This coming February, it will have been 20 years since the publication of David Foster Wallace’s most famous work, Infinite Jest.
Though this might have been the first time you’ve heard that, it seems certain it won’t be the last. Between now and February, there’s bound to be all sorts of commemorative hoopla. (And the recently released feature film, The End of the Tour, based on David Lipsky’s stellar 2010 book, almost seems like the opening volley.) But whatever kind of celebration we get up to, Little, Brown has started things off with a very good one: a design contest. For, you guessed it, the cover of the anniversary edition of Infinite Jest. From Little, Brown’s Tumblr page:
Infinite Jest was recognized as a ground-breaking, infinitely entertaining novel right from the start. But the deep way that so many readers have connected with the book over the last twenty years is what has made it a modern classic. The reviews, essays, blog posts, debates, wikis, catalogs, lists, and love letters Infinite Jest inspired in its readers deliver this great piece of fiction to new fans every day. To celebrate the twentieth anniversary in a special way, we at Little, Brown and Back Bay books invite you to share your inspiration and enter our contest for a chance to win the Grand Prize consisting of a one thousand dollar ($1,000) American Express® gift card, and the opportunity for your original art to be used as the front cover of the twentieth anniversary edition of Infinite Jest (see the official rules for more details, of course). From technology to tennis, Infinite Jest is a treasure trove of vivid imagery and wild imagination and humor and we want to know: When you think of this great book, what do you see?
Entries must be in before September 15. More details are here.
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