WRITER

David Foster Wallace

1962 - 2008

Photo of David Foster Wallace

Icon of person David Foster Wallace

David Foster Wallace (February 21, 1962 – September 12, 2008) was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and university professor of English and creative writing. Wallace's 1996 novel Infinite Jest was cited by Time magazine as one of the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to 2005. His posthumous novel, The Pale King (2011), was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2012. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of David Foster Wallace has received more than 11,066,967 page views. His biography is available in 44 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 40 in 2019). David Foster Wallace is the 2,983rd most popular writer (up from 3,155th in 2019), the 3,764th most popular biography from United States (up from 4,135th in 2019) and the 330th most popular American Writer.

Memorability Metrics

  • 11M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 53.03

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 44

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 3.28

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 4.79

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among WRITERS

Among writers, David Foster Wallace ranks 2,983 out of 7,302Before him are Bruce Sterling, Richard Baxter, Yevgeny Baratynsky, Unsuri, Bret Easton Ellis, and Laura Bridgman. After him are Tariq Ali, Amadou Hampâté Bâ, Auguste Barbier, Miklós Radnóti, Wilfred Owen, and Jim Rohn.

Most Popular Writers in Wikipedia

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1962, David Foster Wallace ranks 121Before him are Claudia Sheinbaum, Sumi Jo, Ron McGovney, Maia Morgenstern, Michel Qissi, and Lori Lightfoot. After him are Wynton Rufer, Patrick Ewing, Branko Crvenkovski, Ulisses Correia e Silva, Thomas Gibson, and Peter Steele. Among people deceased in 2008, David Foster Wallace ranks 137Before him are Anthony Mamo, Majel Barrett, Lazare Ponticelli, Baba Amte, Ken Naganuma, and Mikel Laboa. After him are Edna Parker, Bernie Mac, Sarla Thakral, Philipp von Boeselager, Nina Foch, and Emmanuel Sanon.

Others Born in 1962

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Others Deceased in 2008

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In United States

Among people born in United States, David Foster Wallace ranks 3,764 out of 20,380Before him are Bret Easton Ellis (1964), Laura Bridgman (1829), Orson Bean (1928), Lori Lightfoot (1962), Golden State Killer (1945), and Albert Sidney Johnston (1803). After him are Bix Beiderbecke (1903), Tiger Woods (1975), Eugene Stoner (1922), Isadore Singer (1924), Maurice Karnaugh (1924), and Jim Hall (1930).

Among WRITERS In United States

Among writers born in United States, David Foster Wallace ranks 330Before him are Vince Gilligan (1967), Paul Gallico (1897), James Rollins (1961), Bruce Sterling (1954), Bret Easton Ellis (1964), and Laura Bridgman (1829). After him are Jim Rohn (1930), John Perkins (1945), Donna Tartt (1963), Gregory Corso (1930), Lois Lowry (1937), and Anne Applebaum (1964).