I enjoy the writing of David Foster Wallace, the (an?) author who killed himself last weekend. I have not made it all the way through Infinite Jest (still working on it), but his piece titled “Tense Present: Democracy, English, and the wars over usage” changed the way I think about language and a lot of other things. His writings on the subject of tennis caused me to appreciate the sport.
Anyhow, I was struck when reading a collection of rememberances compiled by Pomona College, which is where he taught until his death. One student remembers Wallace by writing that “David Wallace thought it was the ethical duty of an author to justify their taking the time and attention of the reader.” Reminds me of someone I know.
Comments on this entry are closed.