More Matter: Essays And Criticism

First published in 1999, More Matter is a rich collection of essays, criticism, addresses, introductions and humorous asides from an incomparable master of prose. With a fiction writer's affectionate, shaping hand, John Updike explores everything from the nature of evil and the philosophical content of literature to the wreck of the Titanic and the phenomenon of infuriating unopenable parcels. Exploring the work of both his peers and his predecessors, there are numerous fascinating reflections on literature and the arts as well as astute insights into the overlooked details that constitute so much of our lives.

'Both a superb unraveller and a super accepter of the contradictions of the world . . . We should simply be grateful that he is there with his fine, discriminatory prose.' Sunday Times

'A generous, intelligent reader who produced criticism that emphasized the intimate joys of reading, free of the usual dogma and cant.' Zadie Smith

'A modern master, a colossal figure in American letters, the finest writer working in English.' Ian McEwan

'One of contemporary literature's most enviable stylists, the lucid economy of his prose often disguising the remarkable complexity of his thought.' Guardian

'Updike was extravagantly gifted as a prose stylist . . . making us see, on page after page, the everyday world as if for the first time.' David Lodge