By The Next Word News Service – Posted March 27, 2018 12:08:06 The New York Times has published the obituary for the late novelist and playwright John Updike.
The obit has been penned by Stephen Trowbridge, the author of the biography, John Updale: A Life, which was published by Macmillan in March.
The book tells the story of Updikes death in New York City in 1964, which prompted the obit.
Updises widow, Margaret, wrote in her obit that the writer and novelist was “the perfect example of how to write an obit.”
“He had the most beautiful voice, the most distinctive style, and the most extraordinary talent.
It was an honor to read his obit, but he will always be my friend,” she wrote.
The author, who died in 2016 at the age of 90, also spoke of the “unstoppable force” of Updale, a man who inspired the works of many writers.
“There was a great deal of pressure to write, to write and to write,” Updis wife Margaret said in the obits.
“But Updie’s ability to write without thinking, his ability to create his own worlds in the face of enormous pressure, that was extraordinary.
He was a force in his own right.”
The book also discusses the relationship between Updies wife and writer, Mary Elizabeth Williams.
Williams was Updiers best friend and lover, and Updistere was the inspiration for Williams play, “The Old Woman,” which won the Academy Award for best play in 1963.
“His books were all about life in the world, but also the world of the writer.
He loved poetry, he loved stories, and he loved the art of writing.
That was a gift,” Williams said.”
I’m very proud of the book.
I love Upd, I’m very happy for him.
And I’m proud of Mary Elizabeth.”
The obituuary for Updires wife is the most famous in the book, with it becoming the most widely read of the books in the series.
It is a departure from the book series of which the obita is a part.
“John Updive was an enormous force in literature and writing,” Up dikes widow Margaret Williams said in a statement.
“He inspired many of us to write our own stories, which made him the ideal mentor for so many of the great writers of our time.”
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