History Creator / DavidFosterWallace

Between DeadArtistsAreBetter and the fact that he wrote some of the most experimental fiction of his time, Wallace will, with Creator/JonathanFranzen (a good friend and frequent correspondent of his and a [[WordOfSaintPaul common if controversial source of information on Wallace himself]]), likely be remembered as the premier American LitFic writer of the '90s and '00s, and (most likely) of Generation X more generally (with Dave Eggers and Creator/ChuckPalahniuk coming in a distant third).

His group of short stories all going by the title "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men" (four of which appear in his short story collection ''Brief Interviews With Hideous Men'' along with a bunch of other, unrelated stories) was adapted in 2008 by Creator/JohnKrasinski in his first foray into directing. Unfortunately, Wallace never saw it. After a long battle with severe depression, he hanged himself on September 12, 2008, at age 46.

Wallace was known for his unique brand of literature, characterized by long, rambling sentences, subtle irony, and [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible complete incomprehensibility]]. His nonfiction is more accessible, but still full of epically long sentences and [[FootnoteFever footnotes]].

His group of short stories all going by the title "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men" (four of which appear in his short story collection ''Brief Interviews With Hideous Men'' along with a bunch of other, unrelated stories) was adapted in 2008 by Jon Krasinski (aka Jim from ''Series/{{The Office|US}}'') in his first foray into directing. Unfortunately, Wallace never saw it. After a long battle with severe depression, he hanged himself on September 12, 2008, at age 46.

** Incidentally, the ship he sailed on [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Zenith warrants an article]] on Wiki/TheOtherWiki. Make of that what you will.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece[=/=]{{Zeerust}}: Most of his work can be pretty definitely placed in TheNineties. Even ''Infinite Jest'', which was supposed to take place TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture (probably around {{the new tens}}), manages to have this going.

His group of short stories all going by the title "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men" (four of which appear in his short story collection ''Brief Interviews With Hideous Men'' along with a bunch of other, unrelated stories) was adapted in 2008 by Jon Krasinski (aka Jim from ''Series/{{The Office|US}}'') in his first foray into directing. Unfortunately, Wallace never saw it. After a long battle with severe depression, he hanged himself on September 12, 2008, at the age of 46.

His group of short stories all going by the title "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men" (four of which appear in his short story collection ''Brief Interviews With Hideous Men'' along with a bunch of other, unrelated stories) was adapted in 2008 by Jon Krasinski (aka Jim from ''Series/{{The Office|US}}'') in his first foray into directing. Unfortunately, Wallace never saw it. After a long battle with severe depression, he committed suicide on September 12, 2008, at the age of 46.

His group of short stories all going by the title "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men" (four of which appear in his short story collection ''Brief Interviews With Hideous Men'' along with a bunch of other, unrelated stories) was adapted in 2008 by Jon Krasinski (aka Jim from ''Series/{{The Office|US}}'') in his first foray into directing. Unfortunately, Wallace never saw it. After a long battle with severe depression, he died by suicide on September 12, 2008, at the age of 46.

* ''Literature/ThePaleKing'' (2011, [[AuthorExistenceFailure published posthumously]]. There's a [[http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/09/books/david-foster-wallace-and-the-pale-king.html?pagewanted=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha28 New York Times article]] that explains how the published version was completed from Wallace's extensive drafts and notes)

Within literary circles, he is most famous for his second novel, ''Literature/InfiniteJest'', which is about [[LotusEaterMachine a videotape that is so absorbing that anyone who sees it loses interest in sleep or food and eventually dies]].

[[WMG:[[center:'''''PSA from TV Tropes:\\
If you or someone you know is experiencing any thoughts of suicide or self harm,\\
[[UsefulNotes/SuicidePrevention talk to someone you trust and let them know about it]]. [[YouAreNotAlone There are people out there who are willing to help you and others in need.]]''''']]]]

A little public service announcement that we at Wiki/TVTropes would be very remiss not to make here: If you're feeling suicidal, ''please'' [[UsefulNotes/SuicidePrevention get help immediately.]] Talk to a loved one at the very least and let them know how you're feeling. [[YouAreNotAlone There]] ''[[YouAreNotAlone is]]'' [[YouAreNotAlone help out there]], no matter what you might believe.

His group of short stories all going by the title "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men" (four of which appear in his short story collection ''Brief Interviews With Hideous Men'' along with a bunch of other, unrelated stories) was adapted in 2008 by Jon Krasinski (aka Jim from ''Series/{{The Office|US}}'') in his first foray into directing. Unfortunately, Wallace never saw it. After a long battle with severe depression, he died by suicide on September 12, 2008 at the age of 46.

Bibliography

* ''Up, Simba!'' (2000, account of DFW's time as a reporter about John [=McCain=]'s campaign bus during the 2000 presidential primaries)

His group of short stories all going by the title "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men" (four of which appear in his short story collection ''Brief Interviews With Hideous Men'' along with a bunch of other, unrelated stories) was adapted in 2008 by Jon Krasinski (aka Jim from ''Series/{{The Office|US}}'') in his first foray into directing. Unfortunately, Wallace never saw it. After a long battle with severe depression, he committed suicide by hanging on September 12, 2008 at the age of 46.

David Foster Wallace (1962-2008) was an American writer and essayist of TheNineties and [[TurnOfTheMillennium the 2000s]].

** Incidentally, the ship he sailed on [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Zenith warrants an article]] on TheOtherWiki. Make of that what you will.

* ''Literature/ThePaleKing'' (2011, [[AuthorExistenceFailure published posthumously ]]. There's a [[http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/09/books/david-foster-wallace-and-the-pale-king.html?pagewanted=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha28 New York Times article]] that explains how the published version was completed from Wallace's extensive drafts and notes)

Between DeadArtistsAreBetter and the fact that he wrote some of the most experimental fiction of his time, Wallace will, with Creator/JonathanFranzen (a good friend and frequent correspondent of his and a [[WordOfSaintPaul common if controversial source of information on Wallace himself]]), likely be remembered as the premier American LitFic writer of the '90s and '00s, and (most likely) of Generation X more generally (with DaveEggers and Creator/ChuckPalahniuk coming in a distant third).

* ''ThePaleKing'' (2011, [[AuthorExistenceFailure published posthumously ]]. There's a [[http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/09/books/david-foster-wallace-and-the-pale-king.html?pagewanted=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha28 New York Times article]] that explains how the published version was completed from Wallace's extensive drafts and notes)

His group of short stories all going by the title "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men" (four of which appear in his short story collection ''Brief Interviews With Hideous Men'' along with a bunch of other, unrelated stories) was adapted in 2008 by Jon Krasinski (aka Jim from ''TheOffice'') in his first foray into directing. Unfortunately, Wallace never saw it. After a long battle with severe depression, he committed suicide by hanging on September 12, 2008 at the age of 46.

Between DeadArtistsAreBetter and the fact that he wrote some of the most experimental fiction of his time, Wallace will, with Creator/JonathanFranzen (a good friend of his and a [[WordOfStPaul common if controversial source of information on Wallace himself]]), likely be remembered as the premier American LitFic writer of the '90s and '00s, and (most likely) of Generation X more generally (with DaveEggers and Creator/ChuckPalahniuk coming in a distant third).

Between DeadArtistsAreBetter and the fact that he wrote some of the most experimental fiction of his time, Wallace will, with Creator/JonathanFranzen (a good friend of his), likely be remembered as the premier American LitFic writer of the '90s and '00s, and (most likely) of Generation X more generally (with DaveEggers and Creator/ChuckPalahniuk coming in a distant third).

An American writer and essayist of TheNineties and [[TurnOfTheMillennium the 2000s]].

Between DeadArtistsAreBetter and the fact that he wrote some of the most experimental fiction of his time, Wallace will, with JonathanFranzen (incidentally a good friend of his), likely be remembered as the premier American LitFic writer of the '90s and '00s, and (most likely) of Generation X more generally (with DaveEggers and Creator/ChuckPalahniuk coming in a distant third).

* {{Doorstopper}}: His most famous work, the novel ''Literature/InfiniteJest'', is over a thousand pages long.

* ''This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life'' (2009, book-length version of his commencement speech for Kenyon College in 2005. Released posthumously)

Between DeadArtistsAreBetter and the fact that he wrote some of the most experimental fiction of his time, Wallace will, with JonathanFranzen (incidentally a good friend of his), likely be remembered as the premier American LitFic writer of the '90s and '00s, and (most likely) of Generation X more generally (with DaveEggers and ChuckPalahniuk coming in a distant third).

[[redirect:DavidFosterWallace]]