{"product_id":"book-1xyp","title":"Golf Dreams \u0026 more","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSelected stories \u0026amp; observations from the great American writer \u0026amp; Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Updike\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJohn Updike was one of the greatest American writers of his generation. In a career spanning half a century, he wrote over 50 books chronicling middle-class white America in the postwar years, and its changing attitudes to sex, divorce and religion. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including the National Book Award and the PEN\/Faulkner Award, and won the Pulitzer Prize twice, for two volumes of his classic 'Rabbit' quintet.\u003cbr\u003eUpdike was an avid golfer for many years, and this collection opens with a selection of writings taken from his book, \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGolf Dreams\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, read by Updike himself. In five pieces, he discourses on the bliss and torment of the game, the pros and cons of caddies, an inadvertent outing to a miniature golf course and the Amazonian warriors participating in the US Women's Open.\u003cbr\u003eThese entertaining reflections are followed by six outstanding short stories, four of which are narrated by \u003cb\u003eJohn Updike\u003c\/b\u003e. \u003cb\u003e'The Afterlife'\u003c\/b\u003e, set in East Anglia in 1986, explores middle age and mortality; \u003cb\u003e'Cruise'\u003c\/b\u003e centres around the relationship between an older man and his much younger lover; \u003cb\u003e'Scenes from the 50s'\u003c\/b\u003e sees an elderly antique dealer recalling his youth and one life-changing night in 1959; and \u003cb\u003e'New York Girl'\u003c\/b\u003e finds a married man escaping domesticity in the Big Apple in the 1960s. In \u003cb\u003e'The Faint'\u003c\/b\u003e, read by \u003cb\u003eJohn Guerrasio\u003c\/b\u003e, Freddy Python wonders whether to finish with his girlfriend, and in \u003cb\u003e'Poker Night'\u003c\/b\u003e, read by \u003cb\u003eKerry Shale\u003c\/b\u003e, our unnamed protagonist refuses to let a cancer diagnosis interfere with the fortnightly poker game he's been attending for 30 years.\u003cbr\u003eThese stories are complemented by a fascinating documentary tracing Updike's career from 1969, when he came to international recognition, to shortly before his death in 2009. Presented by Mark Lawson, \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFrom Midpoint to Endpoint: Talking with John Updike\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e comprises interviews with the author, extracts from programmes such as \u003ci\u003eWith Great Pleasure\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eArena\u003c\/i\u003e and the writer's readings of his own stories and memoirs – with topics including writing, sex, death, God, golf and American presidents from Hoover to Obama.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eCast and credits\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWritten by John Updike\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGolf Dreams\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRead by John Updike\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Duncan Minshull\u003cbr\u003eFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 2-6 Mar 1998\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Afterlife\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRead by John Updike\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Martin Jenkins\u003cbr\u003eFirst broadcast BBC Radio 3, 19 Dec 1992\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCruise\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRead by John Updike\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Martin Jenkins\u003cbr\u003eFirst broadcast BBC Radio 3, 26 Dec 1994\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eScenes from the 50s\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRead by John Updike\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Martin Jenkins\u003cbr\u003eFirst broadcast BBC Radio 3, 28 Dec 1994\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Girl\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRead by John Updike\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Martin Jenkins\u003cbr\u003eFirst broadcast BBC Radio 3, 28 Dec 1996\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Faint\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRead by John Guerrasio\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Viv Beeby\u003cbr\u003eFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 2 Dec 1993\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePoker Night\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRead by Kerry Shale\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Matthew Walters\u003cbr\u003eFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 23 Aug 1989\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFrom Midpoint to Endpoint: Talking with John Updike\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePresented by Mark Lawson\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Robyn Read\u003cbr\u003eFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 4 Apr 2009\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eText copyright © John Updike 1979 (\u003ci\u003eThe Faint\u003c\/i\u003e), 1984 (\u003ci\u003ePoker Night\u003c\/i\u003e), 1986 (\u003ci\u003eThe Afterlife\u003c\/i\u003e), 1994 (\u003ci\u003eCruise, Scenes from the Fifties\u003c\/i\u003e), 1996 (\u003ci\u003eGolf Dreams, New York Girl\u003c\/i\u003e)\u003cbr\u003eAll rights reserved\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Penguin UK","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":67804092825904,"sku":"BD1xyp","price":11.67,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/1xyp-Square-cover.webp?v=1789768797","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-1xyp","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}