David Foster Wallace (February 21, 1962 – September 12, 2008) was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and professor of English and creative writing. Wallace is widely known for his 1996 novel Infinite Jest. It was called by Time magazine as one of the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to 2005.
Wallace committed suicide (by hanging) on September 12, 2008, at age 46.