Tuesday, January 27, 2009

John Updike, Our Foremost Man of Letters, Has Passed






“I would write ads for deodorants or labels for catsup bottles, if I had to,” he told The Paris Review in 1967. “The miracle of turning inklings into thoughts and thoughts into words and words into metal and print and ink never palls for me.”

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

what an amazing quote.
so true, all of it.

and i would totally kill for his hair. (not the old man hair but the dashing young lad with the thick proud mane)

he is a man who looks quite sure of himself.

FINNABLOG said...

you have no idea how gracious and self effacing he was in person. he went to harvard on scholarship and then on to Oxford and began writing for the New Yorker at 23...but he remained gracious and generous to the end. a writer's writer's writer. all of his books are wonderful, but especially the Rabbit, Run series of four books. astounding. i will miss him dreadfully.

George said...

I miss him, too. His was a voice and a view that always delivered.

Suzanne: how is your deal with the lawyer letter working out? Haven't seen or heard from you much. Also, if I email you my address, would you send me a slip of paper with your autograph on it so I can attach it to Split, as a gift to my brother.

XO
George

FINNABLOG said...

of course, george. sfinnamore@mac.com is good....

Anonymous said...

Hi Suzanne!
Hi George - Fancy meeting you here.
Suzanne, I was also wondering how it's going with the money owed to you. Hope things are happening.

FINNABLOG said...

oh they're happening all right. i have legal counsel, and i'm getting what i am owed. sometimes you have to lawyer up.

Anonymous said...

Oh, good! Glad to hear it. I took your advice and sent my revised manuscript to my perhaps-agent and asked for a commitment, nicely!

FINNABLOG said...

good luck...remember that if it's not her, it just means that she's not the right agent for you!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for reminding me of that. I know that's the case, but I can't help getting my hopes up. I like her very much and she had very good suggestions.
Are you still in San Francisco? My sister lives in San Diego and I am trying to plot a trip out that way.

Polly Kahl said...

Glad to hear your lawyer has come through for you, Suzanne. What a relief.

FINNABLOG said...

yes. the entire world seems to be topsy turvy. it's a bit of a circus act for me to sell this house and escape to NC. i'm pulling all the stops!

FINNABLOG said...
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