Ninety-Nine Novels: The Coup by John Updike

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The International Anthony Burgess Foundation Podcast

International Anthony Burgess Foundation

96 episodes

2 days ago

The International Anthony Burgess Foundation Podcast Channel hosts two podcasts:

The International Anthony Burgess Foundation Podcast is dedicated to exploring the life and work of Anthony Burgess and his contemporaries, and the cultural environment in which Burgess was working. A combination of scripted episodes, interviews and lectures, this series is a resource for students, readers and anyone else interested in twentieth century literature, film and music. The International Anthony Burgess Foundation Podcast includes episodes on A Clockwork Orange and other novels written by Burgess, the influence of James Joyce, literary dystopias and utopias, and Burgess’s musical compositions among many other themes and topics.

The Ninety-Nine Novels Podcast delves into Anthony Burgess's 1984 survey of twentieth century literature, Ninety-Nine Novels: The Best in English Since 1939. The book is a personal, and somewhat idiosyncratic, selection of Burgess’s favourite novels, and not only stimulates debate but acts as a crash-course in the literature that inspired and influenced Burgess throughout his career. The Ninety-Nine Novels Podcast invites experts to illuminate Burgess’s choices, and includes episodes on famous masterworks to unjustly forgotten gems.

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For more information about Anthony Burgess visit the International Anthony Burgess Foundation online.

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All content for The International Anthony Burgess Foundation Podcast is the property of International Anthony Burgess Foundation and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

The International Anthony Burgess Foundation Podcast Channel hosts two podcasts:

The International Anthony Burgess Foundation Podcast is dedicated to exploring the life and work of Anthony Burgess and his contemporaries, and the cultural environment in which Burgess was working. A combination of scripted episodes, interviews and lectures, this series is a resource for students, readers and anyone else interested in twentieth century literature, film and music. The International Anthony Burgess Foundation Podcast includes episodes on A Clockwork Orange and other novels written by Burgess, the influence of James Joyce, literary dystopias and utopias, and Burgess’s musical compositions among many other themes and topics.

The Ninety-Nine Novels Podcast delves into Anthony Burgess's 1984 survey of twentieth century literature, Ninety-Nine Novels: The Best in English Since 1939. The book is a personal, and somewhat idiosyncratic, selection of Burgess’s favourite novels, and not only stimulates debate but acts as a crash-course in the literature that inspired and influenced Burgess throughout his career. The Ninety-Nine Novels Podcast invites experts to illuminate Burgess’s choices, and includes episodes on famous masterworks to unjustly forgotten gems.

-----

For more information about Anthony Burgess visit the International Anthony Burgess Foundation online.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ninety-Nine Novels: The Coup by John Updike

The International Anthony Burgess Foundation Podcast

47 minutes 38 seconds

1 week ago

Ninety-Nine Novels: The Coup by John Updike

In 1984, Anthony Burgess published Ninety-Nine Novels, a selection of his favourite novels in English since 1939. The list is typically idiosyncratic, and shows the breadth of Burgess's interest in fiction. This podcast, by the International Anthony Burgess Foundation, explores the novels on Burgess's list with the help of writers, critics and other special guests.

In this episode, Andrew Biswell talks to writer and critic Bob Batchelor about The Coup by John Updike, a novel Anthony Burgess called ‘a beautifully written disturbing lyric composition’.

The Coup focusses on Hakim Felix Ellellou, the former dictator of Kush, a fictional Islamic state in Africa. He looks back on his life and his time as ruler and documents the American involvement in the political life of his country. Through double-dealing and betrayal, the Americans are instrumental in inspiring a coup against Ellellou.

John Updike was born in Reading, Pennsylvania in 1932. He published his first novel, The Poorhouse Fair, in 1959. He is perhaps best known for the four novels that deal with the adventured of Rabbit Angstrom, and for The Witches of Eastwick, which was adapted into a film in 1987. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1991 for his novel Rabbit at Rest. He died in 2009.

Bob Batchelor has written 16 books on subjects as wide as The Great Gatsby, Jim Morrison and the Doors, the Prohibition, and comic book writer Stan Lee. He has written extensively about John Updike, including the book John Updike: A Critical Biography. He has also presented the podcast series John Updike: American Writer, American Life. He is currently Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication, Media, and Culture at Coastal Carolina University.

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BOOKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

By John Updike:

Rabbit, Run (1960)

'Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu' in the New Yorker (1960)

Rabbit Redux (1971)

Marry Me (1976)

Picked-Up Pieces (1976)

Rabbit is Rich (1981)

The Witches of Eastwick (1984)

Rabbit at Rest (1990)

Terrorist (2006)