David Markson

Wittgenstein's Mistress is a novel unlike anything David Markson or anyone else has ever written before. It is the story of a woman who is convinced and, astonishingly, will ultimately convince the reader as well that she is the only person left on earth. Presumably she is mad. And yet so appealing is her character, and so witty and seductive her narrative voice, that we will follow her hypnotically as she unloads the intellectual baggage of a lifetime in a series of irreverent meditations on everything and everybody from Brahms to sex to Heidegger to Helen of Troy. And as she contemplates aspects of the troubled past which have brought her to her present state--obviously a metaphor for ultimate loneliness--so too will her drama become one of the few certifiably original fictions of our time. "The novel I liked best this year," said the Washington Times upon the book's publication; "one dizzying, delightful, funny passage after another . . . Wittgenstein's Mistress gives proof positive that the experimental novel can produce high, pure works of imagination."

Wittgenstein's Mistress

In a new novel that playfully deconstructs the novel, the author exposes himself--and the absurdities and tragedies of the creative life--in a funny, satirical, sometimes painful sendup of the novelist at work. Original.

A Novel

Vanishing Point

Drifting somewhere between fiction, nonfiction, and memoir, the narrator, known as "Writer," takes readers on a fantastical fictional journey crammed with fascinating literary and artistic anecdotes, quotations, and cultural curiosities. Original. 25,000 first printing.

This is Not a Novel

The narrator, Reader, reflects on a lifetime of reading

Reader's Block

Wittgenstein'ın Metresi

Reader's Block (American Literature (Dalkey Archive))

La soledad del lector

A minimalist piece by the author of This Is Not a Novel follows the story of Novelist, an elderly author who sets out to pen his final work strictly in accordance with his own satisfaction, an endeavor that is challenged by his age, solitude, and the successes and failures of others. Original.

The Last Novel

David Markson was a writer like no other. In his novels, which have been called "hypnotic," "stunning," and "exhilarating" and earned him praise from the likes of Kurt Vonnegut and David Foster Wallace, Ann Beattie and Zadie Smith. Markson created his own personal genre. With crackling wit distilled into incantatory streams of thought on art, life, and death, Markson's work has delighted and astonished readers for decades. Now for the first time, three of Markson's masterpieces are compiled into one page–turning volume: This Is Not a Novel, Vanishing Point, and The Last Novel. In This Is Not a Novel, readers meet an author, called only "Writer," who is weary unto death of making up stories, and yet is determined to seduce the reader into turning pages and getting somewhere. Vanishing Point introduces us to "Author," who sets out to transform shoeboxes crammed with note cards into a novel. In The Last Novel, we find an elderly author (referred to only as "Novelist") who announces that, since this will be his final effort, he possesses "carte blanche to do anything he damn well pleases." United by their focus on the trials, calamities, absurdities and even tragedies of the creative life, these novels demonstrate David Markson's extraordinary intellectual richness—leaving readers, time after time, with the most indisputably original of reading experiences.

This Is Not a Novel

L'amante di Wittgenstein

BACK in PRINT - Presumably the mistress of the,title is mad; yet her character is so appealing,and her narrative voice so witty and seductive,that the reader will follow her hypnotically as,she unloads the intellectual baggage of a,lifetime. in a series of irreverent meditations on,everything and everybody from Brahms to sex to,Heidegger to Helen of Troy, she contemplates,aspects of the troubled past which have brought,her to her present state, creating an obvious,metaphor for ultimate loneliness.

A reprint of an old classic, this is a wonderfully comic and rambunctious novel about a scrawny, bawdy, teenaged gunslinger determined to make a name for himself a la the "great, bad men of the Old West". The Ballad of Dingus Magee Was the basis for a 1970 movie starring Frank Sinatra. "A bawdy, gaudy charade...There is even a parallel to Don Quixote and Sancho Panza...splendidly convoluted". -- Charles Poore The New York Times

The Ballad of Dingus Magee

A collection of poems written between the early 1950s and the late 1970s.

Collected Poems

A collection of letters follows the correspondence between a fan and the late author of such works as Springer's Progress, offering insight into Markson's perspectives on aging, poor health, his relationships and the literary scene of the mid-20th century. Original.

Letters from David Markson

Fare Forward

"Pretty much the high point of experimental fiction in this country."-David Foster Wallace

Como la pipa del cuadro de Magritte que analizó Foucault, Esto no es una novela se proyecta en muchas direcciones y pone a la imaginación en situación de sospecha. ¿De qué se trata? Las pistas son múltiples: la muerte, el amor, la representación, el trabajo, la amistad, la vida "ejemplar" de artistas y científicos, lo singular y lo tautológico, lo indiferente y lo obvio, la lealtad fanática del humor, la hondura angustiosa de la enfermedad y la muerte, "el sufrimiento de ser y el aburrimiento de existir", el arco delicioso de la risa imprevista y la inconstante dicha. El libro a nadie expulsa, y proporciona una sabiduría y un deleite ilimitados. Esto no es una novela es y no es una novela. Y así la colección de datos, citas, hechos, anécdotas, escenas veladas, discretas tragedias, encuentra el cauce, el paso, el ritmo justo de lectura que le impone ese otro personaje admirable al que la novela parece, por fin, asignarle un papel central: el lector

Esto no es una novela

Although best known today for his singular, stunning ?anti-novels” dazzlingly conjured from anecdotes, quotes, and small thoughts, in his early days David Markson paid the rent by writing punchy, highly dramatic fictions. On the heels of a new double edition of his steamy noirs Epitaph for a Tramp and Epitaph for a Deadbeat comes a new edition of his 1965 classic The Ballad of Dingus Magee, whose subtitle ? ?Immortal True Saga of the Most Notorious and Desperate Bad Man of the Olden Days, his Blood-Shedding, his Ruination of Poor Helpless Females, & Cetera” ? gives readers a hint of the raucous sensibility at work here. Brimming with blasphemy, bullets, and bordellos, this hilarious tale, which inspired the Frank Sinatra movie Dirty Dingus McGee, shows the early Markson at his outrageous best, taking down, as Playboy put it, ?the breeches of the Old West and blast[ing] what's exposed with buckshot.”

Going Down

David Foster Wallace

"Wittgensteins Mistress is the story of a woman who is convinced - and may ultimately convince the reader as well - that she is the only person left on earth. So appealing is her character, and so witty and seductive her narrative voice, we follow her hypnotically as she unloads the intellectual baggage of a lifetime in a series of irreverent meditations on everything from Brahms to sex to Heidegger to Helen of Troy. And as she contemplates aspects of the troubled past that have brought her to her present state, so too will her drama become one of the few certifiably original fictions of our time"--P. [4] of cover.

David Markson

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