摘要：When I heard a radio interview featuring novelist John L pdike talking ahum his new novel. Terrorist. I was immediately intrigued. I 'm a fan of fiction who enjoys its capacity to entertain and teach. Yes,teach—by giving readers the opportunity to walk insomebody else’s shoes. I was especially drawn tothis novel because ol what it might teach me, anAirman, about our new enemy—the terrorist. I vividly recall the sense of disequilibrium I experiencedafter 11 September 2001, when I learned that terrorists had purposely flown civilian airliners intothe twin towers of the World Trade Center in NewYork City. Processing this horrif ic news, I joined themasses who asked "Why?” Why were those terroristswilling to sacrifice their own lives—and take thelives of innocent others? In its own way, Terrorist attempts to address those questions. Indeed, earlyon. a character asks, “Those people out there. Whydo they want to do these horrible things? Why dothey hate us?” (p. 48). In an interview appearing inthe N ew York Times on 31 May 2006, Updike remarks, 'I diink 1 felt I could understand the animosity and hatred which an Islamic believer wouldhave for our system. Nobody's trying to see it fromthat point of view. 1 guess I have stuck my neck outhere in a number of ways, but that’s what writersare for, maybe.”.
