Monday, September 15, 2008

David Foster Wallace

Well, it's pretty sad about David Foster Wallace. I wasn't always his biggest fan, but he was certainly a talented and influential writer, someone you couldn't avoid dealing with in some way if you were interested in the state of literature, and it's too bad things ended up the way they did. For those who are interested, check out this story from the New Yorker last year. It's not an example of DFW at his full-on, mind-bending, greatest intensity, to be sure, but I think it's beautiful, and a good example of why he could sometimes be very worth reading.

3 comments:

texplush said...

i had the scary thought that maybe DFW was the first to truly comprehend the horror apocalypse that is upon us, what with the financial world imploding.
As they say, things are going to get worse before they get better.

drischord said...

Strangely enough, I had been reading "Consider the Lobster" off and on over the course of 2 weeks leading up to his death. For that reason as much as any, I was kind of shook up by the news. He did not seem the suicidal type, at least not through his writings or the interviews I heard him give.

Also my brother and his girlfriend were also driving through Claremont at almost the exact time he killed himself; (they were en route to see me.)

And within 24 hours of the death, Egan Reich had given his first sermon as an internet reverend, which I understand was excellent. (Can you confirm, Tex?) David Foster Wallace would have been proud.

texplush said...

Reverend Reich was indeed stellar in the service. Very impressive. "By the power vested in me by the state of California and the internet..."