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• David Foster Wallace was an American novelist, essayist and teacher best known for his 1996 novel Infinite Jest. He was found dead in his home on September 12, 2008, from an apparent suicide.Houston Chronicle: Writer David Foster Wallace found hanged at home (September 13, 2008) His style is often described as meta-fiction or post-modern, for its self reflexive and fragmented narrative style.

  In March 2009 Little, Brown & Company, Wallace's long-time publisher, announced that his final novel would be published posthumously. The work, The Pale King, is scheduled for release in 2010. The book was unfinished when Wallace died, but the publisher indicates it still runs in the hundreds of thousands of words.Arts Beat (NYT): David Foster Wallace's Last Novel ... (March 2, 2009)

• Fast Facts

  1. Born: February 21, 1962
  2. Died: September 12, 2008
  3. Genres: Literary fiction, essays, non-fiction
  4. Debut Novel: Broom of the System (1987)
  5. Lived in Claremont, California
  6. Teacher at Pomona College
  7. Genius grant winner from the MacArthur FoundationHouston Chronicle: Writer David Foster Wallace found hanged at home (September 13, 2008)
  8. Found dead by his wife
  9. Third novel to be published posthumously Arts Beat (NYT): David Foster Wallace's Last Novel ... (March 2, 2009)
  10. The Pale King will be published with notes and "other materials" Arts Beat (NYT): David Foster Wallace's Last Novel ... (March 2, 2009)
  11. The New Yorker publishes Wallace's first post-humus, unfinished work Wiggle Room' 'Paste Magazine: Posthumous David Foster Wallace story published in... (March 3, 2009)

• Timeline

  • 1987: The Broom of the System
  • 1989: Girl with Curious Hair
  • 1990: Rap and Race in the Urban Present (Nonfiction)
  • 1996: Infinite Jest
  • 1997: A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again (Nonfiction)
  • 1999: Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
  • 2003: Everything and More (Nonfiction)
  • 2004: Oblivion
  • 2005: Consider the Lobster (Nonfiction)

• Vocabulary of D.F.W.

  David Foster Wallace fan Nancy Martira started a WordPress blog devoted to words she's learned while reading the late author's work. Known for his esoteric vocabulary, each post analyzes a passage using a difficult word, and presents its true meaning and context from the original source. One example is the word "undurate," which means physically or morally hardened.Official Site: Words I Learned Reading David Foster Wallace

• Related Pages on Mahalo

  David Foster Wallace Suicide | Dave Eggers | Mark Z. Danielewski | Thomas Pynchon | Chuck Palahniuk | Infinite Jest | Consider the Lobster | David Kellermann

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