Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself

Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Road Trip with David Foster Wallace is a 2010 book by David Lipsky, about a five-day road trip with the author David Foster Wallace.

Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself
First edition
AuthorDavid Lipsky
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
PublisherBroadway Books
Publication date
April 13, 2010
Media typePrint
Pages352
ISBN0-307-59243-X

Lipsky, a novelist and contributing editor at Rolling Stone magazine, recounts his time spent with the author of Infinite Jest at the moment when Wallace realized his work would bring him fame, and that this would change his life. The book was a New York Times bestseller.[1] In 2014, a film adaptation entitled The End of the Tour was filmed; it was released in July 2015.

Story

Lipsky, who received a National Magazine Award for writing about Wallace in 2009, here provides the transcript of, and commentary about, his time accompanying Wallace across the country just as Wallace was completing an extensive "book tour" promoting his novel, Infinite Jest. The format captures almost every moment the two spent together – on planes and cars, across the country — during the specific time period when Wallace was becoming famous; the writers discuss literature, popular music and film, depression, the appeals and pitfalls of fame, dog ownership, and many other topics.[2]

Reception

Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself—which sprung from a National Magazine Award–winning story—was positively reviewed by critics. In TIME magazine, Lev Grossman wrote, "The transcript of their brilliant conversations reads like a two-man Tom Stoppard play or a four-handed duet scored for typewriter."[3] The Atlantic Monthly called the work, "far-reaching, insightful, very funny, profound, surprising, and awfully human";[4] at National Public Radio, Michael Schaub described the book as "a startlingly sad yet deeply funny postscript to the career of one of the most interesting American writers of all time", calling it "crushingly poignant".[5] Newsweek noted, "For readers unfamiliar with the sometimes intimidating Wallace oeuvre, Lipsky has provided a conversational entry point into the writer's thought process. It's odd to think that a book about Wallace could serve both the newbies and the hard-cores, but here it is."[6] Publishers Weekly, in a starred review, described the book as "a candid and fascinating glimpse into a uniquely brilliant and very troubled writer."[7] The Wall Street Journal described it as "lovely",[8] and Laura Miller in Salon called it "exhilarating".[9] The reviewer for The Awl wrote, “I can't tell you how much fun this book is… It's a road picture, a love story, a contest: two talented, brilliant young men with literary ambitions, and their struggle to understand one another."[10] The book was a New York Times best-seller and an NPR Best Book of the Year.[11]

Honors

References
  1. "Best Sellers, April 26, 2010". The New York Times Book Review.
  2. Schaub, Michael Schaub (May 4, 2010). "A Not-So-Brief Interview With David Foster Wallace". NPR.
  3. Grossman, Lev (April 16, 2010). "Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself". TIME.
  4. Kaiser, Menachem (April 22, 2010). "The Challenge of Writing About David Foster Wallace". The Atlantic.
  5. Schaub, Michael (May 7, 2010). "A Not-So-Brief Interview With David Foster Wallace". NPR. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
  6. Wallis, Seth Colter (April 22, 2010). "My Dinners With David". Newsweek.
  7. "Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself". Publishers Weekly. April 4, 2010.
  8. Sam Sacks (August 29, 2012). "Irony and Its Discontent". The Wall Street Journal.
  9. Miller, Laura (April 4, 2010). "Road Trip With David Foster Wallace". Salon. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
  10. Bustillos, Maria (March 22, 2010). "Booked Up: 'Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: a Road Trip with David Foster Wallace". The Awl.
  11. "NPR Best Books of 2010". NPR.org. 2010.
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