Digging by Seamus Heaney (1939-) In Brief |
![]() Read the selection (from wussu.com). About the Author Poet and Nobel laureate, Heaney was born in County Derry in Northern Ireland. Much of his early poetry is drawn from childhood experience, but his later works are more political, concentrating on language and its cultural and historical implications. Despite his connections with the U.S., Heaney was deeply committed to the Republic of Ireland. Heaney died in 2013 at the age of 74. In 2000, Heaney made the news in the U.S. He was nominated for the prestigious Whitbread Prize in the UK for his highly acclaimed new Beowulf translation. But he found himself up against pretty stiff competition—J.K. Rowling of the popular Harry Potter series. Needless to say, the "literati" were miffed to see him thrown into the same cauldron as Rowling. He ended up winning, by the way. |
A & P by John Updike (1932-2009) In Brief |
![]() Read the selection (from tiger-town.com). About the Author One of the most heralded U.S. authors, John Updike hardly needs an introduction. But here goes: born in Pennsylvania, Updike graduated from Harvard and worked at The New Yorker magazine before becoming a lifetime novelist and short-story writer. Both prolific and versatile, he spent over 40 years writing essays, criticism, and poetry, as well as best-selling novels and short stories. He was known for his concern with middle-class anxieties, tensions, and frustrations. Updike died in 2009 at the age of 76. |