{"product_id":"the-letters-of-william-gaddis-isbn-9781681375830","title":"The Letters of William Gaddis","description":"\u003cb\u003eA revelatory collection of correspondence by the lauded author of titanic American classics such as \u003ci\u003eThe Recognitions \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eJ R, \u003c\/i\u003eshedding light on his staunchly private life.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eUPDATED WITH OVER TWO DOZEN NEW LETTERS AND PHOTOGRAPHS\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNow recognized as one of the giants of postwar American fiction, William Gaddis shunned the spotlight during his life, which makes this collection of his letters a revelation. Beginning in 1930 when Gaddis was at boarding school and ending in September 1998, a few months before his death, these letters function as a kind of autobiography, and also reveal the extent to which he drew upon events in his life for his fiction. Here we see him forging his first novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Recognitions\u003c\/i\u003e (1955), while living in Mexico, fighting in a revolution in Costa Rica, and working in Spain, France, and North Africa. Over the next twenty years he struggles to find time to write the National Book Award–winning \u003ci\u003eJ R\u003c\/i\u003e (1975) amid the complications of work and family; deals with divorce and disillusionment before reviving his career with \u003ci\u003eCarpenter’s Gothic\u003c\/i\u003e (1985); then teaches himself enough about the law to produce \u003ci\u003eA Frolic of His Own \u003c\/i\u003e(1994). Resuming his lifelong obsession with mechanization and the arts, he finishes a last novel, \u003ci\u003eAgapē Agape\u003c\/i\u003e (published in 2002), as he lies dying.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis newly revised edition includes clarifying notes by Gaddis scholar Steven Moore, as well as an afterword by the author’s daughter, Sarah Gaddis.“In these letters, Gaddis praises readers who simply appreciate how  entertaining, how funny, his richly allusive novels can be. . . . [I]f  you’re a Gaddis devotee, you should definitely acquire this superbly  edited collection of his letters.” —Michael Dirda, \u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The version of Young Gaddis we get from these early letters will resonate with anyone who’s held artistic ambitions. He’s callow, largely unread, generally ignorant of just how ignorant he is, charming, brave, and foolish.” —\u003ci\u003eBiblioklept\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Gaddis’ letters make for remarkable, stimulating reading. . . . These  letters will surely be rewarding for those who have found common cause  with Gaddis’ novels, and they should be read by anyone who seriously  cares about being a writer or understanding the struggles of the true  artist in a capitalist society.” —Veronica Esposito, \u003ci\u003eBarnes and Noble Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “A welcome book for those of us who want to learn of the financial,  legal, and marital challenges Gaddis faced while writing what is without  question some of the most profound—if still seldom read—literature of  the 20th century.” —Andrew Ervin, \u003ci\u003eThe Philadelphia Inquirer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “The most interesting early letters are those in which the would-be  novelist practices his voice. It is touching to discover that Gaddis,  whose writerly authority is so pronounced and unassailable in the  novels, had in fact to struggle for his style.” —Len Gutkin, \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “[T]he \u003ci\u003eLetters\u003c\/i\u003e constitute a telling self-portrait, one that  reads like a powerful if admittedly difficult (that word again!) novel,  in which much of the action takes place outside of the narrative  proper.” —Justin Taylor, \u003ci\u003eObserver\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “The publication of \u003ci\u003eThe Letters of William Gaddis\u003c\/i\u003e is significant because it presents the first direct and unveiled access to this ‘reclusive’ author.” —Emmett Stinson, \u003ci\u003eSydney Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003eA 1982 MacArthur Fellow and two-time winner of the National Book Award, \u003cb\u003eWilliam Gaddis\u003c\/b\u003e (1922–1998) was the author of five novels: \u003ci\u003eThe Recognitions\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eJ R \u003c\/i\u003e(both published by NYRB Classics), \u003ci\u003eCarpenter's Gothic\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eA Frolic of His Own\u003c\/i\u003e, and, published posthumously, \u003ci\u003eAgapē Agape\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSteven Moore\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of the two-volume survey \u003ci\u003eThe Novel: An Alternative History\u003c\/i\u003e, and has written and edited several books on the works of William Gaddis. He served as the managing editor of Dalkey Archive Press and the \u003ci\u003eReview of Contemporary Fiction\u003c\/i\u003e from 1988 to 1996. He lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSarah Gaddis\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of the novel \u003ci\u003eSwallow Hard\u003c\/i\u003e, and her work has appeared in \u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eFaultline\u003c\/i\u003e, and other publications. She is William Gaddis’s daughter.","brand":"NYRB Classics","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46304097042661,"sku":"NP9781681375830","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781681375830.jpg?v=1767740214","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-letters-of-william-gaddis-isbn-9781681375830","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}