Book description
Both Flesh and Not is an collection of essays and writing
from the virtuosic genius David Foster Wallace
Beloved for his brilliantly discerning eye, his verbal elasticity
and his uniquely generous imagination, David Foster Wallace was
heralded by critics and fans as the voice of a generation. Collected
here are fifteen essays published for the first time in book form,
including writing never published before in the UK.
From 'Federer Both Flesh and Not', considered by many to be his
non-fiction masterpiece; to 'The (As it Were) Seminal Importance of
Terminator 2,' which deftly dissects James Cameron's
blockbuster; to 'Fictional Futures and the Conspicuously Young', an
examination of television's effect on a new generation of writers, the
writing collected here swoops from erudite literary discussion to
open-hearted engagement with the most familiar of our
twentieth-century cultural references.
A celebration of Wallace's great loves - for language, for
precision, for meaning - and a feast of enjoyment for his fans,
Both Flesh and Not is a fitting tribute to this writer who
was never concerned with anything less important than what it means to
be alive.
Praise for David Foster Wallace:
'A visionary, a craftsman, a comedian . . . he's in a different
time-space continuum from the rest of us' Zadie Smith
'Wallace's essays brim with cerebral energy, acute observation and
fizzing wit. Enviably good' Sunday Times
'Wallace's exuberance and intellectual impishness are a delight . .
. a superb comedian of culture' Guardian, James Wood
David Foster Wallace wrote the novels Infinite Jest and
The Broom of the System, and the short-story collections
Oblivion, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men and Girl
with Curious Hair. His non-fiction includes Consider the
Lobster, A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again,
Everything and More, This is Water and Both Flesh
and Not. He died in 2008.
David Foster Wallace, who died in 2008, was the author of the
acclaimed novels
Infinite Jest
and
The Broom of the System
. His final novel,
The Pale King
, was published posthumously in 2011. He is also the author of the
short-story collections
Oblivion
,
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
and
Girl with Curious Hair
, and his non-fiction includes several essay collections and the
full-length work
Everything and More
.
