Tuesday, September 16, 2008

David Foster Wallace

I was listening to NPR today and was drawn into an interview with author David Foster Wallace. He was describing his youth in playing tennis and the mindset of athletes compared to his own. Plagued with doubts about his ability, he was never able to perform on the courts.

He went on to talk about life and the emptiness of material things. He was engaging and interesting. Seemingly upbeat and somewhat positive, he offered the occasional chuckle to punctuate his weighty insight. What a valuable mind, thoughtful and provoking.

The segment ended with a note that it had been cut from a 1996 interview with the author and that last Friday night he had taken his own life.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

So, what were you left thinking when you heard he had taken his own life?

t.fraticelli said...

Post a new blog please...

Ben said...

I heard about this. Also Michael Crichton died, so a bad month for writers. Glad I'm not the only person who listens to NPR.

And now that I know you blog, I'll add your posts to my blog-feed. You're right: we should hang out sometime soon.

Liz said...

David Wallace, isn't that the CEO of Dunder Mifflin? Weird, I thought that was a fictional character, and if he committed suicide, how is he still doing shows?