Novelist Found Dead in Home
A picture of David Foster Wallace.
Novelist and professor David Foster Wallace was found hanged by his wife on the evening of September 12, 2008.
The police reported that his wife came home around 9:30 that evening, only to find her husband hanged by his own hand.
Wallace, 46, taught both Creative Writing and English at the nearby Pomona College. After his death, Dean Gary Kates had high praises for the professor, saying that "[Wallace] cared deeply for his students and transformed the lives of many youing people. It's a great loss to our teaching faculty."
His works are characterized by obscurity, made-up words and acronyms, and irony. His first novel, "The Broom of the System," was most notable due to its offbeat humor. Nine years later, "Infinite Jest." a massive 1000 plus page behemoth, was published. It was recognized as one of Time Magazine's "100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005." His short story collections included "Girl with Curious Hair" and "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men." In addition to this, Wallace also wrote non-fiction journalism pieces for such respected magazines as Rolling Stone and the Los Angeles Times.
Wallace was hired by the University of Pomona in 2002 as a member of the English department. In a recent interview, Dean Kates said that he was "really the ideal person for the position."
In late 2006 John Krasinski began production on a film version of Breif Interviews With Hideous Men. It does not have a scheduled release date.
