NYTBR Still Fixated on Updike, Lesbians

Timothy Leary may be gracing the cover of yesterday’s NYTBR, but the Review’s undying support of John Updike‘s legacy continues inside. One month after wedging him into the all-star lineup of late-20th century American fiction, one week after giving his latest novel a front-page review, the Review dips back into the well for a tribute to his bestsellerdom and the text of his BookExpo America lecture—which, in case you were wondering, the Times already covered in a June 5 article on digital publishing and its May 31 interview with Updike himself. Of course, just about anybody who was interested in Updike’s speech could have downloaded it from the BEA podcast series nearly a month ago, but if the Review wants to believe that publishing a month-old speech is newsworthy, whatevs. (In all fairness, though, I should point out that the actual reviews make for one of the most topically relevant issues—with books about energy policy, terrorists online, and neocon prime mover Leo Strauss, among other subjects—I can recall in ages.)

While I was looking through last week’s issue to check up on its Updike content, by the way, I noticed Sean Wilsey’s review of Fun Home, the “graphic novel”-style memoir from cartoonist Alison Bechdel, which introduces the author to readers this way: “She’s a lesbian, and sexuality looms large in her memoir.” I felt a twinge of deja vu when I read that, and I quickly figured out why: Back in January, David Kamp reviewed Norah Vincent and spread the news: “Yes, ladies and gents, the author is a self-proclaimed ‘dyke.’” If this is “news about the culture,” well…I knew they called the Times the Gray Lady, but I didn’t realize she was Queen Victoria! (ba-dum-dum! I’ll be here all week!)

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