A beautiful, moving collection of short stories, in many of which Updike revisits the haunts of his childhood from the vantage point of old age. In "Fiftieth" old friends reconnect at a class reunion, and one of them is left wondering, 'What does it mean: the enormity of having been children and now being old, living next to death.' In the story "The Full Glass" the protagonist describes somewhat ruefully the rituals of old age. Before going to bed, he raises his nightly water glass 'drinking a toast to the visible world, his impending disappearance from it be damned.' In "Varieties of Religious Experiences" a grandfather, visiting his daughter in Brooklyn Heights, watches the tower of the World Trade Centre fall, and his view of a God is forever altered. Again and again in these memorable stories, Updike strikes to the heart, giving words to what is so often left unsaid. He is at once witty, devastatingly observant, touching - and, of course, a consummate storyteller. This is a collection that will be admired and cherished.

約翰•厄普代剋（John Updike，1932-2009）

美國當代公認的文學大師。畢業於哈佛大學，曾供職《紐約客》雜誌。一生寫過大量體裁多樣的作品，包括長篇小說“兔子四部麯”、短篇小說集、詩集和評論集，共計60餘部著作。厄普代剋兩次獲得普利策奬、美國圖書奬和歐•亨利小說奬，以及其他十餘種重要文學奬項，兩次登上《時代》雜誌封麵。“性、宗教、美國、死亡”是厄普代剋擅長的創作主題，“美國小鎮、中産階級”是他偏愛的文學世界。厄普代剋的文風，對許多作傢産生巨大影響，菲利普•羅斯稱他是“我們時代最偉大的文學傢”。