John Updike, Irish Pornographer?

Granta has marshaled an army of John Updike supporters from all over the literary world, building a growing online memorial to the late author. Contributors include Jane Smiley, Garrison Keillor, and Susan Minot.

While many added serious literary tributes, a few authors added lighthearted memories to the collection. Recently, Updike won won a lifetime achievement award at the annual Bad Sex in Fiction Awards, so he might have appreciated this tribute from author Colm Toibin:

“I grew up thinking that John Updike was an Irish writer because his novel Couples was hidden on the top of a wardrobe by my mother in the company of Edna O’Brien‘s The Country Girls and John McGahern‘s The Dark. I thought all three of them were Irish pornographers and was filled with excitement at the possibility that I might one day read their work.”

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