The Fair in the Asylum

What do they need a holiday for? They have a holiday every blessed day.
John Updike

The "Fair in the Asylum" is a picture of the lives of people in a nursing home, a story about their joys, sorrows, hopes, and loneliness. Every third Sunday in August, a fair is held at the asylum; for the elderly, this is a significant event, not just a chance to laugh at the old things and crafts laid out on the tables that attract crowds of city residents. The goods at the fair remind of an evaporating America, bought up by savvy dealers to later sell to antique lovers. The director of the nursing home wants to improve the lives of his wards, but are the current achievements of civilization enough for the elderly to truly feel happy?

John Updike (1932-2009) was one of the most significant American writers of the second half of the 20th century, a novelist, poet, and literary critic, author of 23 novels and 45 other books: collections of stories, poems, critical articles about literature and painting, and children's books. He was a recipient of many literary awards, including two Pulitzer Prizes (for the novels "Rabbit Is Rich" and "Rabbit at Rest").