David Foster Wallace was a talented American novelist and essayist who battled depression for over two decades. He wrote several acclaimed works, including his most successful novel, Infinite Jest. Despite his success, he struggled with mental health and ultimately took his own life in 2008.
Novelist David Foster Wallace’s life seemed like a scene from a great American fairy tale, filled with unique experiences, unsurpassed opportunities, and a tragic ending. It seemed that from a young age he was on the road to becoming an author. Born in 1962 to an English teacher and philosopher, David Foster Wallace spent most of his childhood writing stories and playing tennis.
David Foster Wallace was educated at Amherst College, where his father was an alumnus, concentrating in the fields of English, philosophy and mathematics. His dissertation in English provided the basis for his first novel, The Broom of the System, a surreal journey through what some would consider mundane pursuits. For this and his philosophy thesis, he became a winner, taking home the Gail Kennedy Memorial Prize.
Wallace then studied at the University of Arizona, where he earned a master’s degree in creative writing in 1987. It was around this time that he began submitting his stories to publishers. Many were accepted, and in 1989 a collection called The Girl With Curious Hair was released.
In 1996, his 1,079-page novel, Infinite Jest, was released. It had taken him three years to write, and it earned him the most commercial success of his career. Fans and critics alike hailed him for his poignant style and subtle use of imagery, and in 1997 David Foster Wallace was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship.
Infinite Jest, centered on two main characters – a talented tennis player and a recovering drug addict and thief – is almost autobiographical. There are lengthy descriptions of panic attacks, the decadence of modern American culture, and gritty depictions of what it’s like to live in today’s world. David Foster Wallace spared nothing in his observations, both of himself and of the world around him. He has also dabbled in nonfiction, covering both John McCain’s first presidential campaign in 2000 and the 9/9 tragedy for Rolling Stone. In the series of articles, he has never shied away from his use of irony, grit and realism, often falling to one side or the other of a precarious political line, but always managing to attract his readers.
In an interview with The New York Times, David Foster Wallace’s father announced that his son has been battling depression for more than two decades. Most who knew him agreed that the drug Nardil, which he had been taking for a few years, had allowed him to be both happy and productive. However, in 2007, on the advice of his doctor, he stopped taking it to pursue other treatment options, including electroconvulsive therapy.
The treatment left him in an anxious state. He contacted the human resources department at Pomona College, where he taught creative writing, and took a semester of medical leave, during which he spent time with his wife and family. His family noticed his worsening condition and on September 12, 2008 David Foster Wallace took his own life.
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