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William Gaddis (1922-1998) was one of the first and most important American postmodern writers. He is the author of the novels and novellas The Recognitions (1955), J R (1975), Carpenter's Gothic (1985), A Frolic of His Own (1994), Agapē Agape (2002), and the nonfiction collection The Rush for Second Place (2002). His Letters of William Gaddis was published in 2013.

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When Gaddis Wrote to DeLillo

Who Shot J R?

<p>William Gaddis (1922-1998) was one of the first American postmodern writers, and as the new <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Letters-William-Gaddis/dp/1564788040/" target="_blank"><i>Letters of William Gaddis</i></a> from Dalkey Archive Press reveals, he corresponded with many other experimentalists and friends like <a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2013/03/13/william-h-gass-how-i-write.html">William Gass</a> and Robert Coover. Here, he writes an ebullient letter to fellow master Don DeLillo, praising his novel <i>Libra</i> (but preferring it far over <i>White Noise</i>)—a sort of passing of the torch.</p>

William Gaddis | Published Mar 15, 2013

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