William T. Vollmann is one of the most prolific contemporary writers in the United States, and had published twenty books before his fiftieth birthday (although not all remain in print). He has met with considerable critical success – being listed in the 

New Yorker

’s 1999 feature on the top twenty writers under 40 and winning the National Book Award in 2005, for his novel 

Europe Central

 – but the formidable size and difficult subject matter of many of his books means that he has been denied the readership which many believe his work deserves. Much of this work melds reportage and fiction, and he has written for a number of periodicals, including 

Esquire

Harper’s

, and

Playboy

. His first novel, 

You Bright and Risen Angels: A Cartoon

 (1987), is a multi-charactered tale of…

3233 words

Citation: Savvas, Theophilus. "William T. Vollmann". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 26 November 2010; last revised 21 June 2021. [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=12871, accessed 19 March 2024.]

12871 William T. Vollmann 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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