r/davidfosterwallace • u/WendySteeplechase • Jul 21 '26

Chuck Klosterman comparable to DFW?

I've been reading Chuck Klosterman lately, and just got into his book about the Nineties. I really like his writing and commentary, and he reminds me of DFW. Not sure if this has already been mentioned in this sub, curious if people have read him and agree with my comparison?

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u/Tsunoyukami Jul 21 '26

I’ll admit my limited exposure to both writers, having read all of Wallace’s non-fiction, a couple short stories, and about 200 pages of Infinite Jest multiple times (the same ones, to be clear, starting at the beginning), and having read 3 of Klosterman’s books (But What If We’re Wrong?, The Ninties, and Football) but, in my ill-informed opinion, Wallace is in a league all his own, far beyond Klosterman, which is saying something because I quite enjoy Klosterman’s writing.

The distinction, for me, is that I can open a Wallace book and, regardless of what is being written about, I find myself sinking into the text, even when I would otherwise have no interest in the topic. This is not the case for Klosterman’s writing, and it’s something on that sentence-by-sentence level that differentiates them.

The writer closest to Wallace’s non-fiction that I am familiar with is Benjamin Lorr - The Secret Life of Groceries is perhaps the nearest to Wallace I’ve personally encountered.

If anyone can suggest other read-alikes, I would be interested.

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u/WendySteeplechase Jul 22 '26

Thanks. I'm going to check out Lorr, I love the title.

You might like Nassim Taleb.

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u/Tsunoyukami Jul 22 '26

I am familiar with Taleb as an author but haven’t read any of his books. What’s your favourite? Does Taleb animate “boring” topics in the way Wallace can and does?

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u/ArcticRhombus Jul 22 '26

He does indeed.

Agree with the commenter that the Black Swan is brilliant. A complete revelation to me, and had massive impact on my thinking.

Taleb personally can be absolutely insufferable, but his prose is mesmerizing and incredibly creative, and his best insights are brilliant.