Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
| Company type | Book |
|---|---|
| Industry | Literature |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Founder | David Foster Wallace |
| Products | Short story collection |
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men is a short story collection authored by American writer David Foster Wallace, initially released in 1999 through Little, Brown. The David Foster Wallace Archive at the Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin, estimates that approximately 28,000 hardcover copies were sold during the book’s first year on the market.
Contents
This anthology comprises the following narratives:
- A Radically Condensed History of Postindustrial Life
- Death Is Not the End
- Forever Overhead
- Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
- Yet Another Example of the Porousness of Certain Borders (XI)
- The Depressed Person
- The Devil Is a Busy Man
- Think
- Signifying Nothing
- Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
- Datum Centurio
- Octet
- Adult World (I)
- Adult World (II)
- The Devil Is a Busy Man
- Church Not Made with Hands
- Yet Another Example of the Porousness of Certain Borders (VI)
- Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
- Tri-Stan: I Sold Sissee Nar to Ecko
- On His Deathbed, Holding Your Hand, the Acclaimed New Young Off-Broadway Playwright's Father Begs a Boon
- Suicide as a Sort of Present
- Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
- Yet Another Example of the Porousness of Certain Borders (XXIV)
Themes and analysis
Comprising 23 metafictional works, this collection resists straightforward classification, blending multiple genres and pioneering innovative narrative techniques, as highlighted in the piece "Octet."
Among these are four stories titled "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men," each containing numbered segments formatted as interview transcripts with male subjects, notably excluding the interviewer’s questions. The overall tone is characterized by dark humor, alienation, and irony.
The volume serves as a critique of contemporary masculinity and male chauvinism. Wallace’s portrayal of “hideous men” exaggerates and parodies traits reminiscent of Updikean figures, unveiling a uniquely American form of egotism.
In light of disclosures regarding Wallace’s abusive conduct toward Mary Karr, some academics have challenged the intentions behind these narratives. Amy Hungerford, in her work Making Literature Now, contends that Wallace’s writings should be neither read nor taught anymore. Conversely, scholar Clare Hayes-Brady argues for critical engagement with controversial authors to evaluate their work thoughtfully instead of dismissing it outright.
More recently, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men has become a focal point in academic discussions concerning misogyny and male behavioral patterns.
Critical reception
This collection was recognized as one of 1999’s notable books by The New York Times.
In 1997, Wallace received the Aga Khan Prize for Fiction from The Paris Review for "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men #6," which appears under the title "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men #20" within this compilation.
Author Zadie Smith has identified this collection as among her favorites and penned an essay titled "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men: The Difficult Gifts of David Foster Wallace," featured in her 2009 anthology Changing My Mind: Occasional Essays.
British critic Chris Power, writing for The Guardian, highlights the difficulty reviewers encounter when reconciling Wallace’s literary genius with the challenging subject matter. He describes Brief Interviews With Hideous Men as "a brilliant book that is very difficult to enjoy."
Critic Andrew Ervin, contributing to the San Francisco Chronicle, praised the collection as "Wallace's most compelling, brilliant and complete book."
Performances and adaptations
Wallace's book has inspired numerous adaptations across both theater and film.
In August 2000, Dylan McCullough transformed 12 of the "Interviews" into a stage production titled Hideous Men, marking the inaugural theatrical rendition of Wallace’s writing. This play debuted under McCullough’s direction at the New York International Fringe Festival.
The 2009 film adaptation of the "Brief Interviews" stories was both adapted and directed by John Krasinski, featuring Julianne Nicholson in the role of Sara Quinn, the interviewer who remains unnamed in the original text.
That same year, Hachette Audio issued a condensed audiobook version performed by a cast that included Krasinski, Will Arnett, Bobby Cannavale, Chris Messina, Corey Stoll, Will Forte, and Wallace himself.
In August 2012, British artists Andy Holden and David Raymond Conroy staged an adaptation at London’s ICA, which later toured to Arnolfini. This multimedia production incorporated four interviews and one short story, complemented by original music from Holden’s band, the Grubby Mitts.
A 2014 theatrical interpretation directed by David McGuff for Yellow Lab Productions presented 21 interviews and stories over three nights at the Hill Country Arts Foundation's Point Theater.
In 2021, a German-language version entitled Kurze Interviews mit fiesen Männern – 22 Arten der Einsamkeit was performed at the Schauspielhaus Zürich, under the direction of Yana Ross.
Translation
This collection has been rendered into numerous languages including Italian, Spanish, Polish, Turkish, Portuguese, Czech, Finnish, Greek, German, Russian, Dutch, Serbian, French, Croatian, and Hebrew.