

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The bulk of this collection is made up of material related to a lecture given by Updike, an interview, a book review, and three of his short stories spanning 1970 to 1980. "Humor in Fiction," was a lecture given in Seoul, South Korea in 1970 at an International P.E.N. conference; corrected tear sheets are included. The "Salmagundi File" containes a typescript transcription of a public interview conducted at Skidmore College in October 1981 by Robert Boyers, Sharati Hmukher Blaise, and Robert (Bud) Foule. It also includes signed typed notes related to the lecture, and a photocopy of the interview as it was published in Salmagundi. Updike excerpted a portion of "The Witches of Eastwick" for Playboy Magazine; a copy of this with his emendations is in the collection. The collection also includes typescript, duplicate typescript, and galley leaves for Updike's review of Margaret Drabble's book, Reams of Gold, which he published in the New Yorker. The other two short stories are "Australia and Canada," which was published in Playboy in 1974; and "Believers," published in Harper's Magazine in May 1972.

Dates

Creation: 1970-1980

Creator

Updike, John, 1932-2009 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is housed off-site and requires 48-hours' notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information.

Collection is open for use.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions. It is not necessary to seek our permission as the owner of the physical work to publish or otherwise use public domain materials that we have made available for use, unless Johns Hopkins University holds the copyright.

Biographical Note

American writer John Updike was born in Shillington, Pennsylvania in 1932. He went to Harvard, and then studied at Oxford University's Ruskin School in London. When he left London, he became a staff writer for the New Yorker magazine. Updike has written 23 novels and numerous short stories and essays. He is best known for the "Rabbit" series, and won Pulitzer Prizes for Rabbit is Rich and Rabbit at Rest.

Extent

0.69 Cubic Feet (1 custom box (13.75 x 13.25 x 6.5 inches))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

American writer John Updike was born in Shillington, Pennsylvania in 1932. The collection consists of edited typescripts, correspondence, and galley proofs of five of John Updike's short stories and one interview, spanning 1970 to 1980.