Items related to Brief Interviews With Hideous Men
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.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review:
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.
Review:
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 Thomas
His skills as a literary innovator are immense...this is an entertaining and dazzlingly innovative work...a dizzying gallop actoss the wild frontier of contemporary fiction. (DAILY TELEGRAPH)
Endlessly inventive (EVENING STANDARD)
Exceptionally clever (INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY)
As clever and intriguing as Wallace's past work (THE TIMES)
Endlessly inventive (EVENING STANDARD)
Exceptionally clever (INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY)
As clever and intriguing as Wallace's past work (THE TIMES)
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherAbacus
- Publication date2000
- ISBN 10 0349112711
- ISBN 13 9780349112718
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages288
- Rating
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace
Stock Image
Brief Interviews With Hideous Men
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR001504737
Buy Used
£ 3.52
Convert currency
Stock Image
Brief Interviews With Hideous Men
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Good. The book has been read but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact and the cover is intact. Some minor wear to the spine. Seller Inventory # GOR001563976
Buy Used
£ 3.52
Convert currency
Seller Image
Brief Interviews With Hideous Men
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Condition: Good. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. A few small stains. Seller Inventory # wbs3986494563
Buy Used
£ 3.44
Convert currency
Stock Image
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Condition: Very Good. Book is in Used-VeryGood condition. Pages and cover are clean and intact. Used items may not include supplementary materials such as CDs or access codes. May show signs of minor shelf wear and contain very limited notes and highlighting. 0.71. Seller Inventory # 0349112711-2-3
Buy Used
£ 38.94
Convert currency
Stock Image
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Condition: Very Good. Very Good condition. Shows only minor signs of wear, and very minimal markings inside (if any). 0.71. Seller Inventory # 353-0349112711-vrg
Buy Used
£ 40.92
Convert currency