Brief Interviews with Hideous Men Book + PRICE WATCH * Amazon pricing is not included in price watch

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men Book

David Foster Wallace is every other writer's nightmare; not only is he depressingly young (34), superbly prolific (six books so far) and notably gifted (at least three major literary prizes to date), he's also good-looking and, so they say, charming. Now this Midwestern wunderkind has added to his ever-growing reputation by bringing out a short-story collection which, while it has its flaws (too intellectual in places, somewhat over-written in others), is still a few streets ahead of the competition in its versatility, panache and verbal ebullience.The varying length of the stories in Brief Interviews with Hideous Men indicate the range of Wallace's writing. Some, like the funny/dark "Death Is Not The End", about a gifted American writer (ha) lounging by his pool in suspended space-time, are no more than two pages long. Others are just paragraphs. By contrast, the title story is a 100-page-long suite of "conversations" with a series of repellent yet pitiable men given to lyrically reminiscing about "the sort of glorious girl whose kiss tastes of liquor when she's had no liquor to drink". The pay-off is that this girl might have been raped and murdered by one of the "hideous men" in question. Wallace's prose-style is as various as the length, tone and subject matter. Sometime he's like Will Self in his wordy self-confidence. Other times he's as coarsely comedic as Irvine Welsh ("the rawness and tenderness and spanked pink head of his thingie"). Still other times, like in the deft and amusing parody of dictionary-speak, Datum Centurio, the only possible comparison is with a talkative James Joyce after two bottles of champagne. --Sean ThomasRead More

from£7.99 | RRP: £8.99
* Excludes Voucher Code Discount Also available Used from £3.99
  • Amazon

    'A book of formidable creative intelligence, and real moral purpose' OBSERVER

  • Play

    In his startling and singular new short story collection David Foster Wallace nudges at the boundaries of fiction with inimitable wit and seductive intelligence. Among the stories are 'The Depressed Person' a dazzling and blackly humorous portrayal of a woman's mental state; 'Adult World' which reveals a woman's agonised consideration of her confusing sexual relationship with her husband; and 'Brief Interviews with Hideous Men' a dark hilarious series of portraits of men whose fear of women renders them grotesque. Wallace's stories present a world where the bizarre and the banal are interwoven and where hideous men appear in many different guises. Thought-provoking and playful this collection confirms David Foster Wallace as one of the most imaginative young writers around. Wallace delights in leftfield observation mining the ironic the surprising and the illuminating from every situation. His new collection will delight his growing number of fans and provide a perfect introduction for new readers.

  • Blackwell

    * 'A book of formidable creative intelligence, and real moral purpose' OBSERVER In his startling and singular new short story collection, David Foster Wallace nudges at the boundaries of fiction with inimitable wit and seductive intelligence.

  • BookDepository

    Brief Interviews With Hideous Men : Paperback : Little, Brown Book Group : 9780349111889 : : 18 Jan 2001 : * 'A book of formidable creative intelligence, and real moral purpose' OBSERVER

  • 034911188X
  • 9780349111889
  • David Foster Wallace
  • 18 January 2001
  • Abacus
  • Paperback (Book)
  • 273
  • New edition
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. If you click through any of the links below and make a purchase we may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you). Click here to learn more.

Would you like your name to appear with the review?

We will post your book review within a day or so as long as it meets our guidelines and terms and conditions. All reviews submitted become the licensed property of www.find-book.co.uk as written in our terms and conditions. None of your personal details will be passed on to any other third party.

All form fields are required.