are those by the author of infinite jest???

>>7895795
It makes me cringe too

dfw has the worst covers

>>7895793
whichever is shortest

>>7895793
I haven't read girl with curious hair, but Brief Interviews is better overall than Oblivion.

How are his essays?

>>7897081

I've heard time and time again that he's a better essayist than a fiction writer. Having read most of his essays and none of his fiction, I love him. Though A Supposedly Fun Thing... isn't really that good so far. Check out Consider the Lobster first.

>>7895793

octet is cool for metafiction shenanigans
ditto the depressed person

incantations on burning children is good but it's 'workshop good'

good old neon changed my life, it's in oblivion

some parts of the 'brief interviews' (thinking rape thing) i find very good

girl with curious hair has 'little expressionless animals' which i think has some very nice parts, but other stories in that collection are not so great

so,

i think best is brief interviews while best story is in oblivion

>>7897108

oh

forever overhead is also 'workshop good', brief interviews also

>>7897120
If anything's "workshop good" it's most of the garbage in Oblivion. The Suffering Channel and Oblivion (the story itself) especially.

Brief Interviews and Oblivion are both fantastic, haven't read Girl With Curious Hair though.

>>7897108
Could you elaborate on what is meant by "workshop good"? I have a vague idea already, but I want to know what distinguishes "workshop good" from just plain old good

>>7897173
It's a backhanded compliment for superficially interesting and technically proficient but ultimately banal works. The kind of thing people in workshops wank over.

>>7897190

very well put

>>7897190
>banal