Product Description

Endpoint opens with a series of connected poems which were written on the occasions of Updike’s recent birthdays and culminate in his confrontation with his final illness. They look back on the boy that Updike once was, on his family and little town and the circumstances that fed his love of writing. Then there are ‘Other Poems’, ranging from fanciful musings about what it would be like to be a stolen Rembrandt painting to celebratory outpourings that capture the spontaneity and flux of life. Finally, there is a set of sonnets, some of which are inspired by exotic travels in distant lands, and some of which simply take pleasure in the idiosyncrasies of nature in Updike’s own backyard. For John Updike, the writing of poetry was always a special joy, and this final collection is an eloquent and moving testament to the life of this extraordinary writer.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #116765 in Books
• Published on: 2009-05-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 112 pages

About the Author
John Updike was born in 1932 in Shillington, Pennsylvania, and died in January 2009. His novels have won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the American Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Rosenthal Award, and the Howells Medal.

Customer Reviews

Endpoint : a poignant momento
A short (96 pp.) compendium of simple and commonplace poems, some written during the authors terminal encounter with lung cancer, some marking his later birthdays, and some light comments on friends and events.
The tone is generally light, and the imagery simple, much less complex than his denser prose. This is not a rage against the dying light but a calm and lucid account of events and places. I am sure anyone who has appreciated Updike's long and illustrious writing career will wish to have this volume as a farewell card.

Almost last but not the least
A fitting selection of last poems from a master of words. His clear eyes, as ever, never failing to see the universal truths of life and death.

Disappointing personally but you might like it.
I found this to be lightweight verse about America and golf, neither of which I am interested in.
I thought he might have something profound to say about death ,it being called Endpoint ..............but not so.