Laura told me to read two things while we were dating–David Foster Wallace’s “Consider the Lobster,” and John Kennedy Toole’s Confederacy of Dunces. In both cases, she introduced me to two significant American postmodern writers. I knew from the beginning that there would be no new material from Toole, because he had committed suicide before the publication of his monumental work. However, Wallace was still around and kicking, so I thought that I had much more to look forward to from him. Unfortunately, he, too, will write no more. I’ve been struggling with a lot of work and a sinus infection, so I missed the news last night that Wallace was found dead, having committed suicide. This is the punch to the gut that hurts most. It’s a reminder that it’s not so much the universe against us, but that we’re against ourselves, because the universe includes us right down to the possibly quantum influenced fibrous tissues that make up our neurons. If you’re interested in something new, I pass along the suggestion to read the works of Wallace and Toole, but I regret to tell you that these are closed bodies of texts lacking the anticipation that comes with living authors.
Michiko Kakutani has a nice reflection on David Foster Wallace’s works in the NY Times today. Read it here.
