Last week I was introduced to two authors named Wallace.
On Monday I asked my illustration students to design a series of three book-jackets for three books by one author of the students’ choice.
The most successful of these were three beautiful jackets for books by Daniel Wallace, the author of BIG FISH (also RAY IN REVERSE and THE WATERMELON KING). I saw BIG FISH as a movie a few years ago, but never really took note of the fact that it was based on a novel.
The same evening my GF and I were scrolling through downloadable movies on Netflix when I came across the title BRIEF INTERVIEWS WITH HIDEOUS MEN.
Being a hideous man myself I thought I might enjoy the movie.
BRIEF INTERVIEWS turned out to be one the strangest and most thoughtful movies I’ve seen in a long while, and one that reveals itself backwards.
Without giving too much away, the premise is that, for her dissertation, a Columbia grad student, almost without any comment, records a dozen or so men talking about how they relate to women.
It’s a short, but compelling narrative, and only as the titles roll is it revealed that the film is based on the book of same name by David Foster Wallace.
I now have my spring break reading:
3 books by DANIEL Wallace (Big Fish, Watermelon King, and Ray in Reverse), and phone-book sized tome––INFINITE JEST by the late David Foster Wallace.
Two Wallaces.
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March 12, 2010 at 12:59 AM |
Hi Ed,
Another Daniel Wallace book you should read if you are on a run with him is Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician. I believe it is his newest, and while Big Fish is his claim to fame I really enjoyed Mr. Sebastian. Wallace teaches at UNC Chapel Hill and he spoke in one of my undergrad english classes (I think way back during Sophomore year). He was a really laid back guy and sarcastic in a cleaver, appealing way. I’m sure taking a creative writing course with him would have been a blast. Anyway, saw your post and had to share. Hope all is well!
-Alice
ps- Sounds like a great project…the book jacket design!