''The Poorhouse Fair'' (1959) was the

first novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

by the American author John Updike. A second edition (New York : Knopf, 1977) included an introduction by the author and was slightly revised.

Plot

The residents of the Diamond County Home for the Aged prepare for their annual fair, a summer celebration at which they sell their crafts and produce to the people of the nearby town. The fair is at first rained out, and the young prefect, Conner, turns the "inmates" against him by arguing with the noble Hook (94 years old, a former teacher with strong religious beliefs). After the rain clears, some residents fling small stones at Conner. The novel examines the political and religious dialectics that exist among its characters and their respective generations.

Critical reception

The novel has been overshadowed by Updike's more popular works, and reviews have been mixed. As examples,

Donald Barr Donald is a masculine given name derived from the Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is partly derived from a misinterpretation of the ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' deemed it "a work of intellectual imagination and great charity," while ''Commentary'' called it a "hearty but not very successful try at a first novel."
Commentary website, accessed 3 January 2013

References

1959 American novels Novels by John Updike Alfred A. Knopf books Novels set in New Jersey 1959 debut novels {{1950s-novel-stub