John Updike The Poorhouse Fair

Think about this as the cast of characters for your first novel: three old men living in a rural new jersey poorhouse, one somewhat of a leader but a bit of a pompous windbag the second a foulmouthed former newark electrician who ha it on for the director of the Inst And the third a hypocondriac who rats out the other two to the director for who knows what benefit and the Fourth major character is the Dir himself obsessed w how the residents see him and disturbed by comparisons w his predecessor. Can u imagine this published today? No sex no young or appealing chara no movie possibilities plot revolves around their preparations for the annual fair - and yet it's v good w glimpses of the writer U wAs to become the allegorical sense of the Dir as a benevolent NT god and the residents in their way seeking grace ( a story I once wrote had similar allegorical themes abt a camp - never published and I ca understand why not).

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