I am a big fan of David Eggers, first having come across his A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, part novel, part autobiography, several years. Since then the man has become a paragon of bringing good writing to the children of various inner cities with his 826 Valencia projects (where I once volunteered, name after the initial effort’s address in San Francisco), starting up a quarterly literary magazine called McSweeney’s, a book imprint, and the quirky but always interesting website.
This week online one can find the article In Which I Fix My Girlfriend’s Grandparent’s Wifi and am Hailed as a Conquering Hero, a short piece of fiction that just speaks volumes to me. I thought you would enjoy it as well.
As many of you have been called upon to fix some relative or friend’s computer problem, it is nice to see the “conquering hero” become part of our mainstream collective consciousness. Or just fun to read.
Here is Eggers at a Ted Talk:
As you start to delve into the Eggers universe, you will find things that will delight and annoy you, but are always fascinating and just great writing. As someone who makes a living putting words on screen, this universe is a thing of beauty and a joy to behold. I strong urge you to sample more of what you can find with some of the links above. You will be glad you did, and a great way to spend a wintery weekend.
