String Theory: David Foster Wallace on Tennis A Library of America Special Publication

David Foster Wallace — 2016

An instant classic of American sportswriting--the tennis essays of David Foster Wallace, "the best mind of his generation" (A. O. Scott) and "the best tennis-writer of all time" (New York Times) Both a onetime "near-great junior tennis player" and a lifelong connoisseur of the finer points of the game, David Foster Wallace wrote about tennis with the authority of an insider, the showmanship of a literary pyrotechnician, and disarming admiration of an irrepressible fan. Including his masterful profiles of Roger Federer and Tracy Austin, String Theory gathers Wallace's five famous essays on tennis, pieces that have been hailed by sportswriters and literary critics alike as some of the greatest and most innovative magazine writing in recent memory. Whiting-Award winning journalist John Jeremiah Sullivan provides an introduction.

Reviews

Matt Eaves@eavesyy

Jul 5, 2024

If it was all like ‘Federer’ or ‘Michael Joyce’, then an easy 5-star. But it’s not, and some of the other essays hold it back

Timeo Williams@timeowilliams

Jun 5, 2024

Great book. Very wordy, but in my opinion, the quality only increased as a result. This book was a poem on tennis, in a way. As someone who loved watching Federer and attempted to emulate his whole game, I can understand when Wallace says that, "Tennis is the most beautiful sport there is."

Satyajeet Pal@readerpal

Dec 19, 2023

So so good. Perhaps made even better because I know so little about tennis. David Foster Wallace has a great way of going deep into explaining something while sustaining my attention. I never thought I’d be so interested in learning about the lives of players on the fringe of most major tournaments or about the concessions and economic activity at the US open. Sped through this and loved it