From 1986: William Gaddis in Conversation with Malcolm Bradbury. Apologies for the poor(-ish) quality; I'm not a technical fellow, and this interview is only available on VHS. Hopefully you'll be able to hear the interview well enough.
Gawd Damn! Gaddis' image or the two 7-year old with a stolen car - 1 steering, 1 working the gas and brakes - fits the 2021 USA perfectly. I need to read "JR" and "Carpenter's Gothic" ASAP. LOL!!!
I saw it glaring at me in its big pink majesty from a pile in the stockroom of an Oxfam and, rather pathetically, recognised it from a distance and asked if the lady behind the counter could go and fetch it for me. She looked at me like I was a total weirdo. £2, brand new. The charity shop find of the century, for me.
You're the best for posting this. I love William Gaddis and I never thought I'd get to see him being interviewed. You're as amazing as him for posting this.
“The NRA is incredibly strong, and I don’t understand why any congressman won’t stand up and say ‘Why don’t we license guns the way we license dogs and cars’” Oh, Will, you ain’t seen nothin yet.
Dalkey Archive just put out a new edition a short time ago (with a fine introduction by William Gass), which is widely available here in the U.S., but perhaps less so abroad. Bookfinder dotcom will help you find the cheapest available options of both new and used copies internationally, though there are fewer copies out there than one would think. I'd strongly suggest saving up and splurging though-- well worth it!
During high school, he contracted an unidentified disease that dropped his weight to 79 pounds. The treatment for this caused kidney dysfunction, which rendered him unfit to serve in WWII.
Steinbeck was older by a generation -- 1902 -- and Updike born in '32. You're right about Vonnegut, Heller and Mailer, who served and wrote, along with James Jones and others.
A little research shows he was exempted from service for medical reasons, though I've not been able to track down the nature of the condition. Incidentally, of the five writers you mentioned originally, only Kurt Vonnegut was born in 1922. The others were born in 1923, 1902, 1923, and 1932, respectively.
@@OttoIncandenza I haven't read either but how would you say it stacks up against Infinite Jest in terms of difficulty as of course artistic merit is all very subjective
Is Recognitions out of print or something? Surely not. I ask because I can't find it any where for less the £11. I realise I probably sound like a right cheapskate but, times is hard. :-)
Why was Gaddis not in WWII? He was born in 1922. This was a great year of birth for witers. I think Vonnegut, Mailer, Steinbeck, Heller, and John Updike were all born in this year but I am not sure. I am sure that Vonnegut and Mailer were in WWII.
Gaddis speaking elsewhere: “My only real advice is to stop smoking and take care of your teeth. That’s the only tangible advice I can give to any young person.”
