David Foster Wallace

Novelist

Birthday February 21, 1962

Birth Sign Pisces

Birthplace Ithaca, NY

DEATH DATE Sep 12, 2008 (46)

#58,768 Most Popular

About

Brilliant but troubled author who is best known for Infinite Jest (1996) and other philosophically complex novels. He committed suicide at the age of forty-six.

Before Fame

His debut novel, The Broom of the System, which compared the U.S. to Disneyland, was published when he was just twenty-four years old.

Trivia

His books are known for their long sentences with complex punctuation, and also for their exploration of the whole of human existence.

Family Life

His father was on the faculty of the University of Illinois and his mother taught English at an Illinois community college.

Associated With

A man of many interests, he wrote pieces about tennis star Roger Federer, as well as about politician John McCain.