(no subject)

[cleolinda]

John Updike, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, prolific man of letters and erudite chronicler of sex, divorce and other adventures in the postwar prime of the American empire, died Tuesday at age 76.

Comments

[hulamoth.livejournal.com]

I know, I just heard, it's terrible.

[free-reverie.livejournal.com]

Oh shit.

:(

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

I can't say he was my favorite author, but I'm sorry he's dead. (Didn't he win one of those "worst sex scenes ever" contests? I know Tom Wolfe did.)

[hulamoth.livejournal.com]

yeah, but he laughed about it, so he's pretty cool I think, even though he's not my favorite author either.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I seem to remember that too, although I have blessedly forgotten exactly in what way it was a bad sex scene.

[soulforophelia.livejournal.com]

Oh no!!!! He grew up in the town I went to college. He'd come to campus a lot and it was like a requirement to read his work. Aww, I'm so sad. :( My professors are going to be crushed.

[aestasbeyond.livejournal.com]

I just heard. It's really upsetting. I'm almost as sad as when Kurt Vonnegut died. :(

[laerwen.livejournal.com]

Oh maaan. :( I can't say I have read his work, but, I understand his significance. And he's a North Shore kinda guy (for those of us that have lived in Massachusetts). Rest in peace.

[gryffinwhore.livejournal.com]

DDDDDD:

[amberdulen.livejournal.com]

:O

[crescent-gaia.livejournal.com]

:( is about all I can really say right now.

[bgmaster.livejournal.com]

I never read much in the way of his fiction, but as a Red Sox fan I'll always remember him for one of the greatest pieces of sportswriting ever: Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu (http://www.baseball-almanac.com/articles/hub_fans_bid_kid_adieu_article.shtml).

"Gods do not answer letters."

[spectralbovine.livejournal.com]

Damn. I was just looking at The Widows of Eastwick the other day. I've never read anything by him, though.

[unicornluvr.livejournal.com]

"An Irish temper makes you appreciate Lutherans."

Bless.

[tinuviell.livejournal.com]

Can authors stop with the dying? This month alone, it's been Donald Westlake, John Mortimer, and now John Updike. I keep making memorial displays at the library, and I really wish I wasn't.

[lylassandra.livejournal.com]

At least we hit three. That means it can stop now. Right?

[linz-lou.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow. I just got a copy of one of his books in the mail. I really hate to hear that. :(

[kiandra-fire.livejournal.com]

Anytime authors could stop dying, that would be great. Maybe hold off till March? Let's declare February a No Authors Die Please Month. And send out memos so that they will know that we would appreciate it if they could refrain from dying for a while.

I'd better write thank-you notes to some of my favorite authors before they jump on the wagon, too.

[ellerigbee.livejournal.com]

Damn it world! Don't you know 2008 is over? Monday night Manners, today, Updike. I don't even want to turn my computer on tomorrow.

[greedyskunk.livejournal.com]

Oh no! I just read "A & P" last term for my short fiction Lit class. I liked his folksy writing style.

[blackdiamants.livejournal.com]

What the fuck, why is *everyone* getting offed this week?!

[edda.livejournal.com]

I'm not a huge fan of his, but it definitely feels like the end of something. *sigh*

[kvschwartz.livejournal.com]

:(

[http://users.livejournal.com/_stormthesea/]

So, following in the footsteps of 2007 and 2008, 2009 will continue the tradition of killing authors.

Also, were you aware that Augusten Burroughs indirectly killed him? (http://www.abebooks.com/blog/index.php/2009/01/27/augusten-burroughs-remembers-john-updike-sort-of/) I am just saying.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Man, I am so relieved he had me laughing by the end of that.

[angeleyesjg24.livejournal.com]

:(

Can I just say, though: I will not be happy with my life unless my obituary notice is half this awesom

[pennylane1942.livejournal.com]

This afternoon, just as soon as I finished typing up my writing assignment re: John Updike's story "A&P" for my fiction class, I opened up Firefox and there was the news that he was dead. Boom.

I'm not really a fan of his, but damn, he wrote good stuff and lots of it.

[kismeteve.livejournal.com]

That sucks. I've never been a fan of his novels, but his art criticism is pretty interesting.