Bech at Bay and Before: Three Bech Novels

Narrator Ron Rifkin (JFK, L.A. Confidential) easily masters the astute, if often nasty, observations of Henry Bech, an occasionally honored, variably compensated New York writer of crusty disposition and unflagging sexual appetite. Drawing excerpts from his Bech books, Pulitzer Prize-winner John Updike skewers the literary life, leading Bech and listeners from post-Khrushchev Russia to a student’s marijuana haze, through a brief suburban entrapment and back to Manhattan in the computer-addled 1990s. Throughout the journey, it’s easy to see why Updike keeps returning to this sometimes repellent, but always fascinating character. (Running time: 6 hours, 4 cassettes) –Kimberly Heinrichs

This audio program collects excerpts from Updike’s Bech: A Book, Bech Is Back, and his most recent book, Bech at Bay. The story follows the writer Bech from a cultural exchange in Russia in the early 1960s and leaves him in Sweden accepting the Nobel prize in the late 1990s. The bulk of the story takes place in New York, where Bech romances women, grants reluctant interviews, and, occasionally, writes. Updike’s (Golf Dreams, Audio Reviews, LJ 10/1/96) story is a straightforward and satirical look at the literary world of publishing, publicity, and prizes. In its attempt to span three full-length books in four cassettes, the program is somewhat disjointed and overabridged. Ron Rifkin’s performance, however, is delightful, bringing Bech and the people he encounters to life.