Slog - Comments on David Foster Wallace

Comment by stinkbug

stinkbug — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 19:52:04 -0800

(insert stupid joke about how he killed himself because he was frustrated at not being able to get through reading all of Infinite Jest.)

Comment by Kill the children it's for their own good

Kill the children it's for their own good — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 20:13:20 -0800

Dan Savage -brave warrior Oct. 2002

War may be bad for children and other living things, but there are times when peace is worse for children and other living things, and this is one of those times. Saying no to war in Iraq means saying yes to the continued oppression of the Iraqi people.

In the meantime, invading and rebuilding Iraq will not only free the Iraqi people, it will also make the Saudis aware of the consequences they face if they continue to oppress their own people while exporting terrorism and terrorists. The War on Iraq will make it clear to our friends and enemies in the Middle East (and elsewhere) that we mean business: Free your people, reform your societies, liberalize, and democratize... or we're going to come over there, remove you from power, free your people, and reform your societies for ourselves.

Comment by Lincolnish

Lincolnish — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 20:59:19 -0800

DFW, you'll be missed.

Comment by pffft

pffft — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 21:23:15 -0800

This is really an unpleasant and sad surprise. He was so young. I really loved his work. RIP.

Comment by John Bailo

John Bailo — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 21:40:52 -0800

Re-title that: Finite Jest.

Comment by unred

unred — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 21:44:02 -0800

Wow - I didn't see that coming at all. I was just re-reading his piece about traveling with McCain 8 years ago.

Comment by Ryan

Ryan — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 21:56:19 -0800

RIP DFW.

You saved a thousand lives with that massive tome of yours, including mine.

Comment by Lorenzo

Lorenzo — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 22:40:51 -0800

That is really fucked up.
That makes me very sad.

Comment by Stacey

Stacey — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 22:55:12 -0800

Ghastly. His brain was an amazing,
restless writing machine. He played some nice smooth basketball.

Comment by whatevernevermind

whatevernevermind — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 23:15:52 -0800

I know it's more complex than this, but what does it mean when people who have accomplished so much decide it's not enough to live for? What is enough to live for? It's not like he was known for being suicidally depressed, was he?

Comment by STJA

STJA — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 23:37:42 -0800

I'm so bummed.

Comment by monty

monty — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 23:48:29 -0800

no no no no no no no no no no.

Do not want.

Comment by Ryan

Ryan — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 23:54:20 -0800

@10: DFW struggled with depression and was suicidal while at Amherst.

I hope The Stranger (or SLOG) eventually does something more than link to his obit. DFW was a giant.

Comment by Hannah

Hannah — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 23:58:33 -0800

Holy.
Shit.

Comment by Sean

Sean — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 23:58:42 -0800

Comment by bazz

bazz — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 00:01:59 -0800

You are able to write so brilliantly, you touch the hearts and minds of people all over the world, you hang yourself before your wife gets home. You have dumbfounded me yet again, DFW. I really wanted to keep reading your work as I grew old.

Comment by superfrankenstein

superfrankenstein — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 00:12:20 -0800

Oh, no.

Comment by PopTart

PopTart — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 00:14:53 -0800

I found the text of his commencement speech at Kenyon online as I was reading about his death, I think it is lovely and profound and sadly prophetic so I am sharing the link here:

http://www.marginalia.org/dfw_kenyon_commencement.html

Comment by tsm

tsm — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 00:47:59 -0800

Insert too-soon joke about his excessively footnoted 600-page, three-sentence suicide note.

Seriously, this really struck me in a way I never would've expected it to. There was a story in "Oblivion" about a man's eventual decision to commit suicide (supposedly inspired by a classmate of his) that was so detailed and pensive that it makes me now wonder how much of it was really about himself.

Comment by kerri harrop

kerri harrop — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 01:38:54 -0800

Charles Mudede broke this news to me this evening, in the lobby of the Moore Theatre.

I don't know what was more surreal -- the actual fact, or Mudede's maniacal laugh that accompanied the disturbing news.

RIP to one of the best modern American authors.

Comment by ann kittenplan

ann kittenplan — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 02:19:46 -0800

truly depressing. i do not know what to think or say or do.

Comment by mookie

mookie — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 06:24:26 -0800

After a particularly terrible breakup, I read Broom Of The System three times in a row. It made me believe in myself, writing, and the world again. Thank you for that, Mr. Wallace, you will indeed be missed.

Comment by skweetis

skweetis — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 06:31:51 -0800

I thought he looked like a huge asshole in that white bandana on the back of infinite jest. But damn I loved that book.

Comment by homage to me

homage to me — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 08:21:42 -0800

Thank you for that link Pop Tart @ 18. That was about the best speech ever.

Comment by Kaz

Kaz — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 10:15:43 -0800

I realize he's best known for Infinite Jest, but A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again remains one of my favorite collections ever and is what introduced me to this brilliant author. This is as sad as Heath Ledger's untimely death.

Comment by Fnarf

Fnarf — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 10:32:35 -0800

I couldn't read his fiction, but his essays were outstanding. What a terribly sad thing. No, Kaz, writers are much bigger losses than actors, and suicides are the worst of all.

Please, people, if you're thinking about it, call someone. Call anyone.

Comment by Grant Cogswell

Grant Cogswell — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 11:43:56 -0800

Oh man, oh man. What now?

Comment by Ryan

Ryan — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 12:14:28 -0800

Question: Is anyone at The Stranger working on something a little more comprehensive than a link to his obit? Surely somebody on staff has something to actually say about this, right?

Comment by Rev. Syung Myung Me

Rev. Syung Myung Me — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 15:48:37 -0800

Charles Mudede broke this news to me this evening, in the lobby of the Moore Theatre.

I don't know what was more surreal -- the actual fact, or Mudede's maniacal laugh that accompanied the disturbing news.

...CHRIST what an ASSHOLE.

Comment by jnonymous

jnonymous — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 22:16:04 -0800

@19 - All I can think about is that suicide note.
For a person who has seemingly taken in the most banal and foolish elements of our modern lives (en masse) and spun them into a diamond mirror for us to consider - how could it have gotten to him? He seemed impervious, exuberant, and driven. Maybe even maniacal. What could bring him down? What is in that note?

And what, pray tell, could Charles Mudede have to say for himself? Fucker is always walking a thin line.

Comment by Gidget

Gidget — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 09:56:00 -0800

By boyfriend called me last night to inform me of this. The rest of my Sunday was ruined. RIP DFW. You made me laugh out loud, which is difficult to do. Fnarf is right for once; your fiction is a chore, but your essays soar. Hope you found peace.

Comment by nightlifejitters

nightlifejitters — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 18:33:01 -0800

That sucks. I guess he wasn't a Cubs fan.