David Foster Wallace

I may be one of those who discovered him, much later, maybe the last couple of years. And it's really sad to hear the news about his death, especially that he took his own life. The blogospshere and chatlines are, no doubt, talking about him endlessly, this very moment, and the next few months, or years. Below is a link to a transcript of the Kenyon College commencement speech he had delivered, three years ago, in May 21, 2005. I didn't discover this link myself, but from another blog. The piece can be inspiring. And I could feel the humanity, the person in the writer. You could feel he is deeply in touch with his narcissism, but he hasn't forgotten the profound value of empathy. I like him in that speech. I feel like I should finally finish reading his masterpiece, Infinite Jest. But I do wonder about him having the courage to take his own life, where it comes from, the force behind it, the determination to be in the process of getting that rope, tying the knot, and all that. This makes me wonder about Ernest Hemingway, and Sylvia Plath. Hemingway's process was quick. But Sylvia's, too, was not quick. I suppose it comes down to choice, and the profound freedoms choice can give us.

Here's the link:
http://www.marginalia.org/dfw_kenyon_commencement.html

(Unfortunately, this link doesn't work anymore. But if you click this link, there's an explanation why it's not there anymore.)

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