David Foster Wallace
David Foster Wallace’s legacy can be seen in his dense, morally stimulating works of both fiction and non-fiction writing. His background included mathematics, philosophy, and extensive reading supported by his parents, both of which were college professors. His senior thesis from his undergraduate education evolved into his first novel, The Broom of the System. Over the course of his career, Wallace addressed topics including the wars between dictionary writers, his connection to hip-hop as a white male in Boston, political ideology, entertainment, the idea of infinity, and abstract thinking. He was notorious for his labyrinthine footnotes, which skewed the continuity of his novels without derailing the narrative. Wallace’s dedication to self-questioning, humor, and tapping into his reader’s humanity are perhaps his most significant qualities as a writer.
Excerpts from Wallace’s notebooks were included in the 2014 Whitney Biennial, shedding light upon the notes and doodles that emerged as he assembled his last novel, The Pale King. Creatively he believed that boredom and engagement had a symbiotic relationship that deserved more attention. Wallace was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, a Lannan Literary Award, and was appointed to the Usage Panel for the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, among other accomplishments. …
David Foster Wallace’s legacy can be seen in his dense, morally stimulating works of both fiction and non-fiction writing. His background included mathematics, philosophy, and extensive reading supported by his parents, both of which were college professors. His senior thesis from his undergraduate education evolved into his first novel, The Broom of the System. Over the course of his career, Wallace addressed topics including the wars between dictionary writers, his connection to hip-hop as a white male in Boston, political ideology, entertainment, the idea of infinity, and abstract thinking. He was notorious for his labyrinthine footnotes, which skewed the continuity of his novels without derailing the narrative. Wallace’s dedication to self-questioning, humor, and tapping into his reader’s humanity are perhaps his most significant qualities as a writer.
Excerpts from Wallace’s notebooks were included in the 2014 Whitney Biennial, shedding light upon the notes and doodles that emerged as he assembled his last novel, The Pale King. Creatively he believed that boredom and engagement had a symbiotic relationship that deserved more attention. Wallace was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, a Lannan Literary Award, and was appointed to the Usage Panel for the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, among other accomplishments. The Pale King was a finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.