First published 2002
William Gaddis wrote only four novels but secured his place among America's finest writers. This collection gathers his critical essays, many appearing in print for the first time. The volume opens with "Stop Player. Joke No. 4," Gaddis's first national publication that served as groundwork for his planned player piano history. The title essay examines America's squandered chances over five decades. "Old Foes with New Faces" explores how writers grapple with religious questions. These diverse pieces reveal Gaddis's independent literary mind working against the backdrop of rising political and religious conservatism. The essays showcase the same intellectual rigor that distinguished his fiction.
Genres: essays, literary-criticism, american-fiction, 20th-century, biography-memoir, criticism, 21st-century, academic
Vibes: atmospheric, intellectual, thought-provoking
Tropes: independent-thinker, intellectual-discourse
Period: 20th-Century, 21st-Century
182 pages · Paperback · Penguin Publishing Group