John Updike is one of America's most acclaimed writers of fiction. His novels have twice won the Pulitzer Prize, as well as the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Born in 1932 in Shillington, Pennsylvania, he has lived in Massachusetts since 1957. Author of some 18 novels alone, he has written in many genres, including poetry, children's books and literary criticism. His quartet of novels about Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom include some of his best-known work. In his latest publication, a collection of short stories entitled Licks of Love (Hamish Hamilton, £16.99 in UK), there is another "Rabbit" novella, as well as the story printed today, `Metamorphosis'. Licks of Love is published on Thursday.