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"Before you know it as the years go by, you're just like other people you have seen, with all those peculiar human ailments. Just another vehicle for temper and vanity and rashness and all the rest. Who wants it? Who needs it? These things occupy the place where a man's soul should be." -- Henderson the Rain King

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Consider The Lobster

Book #46 was David Foster Wallace's excellent essay collection Consider The Lobster.

I really, really enjoyed this one. Top to bottom the essays are smart, insightful, funny and thought provoking.

How I picked this one
I'd heard the buzz around Wallace for years, occassionally catching one of his always wonderful smaller pieces in magazines such as Rolling Stone but sadly never getting around to picking up one of his books. I wish I could say I was a long time fan, but the truth is that when he tragically passed away in September his name popped up again and I finally got around to bumping this one to the top of my stack. Turns out I've been missing out for a long time and DFW was every bit the writer people said he was. I'll definitely be picking up more of his works soon (maybe Infinite Jest?) though it's depressing to know there won't be any new ones.

Further Reading
"Consider the Lobster" essay <-- highly recommended
Excellent tribute from Rolling Stone

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posted by Jamie at 1:11 AM