David Foster Wallace: In His Own Words

Since 2011's posthumously published The Pale King, new Wallace titles have been repackagings of previously available essays and other items such as book reviews and print interviews. While this work is in the same vein, it's a treat for fans, who will relish hearing Wallace reading selections of his fiction and nonfiction (in studio and onstage) as well as listening to interviews he conducted for radio shows and other venues and even a commencement address he gave. It's sad but also fascinating to hear his gentle, thoughtful voice explaining the ins and outs of his books and his writing process and his occasional gripes with his editors and publishers. His thoughts on turning his material into audiobook form will interest fans, too, who will be familiar with his extensive use, even in fiction, of footnotes. His nonfiction and interviews are the most enjoyable material here; while it's instructive to experience Wallace's interpretation of his fiction, his voice is not ideally suited to acting and becomes a distraction.