William T. Vollmann: A Critical Companion

by Christopher K. Coffman (Editor), Daniel Lukes (Editor), Georg Bauer (Contributor)

The essays in this collection make a case for regarding William T. Vollmann as the most ambitious, productive, and important living author in the US. His oeuvre not only includes outstanding work in numerous literary genres, but also global reportage, ethical treatises, paintings, photographs, and many other productions. His reputation as a daring traveler and his fascination with life on the margins have earned him an extra-literary renown unequaled in our time. Perhaps most importantly, his work is exceptional in relation to the literary moment. Vollmann is a member of a group of authors who are responding to the skeptical ironies of postmodernism with a reinvigoration of fiction s affective possibilities and moral sensibilities, but he stands out even among this cohort for his prioritization of moral engagement, historical awareness, and geopolitical scope. Included in this book in addition to twelve scholarly critical essays are reflections on Vollmann by many of his peers, confidantes, and collaborators, including Jonathan Franzen, James Franco, and Michael Glawogger. With a preface by Larry McCaffery and an afterword by Michael Hemmingson, this book offers readings of most of Vollmann s works, includes the first critical engagements with several key titles, and introduces the work of several foreign Vollmann scholars to American audiences."

Genres: Nonfiction

382 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2014

Reviews

[Ian "Marvin" Graye]

A Writer, His Gun and His Companion



All You Vollmanniacs Need An Uncritical Companion (Like This Book or This Dog)

On the Proximity of Critic and Author

This book contains more of this kind of companionship than criticism:

* I've met him

* We had a drink together

* We hung out for a weekend

* He let me pay the drinks bill

* He came back to my apartment

* He slept on my couch

* He slept in my bed

* I slept on the couch

* He didn't wake up until he heard my cock crow

* He admired my shelf full of his books

* He autographed my books

* He thanked me in the front of one of my books

* He dedicated one of his books to me

* He left his coat at my place

* He let me wear his dress around my apartment

* He let me take a selfie with him

* He took a photo of me

* I took a photo of him standing in front of my Vollmann shelf

* He took a photo of me kneeling in front of my Vollmann shelf

* He remembers my name

* He wrote a thinly-disguised story about me

* I wrote a thinly-disguised story about him.

* I edited a thinly-disguised critical companion about him.

How to Not Read Unser Wilhelm

"My small act of countercultural scholarly agency has been to refuse to continue reading or assigning the work of William T. Vollmann. The machine of his celebrity masks, I have argued, the limited benefits of spending the time required to read his work."

Noami von Hankering

[Alexander Weber · Rating 3 out of 5]

most of these aren't all that good
but some were, and I enjoyed the less academic vignets
I really enjoyed the essay about his treatment of sex workers

[Charles Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weighty, if uneven, collection of essays about AMERICAS GREATEST AUTHOR, Bill.
Learnin' about Bill. Eatin' some food.