Why people recommend it
The Pale King by David Foster Wallace is an unfinished, posthumously published novel that explores boredom, bureaucracy, and the inner lives of Internal Revenue Service employees. Emily St. John Mandel expressed her admiration for the book during an appearance on Conversations with Tyler, stating that she loves The Pale King even though the author never lived to complete the novel. In a parallel discussion on the Lex Fridman Podcast, Sean Kelly also examined the work, focusing on the incredibly moving letters and struggles David Foster Wallace experienced while trying to write this final, unfinished literary project. Together, these reflections underscore the lasting cultural and emotional resonance of Wallace's final creative endeavor, celebrating its artistic ambition despite its fragmented and incomplete state.
Who recommended it
- Sean Kelly Discussed
- Emily St. John Mandel Recommended
Sean Kelly — 1 mention
“and he and he writes these sort of incredibly moving letters when he's trying to write the pale king which is the end of which is the unfinished novel”
Emily St. John Mandel — 1 mention
“but that being said i love the pale king even though he never finished that novel”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
- A Canticle for Leibowitz
- All Things Shining
- Atlas Shrugged
- Being and Nothingness
- Consider the Lobster
- Infinite jest
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“And The third one was The Pale King. Oh, The Pale King. Foster Wallace.”