SMASHThank Big Government For ‘Hamilton’There exists a remarkable oeuvre of artworks that we can plausibly say might not exist without the NEA. Here are 10 of the best.David Holmes
FORECASTINGHow ‘Infinite Jest’ Predicted the FutureAs David Foster Wallace’s behemoth of a novel turns 20, its literary excellence is now being matched by its prescience on everything from binge-watching to earbuds. Roja Heydarpour
PurityJonathan Franzen’s Icky SecretsThe novelist’s new mega-tome is a strangely needy book, chock full of autobiography, from a domineering mother to a friendship-rivalry mirroring his own relationship with David Foster Wallace. Tom LeClair
MasterCharles D’Ambrosio’s X-Ray VisionThe essayist’s fans hunt obsessively for anything he publishes. Now, with the publication of ‘Loitering,’ the uninitiated can discover what all the fuss is about.Steve Almond
WTFThe Summer’s Hot Paranoid Fantasy<p>Novelist David Shafer talks about his dark horse hit, <i>Whiskey Tango Foxtrot</i>, about the perils and pleasures of success, and the dangers of living online.</p> William O’Connor
Unfinished Work15 Posthumous Books<p>The late J.D. Salinger reportedly instructed his estate to release <a href="/content/dailybeast/cheats/2013/08/25/film-more-salinger-books-coming.html">at least five more books starting in 2015</a>, potentially joining the ranks of these stellar works posthumously published.<br> </p>
UndeadZombies, Zombies, Everywhere<p>As Brad Pitt battles zombie hordes, an unusual new take on the zombie novel has just appeared on bookshelves. J.T. Price on the perils and liberties of the genre in reading Bennett Sims’s <i>A Questionable Shape</i>.</p> J.T. Price
MAYDAYCruise-Ship Horror StoriesAs thousands of Carnival passengers languish in the Gulf of Mexico, we revisit more tales of deprivation on the high seas, from an epic David Foster Wallace exposé to pirates and viruses.Melissa Leon
Consider the FosterThe Postmodern TraditionalistDavid Foster Wallace’s essays might be stylistically experimental, but it betrays a traditionalist at heart, says David Masciotra.David Masciotra
Cloud AtlasThe Unfilmable Book: Infinite Jest<p>David Mitchell’s <i>Cloud Atlas</i> seemed impossible to adapt to the silver screen, but here it is. We asked readers what other impossible book they’d turn into a movie. David Foster Wallace tops the list.<br> </p> The Daily Beast
UnderstandingThis Week’s Hot ReadsFrom the strange history of the science of genetics to a novel that explores the artistry of Asian Americans.Jimmy So
