The New Yorker: Fiction Adam Levin Reads David Foster Wallace
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Nov 1, 2025 Adam Levin, award-winning author known for works like The Instructions and Bubblegum, joins to explore David Foster Wallace's story, 'Backbone.' He reflects on his early encounters with Wallace's writing, sharing what drew him to this particular story. Levin and host Deborah Treisman delve into themes of parental absence, artistic compulsion, and the search for wholeness. Their discussion includes fascinating insights on Wallace's narrative style and the emotional weight of the story's ending, blending humor and depth seamlessly.
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Instant Obsession With The Story
- Adam Levin describes reading "Backbone" the week it came out and immediately teaching it in his workshop.
- He says the story "blew his mind" and he reread and taught it almost instantly.
Whole Language Masks Incompleteness
- Wallace frames the story with self-help diction to hint at adult influence and cultural language.
- The word "whole" signals an ironic tension between claimed completeness and the boy's incompleteness.
Early Draft Hid Mother’s Fate
- Deborah Treisman recalls the 1999 draft where the boy's mother died of septic shock after his birth.
- She explains Wallace removed that explicit cause in the final version, leaving maternal absence ambiguous.
