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David Foster Wallace

デイヴィッド・フォスター・ウォレス

David Foster Wallace

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1962-02-21 （Ithaca, New York, U.S.）
Died
2008-09-12 （Claremont, California, U.S.） age 46
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
None (had interest in Catholicism)
Residence History
Champaign–Urbana, Illinois (raised) → Ithaca, New York (birthplace) → Boston, Massachusetts (worked/lived) → Claremont, California (later residence) → Amherst, Massachusetts (student)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Professor
Active Years
1987-2008
Affiliations
Emerson College (teaching), Illinois State University (teaching), Pomona College (Roy E. Disney Endowed Professor of Creative Writing)
Influenced By
Thomas Pynchon, John Irving, Stanley Elkin
Influenced
Dave Eggers, Jonathan Franzen, John Green, Zadie Smith, George Saunders, Michael Schur, Charles Yu

Education

Amherst College
English and Philosophy (undergraduate) / English and Philosophy
Degree: BA
Period: 1981–1985
Year of Graduation: 1985
Country: United States
Graduated summa cum laude; honors thesis later published.
University of Arizona
Creative Writing (MFA) / Creative Writing
Degree: MFA
Period: 1986–1987
Year of Graduation: 1987
Country: United States
Completed MFA in creative writing; published early fiction and essays.
Harvard University
Graduate program in Philosophy (brief attendance) / Philosophy
Period: 1987（在学短期・中退）
Country: United States
Attended graduate program but left early.

Awards

MacArthur Fellowship
1997
Organization: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Result: 受賞
Aga Khan Prize for Fiction
1997
Work: Short story 'Brief Interviews with Hideous Men #6' (published in The Paris Review)
Organization: The Paris Review
Result: 受賞
Whiting Award
1987
Organization: Whiting Foundation
Result: 受賞
Lannan Literary Award (Fiction)
1996
Organization: Lannan Foundation
Result: 受賞
Time magazine Best Books of the Year (Fiction)
1996
Work: Infinite Jest
Organization: Time
Result: 選出
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
2012
Work: The Pale King (posthumous)
Organization: The Pulitzer Prizes
Result: ファイナリスト
O. Henry Award (included in anthology)
2002
Work: Short story 'Good Old Neon'
Organization: O. Henry Awards
Result: 選出
Lannan Foundation Residency Fellow
2000
Organization: Lannan Foundation
Result: 受賞／選出
Salon Book Award (Fiction)
1996
Work: Infinite Jest
Organization: Salon
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Infinite Jest

1996 Literary fiction (postmodern / post-postmodern) 1079 pages

A multi-layered, fragmentary novel addressing entertainment, addiction, family, and contemporary American society. Notable for extensive endnotes and complex narrative structure.

Addiction and entertainmentFamily and identityAttention and consciousness
Translations
  • Infinite Jest

The Broom of the System

1987 Literary fiction 304 pages

Wallace's debut novel dealing with language, selfhood, and identity in a witty and intellectual manner; adapted from his undergraduate honors thesis.

Language and realityIdentity

The Pale King

2011 Literary fiction (unfinished / posthumous)

Posthumously published unfinished novel assembled from Wallace's manuscripts and notes; examines boredom, attention, and bureaucracy. Finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize.

Boredom and attentionBureaucracy and humanity

A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again

1997 Nonfiction / Essays

Collection of long-form essays including his famous cruise essay; blends humor with acute observation.

Critique of consumer cultureIndividual and entertainment

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men

1999 Short story collection (fiction)

A collection experimenting with voices and perspectives that sharply examines masculinity, relationships, and self-loathing.

MasculinitySelf-other relationships
Adaptations
  • [Film] Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (film) / John Krasinski (2009)

Bibliography

  • The Broom of the System (1987)
  • Infinite Jest (1996)
  • The Pale King (2011, posthumous)
  • Girl with Curious Hair (short stories, 1989)
  • Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (short stories, 1999)
  • Oblivion: Stories (short stories, 2004)
  • A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again (essays, 1997)
  • Consider the Lobster (essays, 2005)
  • Both Flesh and Not (essays, 2012, posthumous)
  • Everything and More: A Compact History of Infinity (nonfiction, 2003)

Adaptations

  • Film adaptation of Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (dir. John Krasinski, 2009)
  • The End of the Tour (2015) — film based on David Lipsky's conversations with Wallace
  • Simpsons episode 'A Totally Fun Thing Bart Will Never Do Again' (2012) influenced by his essay

Translations of Works

  • Infinite Jest
  • A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Long, multi-clause sentences and extensive use of endnotesPolyphonic narration incorporating jargon and coined termsIntegration of philosophical and mathematical references
Recurring Motifs
Loneliness and alienationBoredom and attentionTension between body and mindDependence on media and entertainment

Health

  • Major depressive disorder
    20年以上（生涯にわたり再発）
    Repeated hospitalizations and treatments, medication adjustments and trials of electroconvulsive therapy; a long-term contributor to his eventual suicide.
  • Substance and alcohol problems (past)
    1980年代後半〜（回復と再発を繰り返す）
    Underwent detox and treatment; periods of sobriety and relapse affected his writing and personal life, intertwined with mental health issues.

Legacy

A major influence on late-20th and early-21st century English-language literature. Infinite Jest is regarded as a landmark contemporary novel. His papers are archived at the Harry Ransom Center and scholarship, conferences, and an international society have developed around his work.

Museums

  • Harry Ransom Center (David Foster Wallace Archive) Austin, Texas, United States Opened in 2010

Academic Societies

  • International David Foster Wallace Society

Archives

  • Drafts, letters, and notes held at the Harry Ransom Center (University of Texas at Austin)

In Popular Culture

  • The Simpsons episode 'A Totally Fun Thing Bart Will Never Do Again' (2012) was influenced by Wallace's essay.
  • The film The End of the Tour (2015), based on David Lipsky's conversations with Wallace, received critical attention.
  • References to Infinite Jest appear in music (e.g., The 1975) and television, indicating cultural influence.

Quotes

  • Fiction's about what it is to be a fucking human being.
    Source: Interview/essay (paraphrased remark) (1996)
  • The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline... you get to consciously decide what has meaning and what doesn't.
    Source: Kenyon College commencement address (published as This Is Water) (2005)

Trivia

  • Was a regionally ranked junior tennis player in adolescence.
  • Loved dogs and expressed interest in sheltering abused/stray dogs.
  • Struggled with long-term depression and substance/alcohol issues.
  • Adapted his undergraduate honors thesis into his debut novel The Broom of the System.