More Matter: Essays & Criticism

This is John Updike's fiftieth book, a rich collection from an incomparable master of prose. Bringing together essays, criticism, addresses, introductions, humorous asides and - in a concluding section, 'Personal Matters' - pieces about Updike himself and his work, More Matter is breathtaking in its range. No one but John Updike could write so well on so many different subjects. With a fiction writer's affectionate, shaping hand, Updike explores everything from the nature of evil and the philosophical content of literature to the wreck of the Titanic and the infuriating phenomenon of upopenable parcels. Exploring the work of both his peers and his predecessors, there are numerous fascinating pieces on literature. But Updike also gives sharp-eyed impressions of 'the other arts', from film to photography to painting, as well as homing in, with his peerless acuity, on the incidental and overlooked details that constitute so much of our lives. John Updike is a writer for whom print is a path to fulfilment.