Breaking news

[cleolinda]

Writer David Foster Wallace found dead.

Comments

[callmesyd.livejournal.com]

D:

[emeryboard.livejournal.com]

What a horrible way to die -and how tragic for his friends and family. I haven't read anything of his, but that doesn't make it less sad.

[trasnochadora.livejournal.com]

Fuuuuuuuck.

[gaminette.livejournal.com]

omfg no. I saw him do a reading from A Supposedly Fun Thing...

oh man.

no words. this is very, very sad.

[softerthansound.livejournal.com]

This makes Consider the Lobster extremely poignant.

[callmesyd.livejournal.com]

I'd never read that before. Thank you for mentioning it.

[spectralbovine.livejournal.com]

Holy shit.

I haven't gotten around to reading Infinite Jest yet, but holy shit.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I know, dude. "Holy shit" was pretty much all I could manage at first.

[spectralbovine.livejournal.com]

I haven't read a thing by him...but he's one of the Davids!

[wee-warrior.livejournal.com]

That was my exact reaction!

[chris-walsh.livejournal.com]

The hand-to-mouth sort of gasp was my reaction.

I don't usually do that.

"Holy shit" is true.

I've read his essay on the John McCain 2000 campaign, back when Rolling Stone ran it as "The Weasel, Twelve Monkeys, and the Shrub."

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Sadly, I've had the hand-to-mouth gasp a number of times this year. I don't know why, but it's just seemed like that kind of year--a number of unusually high-profile deaths. And I just never cease being shocked by them.

[chris-walsh.livejournal.com]

It was it being suicide that forced that reaction from me. I've been lucky enough not to deal with suicidal thoughts, but friends of mine have. This hit a little close to home.

And I don't like the number of high-profile deaths of late, no sir.

I think a walk's a good idea.

[profbutters.livejournal.com]

GADS. I live in Claremont. Why did I not know this?

[ladysophiekitty.livejournal.com]

I USED TO! I've met him! Actually, he gave me a book light once.


Where did you find out about this? My parents are friends with him and my mom's really pissed unless I find the source.

ETA- oh, I didn't realize the news had the source added. Wow, so shocked I didn't even think. *is stunned*

[kvschwartz.livejournal.com]

Oh, no! :(

[chorusgirl.livejournal.com]

2008 strikes again.

[amberdulen.livejournal.com]

My thoughts exactly.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I didn't want to say it, because a number of people have complained that the deaths of celebrities (read: people we don't actually know) aren't really that important in the grand scheme of things, compared to people who might be having good or bad years based on events in their own lives. You know, something to that effect, from various commenters. But... yeah. If you separate out the category of celebrity deaths... it's been bad.

[incognito323.livejournal.com]

2008 IS A HORRIBLE YEAR IF YOU ARE VAGUELY FAMOUS OR SUCCESSFUL D:

[laerwen.livejournal.com]

I regret to say that I have no idea who he is - I can only say that I am truly sorry. I have many distraught flisters. What a shame. :(

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I'll be honest, I haven't read any of his work (maybe an essay, I can't remember), but he was (from what I've heard) a brilliant writer, a very important figure on the modern literary scene, a MacArthur genius grant recipient, and so on. I'm trying to think of a comparable name from an earlier generation of writers and I'm not sure what comparison to make, but... it's shocking.

[sobell.livejournal.com]

I think you'd really enjoy the essay collection "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again." It's a decent primer to his writing style. Here's the first chapter: http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/w/wallace-fun.html.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Yeah, someone else recommended that to me--I think I'll have to get it. I just hate that this is the reason I'm actually going to read it now, you know? It's so sad.

[rexmanning.livejournal.com]

As a Depressed Person, you should read "The Depressed Person." As a fellow Depressed Person, it struck uncomfortably close to home, and REALLY does now.

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/06/17/013909.php

I actually am a much much bigger fan of his non-fiction: Consider the Lobster is AMAAAAZING, read this now: http://instruct.westvalley.edu/lafave/DFW_present_tense.html 'cuz you're a word nerd.

His Kenyon commencement speech is one of the truest depictions of quotidian bullshit and How To Rise Above It I've ever read: http://www.marginalia.org/dfw_kenyon_commencement.html

And there you have your DFW primer. I'm heart-broken over this, but if there is one glimmer of hope it's that his work may be read by a wider audience.

Suicide is deeply shocking

[franklanguage.livejournal.com]

A couple of years ago, a woman whose dog I walked every day hanged herself in the bathroom. This stunned me to the core, because I had no (conscious) idea she was depressed. (When I thought about it, though, her sleeping during the day was may not have been a good sign.) I just didn't know her well enough to have a frame of reference.

Unfortunately, I had never read any of David Foster Wallace's works, but I will now. (The only time I have these days to read is when I'm doing the laundry.)

Sigh. Suicide is so unnecessary—which is not to say I haven't entertained suicidal notions myself.

[edda.livejournal.com]

Oh shit. I LOVED his nonfiction. And bizarre as it sounds, I was literally thinking of him for the past two days and hoping he'd do some more kickass essays.

[jwdmeow.livejournal.com]

Oh my god. He taught at my school. I never saw him around - I get the sense he did his own thing - but I knew people who were lucky enough to get into his class (you had to apply/audition). How horrible. I've yet to read Infinite Jest, but I have read Brief Interviews with Hideous Men and that is definitely worth a read.

[guinevere33.livejournal.com]

You're a Sagehen too? I was just thinking how weirdly personal this is, given that I never met him on campus.

ETA: Also, this makes him the second Pomona prof to commit suicide in the past 4 years. My Greek religion prof. killed himself and a quasi-girlfriend in a murder-suicide (http://www.tsl.pomona.edu/index.php?article=27) in 2004.

[discogravy.livejournal.com]

He was one of my favorite authors; Infinite Jest is a hugely important personal touchstone for me.

[toritoribird.livejournal.com]

.... Everyone I love is dying this year.

[julian-black.livejournal.com]

D:

My first reaction when I saw the news was total shock. I admit I didn't care for Infinite Jest, but I really liked his nonfiction work a lot.

Shit. And suicide, too. What a goddamned shame.

[madeline-may.livejournal.com]

Shit.

I'll be really glad to see the ass-end of this year, to be perfectly honest.

[lyras.livejournal.com]

Oh, god, how awful :(. Poor bloke, and his poor wife, too.

[gobi-rex.livejournal.com]

OMFG. With all the shit that's been happening lately (politics, weather, crashes), THIS is the one news item that's floored me. I'm sitting here almost shaking. I can't say he impacted my life or anything like that, I just can't believe his voice is gone forever. I admired his writing a great deal. I just discovered him last year and didn't even go through all his work yet.

[ruffwriter.livejournal.com]

GTFO, 2008. I think I've had enough of you.

[gornishka.livejournal.com]

Damn. Loved his work, especially his nonfiction. What a terrible waste.

[naiwonky.livejournal.com]

oh that's sad

[batmaz.livejournal.com]

You know, I got 'Oblivion' out from the library only about 2 months ago, it was the first thing I've read by him. He had such an original style, you know? Never read anything like it. The stories are almost not about what the stories are really about, and I know that won't make any sense unless you actually read them. I don't think anybody could replicate his style.

It's such an awful shame.

[wearejustducky.livejournal.com]

I am so upset by this. I probably reread something he's written at least once every two months or so. I love his world view and his take on things.

"A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again" successfully convinced me that a cruise probably wouldn't be a good idea for someone of my temperament, and his essay about going to the Illinois State Fair is one of my favorites because of the way he divides all of the masses of people into their proper taxonomies, and his respect for the farm and ranch people and what they bring to the fair.

Ugh. 2008 has been one shitty year in so many ways.