John Updike is one of the most prolific and important American authors of the contemporary period, with an acclaimed body of work that spans half a century and is inspired by everything from American exceptionalism to American popular culture. This Companion joins together a distinguished international team of contributors to address both the major themes in Updike`s writing as well as the sources of controversy that Updike`s writing has often provoked. It traces the ways in which historical and cultural changes in the second half of the twentieth century have shaped not just Updike`s reassessment of America`s heritage, but his reassessment of the literary devices by which that legacy is best portrayed. With a chronology and bibliography of Updike`s published writings, this is the only guide students and scholars of Updike will need to understand this extraordinary writer.