9 - Facing the Unthinkable, Contemplating the Inevitable (2005–2008)

Summary

During what would turn out to be the last years of his life, Updike continued the grueling pace he had set for himself, producing two collections of nonfiction and two novels: The Widows of Eastwick, a sequel to his controversial Witches of Eastwick, and Terrorist, a fictional portrayal of a Muslim extremist prompted by the events of September 11, 2001. The latter generated some of the most polarizing reviews ever written about his fiction. Despite the divergence of opinion expressed about these novels, however, the general acclaim for Updike's accomplishments tended to drown out—but not eliminate—criticism of individual books. While reviewers paid attention to these new publications, academics continued the winnowing process that was producing a clearer picture of what works will likely form the basis of Updike's lasting reputation.

Updike on Art, Part 2: Still Looking, 2005

Updike's second collection of essays devoted exclusively to art criticism appeared in 2005. The collection's title, Still Looking, intentionally recalls the first volume, Just Looking, and was similarly received. Sebastian Smee (2006) calls Updike “a model art critic” whose “gentlemanly tone” often disguises “sharp and unsentimental” judgments (47). Martin Gayford (2006) is delighted to see that “it is possible for a non-specialist to write about art with clarity, freshness of perception and, on occasion, damning, if urbanely expressed, judgment.” Updike “wears his learning lightly, and takes his subject seriously,” Gayford says.