October 04, 2005

New books from Turow '70 and Wallace '85

new_books_oct_05.jpgThis week’s Hartford Courant fall book preview highlights eagerly awaited new books by two of Amherst’s best-known alumni in the literary world.

Scott Turow ‘70, best known for his courtroom dramas, tells a story of family secrets and lies in Ordinary Heroes, his new novel due out November 1. The story, based loosely on the experience of Turow’s father, a surgeon, during World War II, is a bit of a departure for the layer and writer. Kirkus Reviews, in a review quoted in the article, says that in this new work, “[w]ithout diminishing his page-turning narrative momentum, Turow extends his literary range.”

David Foster Wallace ‘85, author of Infinite Jest and A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again, collects recent non-fiction works in a new book entitled Consider the Lobster: And Other Essays, due out December 13. The title essay, published in Gourmet Magazine in August 2004, created a fair amount of controversy. After visiting a Maine lobster festival, Wallace considers whether lobsters feel pain while being boiled. LobsterLib.com, a website run by PETA, features commentary and a PDF of the article. Wallace’s collection also features his essays on topics including Franz Kafka, the presidential race, talk show hosts, and John Updike.

Brian Meacham '97 | October 4, 2005 09:34 PM | Alumni