John Updike
John Hoyer Updike (March 18, 1932 – January 27, 2009) was an American novelist, poet, short-story writer, art critic, and literary critic. One of only four writers to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction more than once (the others being Booth Tar ...
. It is the third novel of the tetralogy that begins with ''
Rabbit, Run
''Rabbit, Run'' is a 1960 novel by John Updike.
The novel depicts three months in the life of a 26-year-old former high school basketball player named Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom who is trapped in a loveless marriage and a boring sales job, and h ...
'', continues with ''
Rabbit Redux
''Rabbit Redux'' is a 1971 novel by John Updike. It is the second book in his "Rabbit" series, beginning with '' Rabbit, Run'' and followed by '' Rabbit Is Rich'', ''Rabbit At Rest'', published from 1960 to 1990, and the related 2001 novella, '' ...
'', and concludes with ''
Rabbit at Rest
''Rabbit at Rest'' is a 1990 novel by John Updike. It is the fourth and final novel in a tetralogy, succeeding ''Rabbit, Run''; ''Rabbit Redux''; and ''Rabbit Is Rich.'' A related novella, ''Rabbit Remembered'', was published in 2001. ''Rabbi ...
''. There is also a related novella, '' Rabbit Remembered'' (2001). ''Rabbit Is Rich'' was awarded the
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It recognizes distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life, published durin ...
and the
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors.
The Nat ...
for Fiction"National Book Awards - 1982" National Book Foundation. Retrieved 2012-03-15. (With essays by Amity Gaige and Nancy Werlin and from the Awards 60-year anniversary blog.)This was the 1982 award for hardcover Fiction. From 1980 to 1983 in National Book Awards history there were dual hardcover and paperback awards in most categories. Most of the paperback award-winners were reprints, including the 1982 Fiction. in 1982, as well as the
National Book Critics Circle Award
The National Book Critics Circle Awards are a set of annual American literary awards by the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) to promote "the finest books and reviews published in English".
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, the poor, fictional city of his birth. Harry and Janice, his wife of 22 years, live comfortably, having inherited her late father's Toyota dealership. He is indeed rich, but Harry's persistent problems—his wife's drinking, his troubled son's schemes, his libido, and spectres from his past—complicate life. Having achieved an opulent lifestyle that would have embarrassed his working-class parents, Harry is not greedy, but neither is he ever quite satisfied. Harry has grown smitten with a country-club friend's young wife. He worries about Nelson, his indecisive son, a student at
Kent State University
Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in ...