[R. S. Gwynn]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/book...ike/index.html

I must admit that I didn't keep up with all of Updike's novels; after Couples I pretty much gave up. Maybe one of these days I'll sit down and read the Rabbit novels in sequence. And I never cared much for his serious verse, with the exception of the wonderful "Ex-Basketball Player" and a few others. But his light verse exerted a powerful influence on me, and I lament its demise (along with J. D. Smith) in The New Yorker. I don't know why he gave it up, but it was some of the best of that genre ever by an American poet. I know only a few of the famous short stories--"A&P," "Pigeon Feathers"--but every one that I read was excellent. A great talent here.