Book chat XL: Endless entertainment (David Foster Wallace)

Every month, book lovers gather in Muntpunt for the Boekbabbel. But some books require just a little more time, attention and stamina. With more than a thousand pages, hundreds of footnotes and a reputation as one of the most important novels of American literature, 'Infinite Jest' (original: 'Infinite Jest') is not a book you just read in between. In fact: you probably need a large part of the summer for it. But don't worry, you're not alone. William, a long-time regular participant of the Boekbabbel, takes the lead. About the book 'Infinite Jest', the colossal, tragicomic masterpiece by David Foster Wallace, takes place in a drug rehabilitation clinic and at a tennis academy, located in a fictional America where corporations run the show and the germaphobic singer Johnny Gentle is president. Following Via de Incandenza's, the most endearingly twisted family in modern literary history, and especially prodigy Hal, we follow a society that is under the spell of a film that is so entertaining that everyone who watches it forgets everything else in their life and eventually slips into a catatonic bliss. Upon release, 'Infinite Jest' flouted all novel conventions without ever losing its own entertainment value for a moment. Even thirty years after its release, 'Infinite Jest', sparklingly translated by Robbert-Jan Henkes, asks essential questions about what entertainment is and why it dominates our lives so much; about how our desire for entertainment influences our need for contact with others; and about what the numbness we choose says about who we are. About the author David Foster Wallace was one of the most important American writers of his generation. His work combines philosophical depth, humor and an exceptional eye for the complexity of modern life. With novels, essays and short stories, he explored themes such as addiction, loneliness, entertainment and the search for meaning. With magnum opus 'Infinite Jest', he wrote one of the most influential and discussed novels of the late twentieth century. Wallace struggled with depression for years and ended his life in 2008.