{"product_id":"the-rush-for-second-place-essays-and-occasional-writings-9780142002384","title":"The Rush for Second Place: Essays and Occasional Writings","description":"\u003cb\u003eAn essential collection of nonfiction essays by the National Book Award winning author of \u003ci\u003eJ R\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eA Frolic of His Own\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWilliam Gaddis published only four novels during his lifetime, but with those works he earned himself a reputation as one of America's greatest novelists. Less well known is Gaddis's body of excellent critical writings. Here is a wide range of his original essays, some published for the first time. From \"'Stop Player. Joke No. 4, '\" Gaddis's first national publication and the basis for his projected history of the player piano, to the title essay about missed opportunities in America during the past fifty years, to \"Old Foes with New Faces,\" an examination of the relationship between the writer and the problem of religion-this diverse collection displays the power of an autonomous literary intelligence in an age increasingly dominated by political and religious conservatism.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWilliam Gaddis (1922-1998) \u003c\/b\u003ewas a master of the American novel who was frequently compared with Joyce, Nabokov, and Pynchon. Two of his novels, \u003cb\u003eJ R\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003eA Frolic of His Own\u003c\/b\u003e, won the National Book Award. He was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the recipient of a MacArthur Prize. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eJoseph Tabbi\u003c\/b\u003e was the first scholar to be given access to the Gaddis archives. He conducts research in American literature and new media writing at the University of Illinois at Chicago.\u003cbr\u003eJoseph Tabbi was the first scholar to be given access to the Gaddis archives. He conducts research in American literature and new media writing at the University of Illinois at Chicago.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Penguin Publishing Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50523477442834,"sku":"9780142002384","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_7878bf45-a5f8-47ec-96f9-37b5491a9de5.jpg?v=1731148292","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-rush-for-second-place-essays-and-occasional-writings-9780142002384","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}