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The novelist John Updike has died.  One of the most acclaimed writers of the past fifty years, Updike was celebrated for his novels set in suburbia, including the “Rabbit” tetralogy (Rabbit, Run; Rabbit Redux; Rabbit Is Rich; and Rabbit at Rest).  He also wrote poetry, essays, and book reviews.

Here is an AP obituary; check back for more articles and appreciations.  This is a big deal.

UPDATES:

Michiko Kakutani of The New York Times offers an appraisal.

The New Yorker shares rememberances from several writers and an essay Updike once wrote about Ted Williams.

The Times of London has a nice obituary as well.

Students,

An assessment of an artist’s body of work is a nice thing to put in your critical journal.  Here is one man’s take on Billy Joel.  Note how the writer’s tone and diction reflect a seething anger that Joel even exists, much less that he writes and performs mediocre music.