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William Gaddis

ウィリアム・ギャディス

William Gaddis

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1922-12-29 （New York City, US）
Died
1998-12-16 （East Hampton, New York, US） age 75
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Massapequa, Long Island → New York City (birth) → Attended Harvard University (Massachusetts) → Traveled in Mexico, Central America, Spain, France, England, North Africa (1950s) → East Hampton (later life)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Essayist, Documentary maker, Fact-checker
Active Years
1955-1998
Memberships
American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters
Influenced
Don DeLillo, Thomas Pynchon, David Foster Wallace, Joseph McElroy, William Gass

Education

Harvard University
Period: 1941–1944
Country: United States
Attended but asked to leave in 1944

Awards

National Book Award for Fiction
1976
Work: J R
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: 受賞
National Book Award for Fiction
1995
Work: A Frolic of His Own
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: 受賞
MacArthur Fellowship
1982
Organization: MacArthur Foundation
Result: 受賞
Lannan Literary Award (Lifetime Achievement)
1993
Organization: Lannan Foundation
Result: 受賞
Election to the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters
1989
Organization: American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters
Result: 選出

Awards & Nominations

Lannan Literary Awards 8 appearances
  1. Edition 61 (1993, held 4 times in year) Lifetime Achievement Award
  2. Edition 62 (1993, held 5 times in year) Lifetime Achievement Award
  3. Edition 63 (1993, held 6 times in year) Lifetime Achievement Award
  4. Edition 64 (1993, held 7 times in year) Lifetime Achievement Award
  5. Edition 105 (1993, held 8 times in year) Achievement Award
  6. Edition 106 (1993, held 9 times in year) Achievement Award
  7. Edition 138 (1993, held 10 times in year) Winner
  8. Edition 215 (1993, held 11 times in year) Lifetime Achievement Award

Works

Major Works

The Recognitions

1955 Novel (Postmodernism) 956 pages

A long, allusive first novel dealing with religion, art (forgery), and identity; notable for its density, allusions, and thematic complexity.

Religion and faithArt and forgeryIdentityImitation and authenticity

J R

1975 Novel (experimental, largely dialogue)

An experimental novel told almost entirely in unattributed dialogue about an 11-year-old who builds a financial empire; a satire of capitalism and communication.

CapitalismBreakdown of communicationChild and society

Carpenter's Gothic

1985 Short novel / linked stories

A shorter, more accessible work focusing on religious fundamentalism and apocalyptic thinking, showcasing Gaddis's sardonic worldview.

Religious fundamentalismParanoiaEthics and contradiction

A Frolic of His Own

1994 Novel (litigation and law)

Centers on continuous litigation and legal processes to portray America's litigious culture and ethical decay; winner of the 1994 National Book Award.

Litigation and legal systemMoral decayLaw and everyday life

Agapē Agape

2002 Novella/fragment (posthumous)

A short, fragmentary work written as the last words of a character similar to the author; title references the Greek agapē (divine love).

Process of creationLove and devotionMeaning of art

Bibliography

  • The Recognitions (1955)
  • J R (1975)
  • Carpenter's Gothic (1985)
  • A Frolic of His Own (1994)
  • Agapē Agape (completed 1998, published 2002)
  • The Rush for Second Place (essays, 2002)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Postmodern polyphonic narrationExperimental style using unattributed dialogueLong, allusive prose rich in references
Recurring Motifs
Litigation and courtsCrisis of faith and religionArt and forgeryCommercialism and capitalismLanguage and breakdown of communication

Health

  • Prostate cancer
    1990年代–1998
    Died at home of prostate cancer in 1998

Legacy

William Gaddis is regarded as a major American postmodern writer. His challenging, expansive works have deeply influenced later authors and become the subject of scholarly annotation and study.

Academic Societies

  • American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters (elected)

Archives

  • Washington University in St. Louis (The William Gaddis Papers)
  • The Gaddis Annotations (comprehensive scholarly website)

In Popular Culture

  • References and praise from contemporary authors such as Jonathan Franzen
  • Works translated into many languages and subject to ongoing academic and public reassessment

Quotes

  • “By a comfortable margin, the most difficult book I ever voluntarily read in its entirety was Gaddis' The Recognitions.”
    Source: Jonathan Franzen (The New Yorker, 2002) (2002)

Trivia

  • Two of his novels received the National Book Award
  • Received a MacArthur Fellowship in 1982
  • Often nicknamed 'Mr. Difficult' by critics and fellow writers
  • Had two children; married more than once and later lived with a long-term partner
  • Posthumous collections of essays and letters published; works widely studied