Bech at Bay (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780449004043)

In this, the final volume in John Updike's mock-heroic trilogy about the Jewish American writer Henry Bech, our hero is older but scarcely wiser. Now in his seventies, he remains competitive, lecherous, and self-absorbed, lost in a brave new literary world where his books are hyped by Swiss-owned conglomerates, showcased in chain stores attached to espresso bars, and returned to warehouses three weeks after publication. In five chapters more startling and surreal than any that have come before, Bech presides over the American literary scene, enacts bloody revenge on his critics, and wins the world's most coveted writing prize. It's not easy being Henry Bech in the post-Gutenbergian world, but somebody has to do it, and he brings to the task his signature mixture of grit, spit, and ennui.

Author: John Updike
ISBN-10: 044900404X
ISBN-13: 9780449004043
Publisher: Random House Group
Language: English
Published: 10/05/1999
Pages: 256
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.60lbs
Size: 8.02h x 5.12w x 0.56d

Review Citation(s):
New York Times 11/07/1999 pg. 42
Publishers Weekly Best Books 01/01/1998 pg. 42
New York Times 12/05/1999 pg. 104