Monday, October 06, 2008

LIFE BEFORE DEATH

Catching up on my back New Yorkers I find that David Foster Wallace, whose work I have read there, and in Harper's, hanged himself in September.  Young (46) major literary author. Apparently suffered from depression for a long time.  So I went web browsing and came across a commencement address he gave at Kenyon College in 2005 that is really worth reading.  It saddens me that the person who said these things has taken his own life (but it may be predicted there in the text). I may have to read "Infinite Jest," his 1996 novel. (It's time I read something that isn't about China.)  According to some literary analysis,  the story takes place in 2008. ("The Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment.")  Have any of my two readers experience with DFW?

1 comment:

holly said...

i have not. i will look him up directly.