July 27th, 2009 / 11:02 pm
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“The Planet Trillaphon…” by David Wallace

DavidWallacePerhaps this is old news for some, but Tin House has republished an early David Foster Wallace story, which was, according to Rob Spillman, only previously available in Wallace’s college literary magazine, The Amherst Review. The story is titled “The Planet Trillaphon As It Stands In Relation To The Bad Thing” and is available online in various PDF forms (though I hadn’t even known of its existence until I saw this issue of Tin House).

I’m happy to have discovered the story.

Here’s the first paragraph:

I’ve been on antidepressants for, what, about a year now, and I suppose I feel as if I’m pretty qualified to tell what they’re like. They’re fine, really, but they’re fine in the same way that, say, living on another planet that was warm and comfortable and had food and fresh water would be fine: it would be fine, but it wouldn’t be good old Earth, obviously. I haven’t been on Earth now for almost a year, because I wasn’t doing very well on Earth. I’ve been doing somewhat better here where I am now, on the planet Trillaphon, which I suppose is good news for everyone involved.

You can read the rest of the story by clicking over to this PDF file.

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24 Comments

  1. Evan

      I like how he is being called David Wallace / Dave Wallace now, after his passing, as he apparently preferred that to dfw.

  2. Evan

      I like how he is being called David Wallace / Dave Wallace now, after his passing, as he apparently preferred that to dfw.

  3. davidpeak

      That’s how he’s credited in the issue. Seems like it was his choice. The DFW moniker is safe.

  4. davidpeak

      That’s how he’s credited in the issue. Seems like it was his choice. The DFW moniker is safe.

  5. gene

      it’s because when he was first publishing broom, bonnie nadell told him that there was another writer out there named david rains wallace so she thought he should insert his mother’s maiden name to avoid confusion.

      my god this motherfucker is missed.

  6. gene

      it’s because when he was first publishing broom, bonnie nadell told him that there was another writer out there named david rains wallace so she thought he should insert his mother’s maiden name to avoid confusion.

      my god this motherfucker is missed.

  7. andy.riverbed

      i would’ve like to have been able to finsh the essay. it gets cut off. why is that? answer me!

  8. andy.riverbed

      i would’ve like to have been able to finsh the essay. it gets cut off. why is that? answer me!

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  10. Lost David Foster Wallace Story Found | Faster Books

      […] Call at <htmlgiant> points out that the new issue of Tin House (a fantastic literary magazine) features one of David […]

  11. Ryan Call

      that’s the end. it cuts off midsentence in Tin House as well.

  12. Ryan Call

      that’s the end. it cuts off midsentence in Tin House as well.

  13. jh

      Cf. Richard Vigorous’ “I’m a man of my” in Broom. Duh.

  14. jh

      Cf. Richard Vigorous’ “I’m a man of my” in Broom. Duh.

  15. Ryan Call

      what does Cf. mean?

  16. Ryan Call

      what does Cf. mean?

  17. jh

      Compare or consult. I thought you went to college.

  18. jh

      Compare or consult. I thought you went to college.

  19. Dan

      ow.

  20. Dan

      ow.

  21. goldmag.de » Blog Archiv » Die Woche unterwegs im Netz

      […] von seinem Leben mit und auf den Anti-Depressiva. Die Wallace-Ausgabe der College-Zeitung als pdf gibt es hier. (htmlgiant.com) Wer von Wallace nichts mehr hören möchte, was natürlich ein […]

  22. brndn

      actually, it’s an abbreviation of confer

  23. brndn

      actually, it’s an abbreviation of confer

  24. David Foster Wallace, “The Depressed Person” | I Read A Short Story Today

      […] Planet Trillaphon As It Stands In Relation To THE BAD THING.” This site will take you to a pdf of […]