Updike died about a decade or so ago, and he's been eclipsed to some extent by Roth as the premier American author, but I think Updike's prose is second to none.
Rabbit Run is by far his best book and his poetry. They should be taught in schools.
Oh, I think they are... at least at the university level. All the Rabbit novels are terrific. Roth was a flashier author, prone to gimmicky experiments.
Do you know why hes been getting such a negative response to his writings?
Not negative, more indifferent. Updike's style is complex and sometimes difficult. He was one of the American writers Nabokov singled out for praise, one of the only ones.
Who are some authors like Updike that you would compare him too?
Nabokov, for one... but there's really no one else on God's green earth like Nabokov. The Irish writer, John Banville, for sure. 
Was John Banville who wrote The Silver Swan and all the Benjamin Black series ?
Yep, that very one. A great contemporary writer. Try his novels The Book of Evidence and Shroud.