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by: David Foster Wallace
List Price: $14.99Amazon.com's Price: $10.19 You Save: $4.80 (32%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 814.54
EAN: 9780316925280
ISBN: 0316925284
Label: Back Bay Books
Manufacturer: Back Bay Books
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 368
Publication Date: February 02, 1998
Publisher: Back Bay Books
Sales Rank: 873
Studio: Back Bay Books
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
This exuberantly praised--and uproariously funny--first collection of nonfiction pieces by one of the most acclaimed and adventurous writers of our time--the author of 'Infinite Jest'--'reconfirms Mr. Wallace's stature as one of his generation's preeminent talents' ('New York Times') 5-city author tour. Print ads .
Amazon.com Review:
David Foster Wallace made quite a splash in 1996 with his massive novel, Infinite Jest. Now he's back with a collection of essays entitled A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again. In addition to a razor-sharp writing style, Wallace has a mercurial mind that lights on many subjects. His seven essays travel from a state fair in Illinois to a cruise ship in the Caribbean, explore how television affects literature and what makes film auteur David Lynch tick, and deconstruct deconstructionism and find the intersection between tornadoes and tennis.
These eclectic interests are enhanced by an eye (and nose) for detail: 'I have seen sucrose beaches and water a very bright blue. I have seen an all-red leisure suit with flared lapels. I have smelled what suntan lotion smells like spread over 21,000 pounds of hot flesh . . .' It's evident that Wallace revels in both the life of the mind and the peculiarities of his fellows; in A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again he celebrates both.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Literate Gonzo
David Foster Wallace--may he R.I.P.--is one of my very favourite non-fiction writers. I'd categorize his style as a sort-of literate new journalism; while DFW is definately the main character of every essay here (even when he's purportedly talking about, say, David Lynch, DFW's distinctive voice makes you think about more him as the writer than about Lynch as the primary subject matter), you still have to respect his effort not just to stay inside his head. Each essay is crammed with interesting ... Read More
Rating: - What a tragedy to have lost such a genius.
David Foster Wallace's irreverence and genius really comes through in this collection of essays. Everytime I read another one I can't help but feel sad that we've lost such a talent. My favorite is the rant on Television.
Rating:  - Confusion Mistaken for Genius
Critics often cry "genius" when they don't understand something, especially when it is presented in such a serious academic way, it can't possibly be trash. It must be so good, we're just not on the same level to appreciate it.
Right after I finished this book, I read the Rolling Stone article on his death by hanging, where almost from the first thing he wrote, he was declared the voice of his generation. Alas, a very hard thing to live with. How do you go anywhere but down after that? ... Read More
Rating: - Wallace on a Cruise Ship?
There are some great essays in the late(tragically) Prof. Wallace's book but the winner is the eponymous " A Supposedly Fun Thing----". OMG! He goes on a seven day luxury Caribbean Cruise--not his idea of course but an assignment from a magazine. I know I would rather die than go on a cruise but to be reminded in this hilarious essay just why that is the case was a delightful experience Do not miss it! The book, I mean, not the cruise---
Rating:  - dud
foot-note boy is a dud.
The essay about a cruise ship is not funny, not well-written and speaks volumes about the immature personality of the writer.
His much touted powers of observation are nowhere in evidence.
Hunter Thompson and Tom Wolfe did this sort of thing so much better.
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