Writers Unlimited reads Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

David Foster Wallace is more relevant than ever. Recently, thirty years after the publication of his magnum opus Infinite Jest, the Dutch translation Eindeloos vertier (translated by Robbert-Jan Henkes) is here. Whether you have already read the book three times, are halfway through, or still need a push to begin: this evening is for anyone curious about Wallace's strange and addictive universe.

Sascha Luinenburg describes himself as a superfan and has already read all 1,176 pages of the novel. Nikki Dekker expects to be around page 650 by June 19 and will share her reading experience. Together, they will reflect on the work and discuss what Infinite Jest means — and has meant — to them as writers and artists.

Ramon Groenendijk considers David Foster Wallace one of the greatest and most influential writers of the past hundred years. He will give a short lecture on the author and his work, after which he will speak with both writers.

Infinite Jest, David Foster Wallace's enormous tragicomic masterpiece, is set in a drug rehabilitation center and a tennis academy in a fictional America ruled by corporations and led by the germophobic singer Johnny Gentle as president. We follow a society obsessed with a film so entertaining that anyone who watches it loses interest in everything else and eventually slips into a state of catatonic bliss.

When it was first published, the book broke many of the usual rules of the novel while remaining entertaining throughout. Thirty years later, the book still raises essential questions about what entertainment is and why it so thoroughly dominates our lives; about how our desire for distraction affects our need for connection with others; and about what the forms of numbing ourselves reveal about who we are.

With his sharp critique of society, Wallace also proved remarkably visionary: much of what he described feels more relevant today than ever.

This Writers Series event will be held in English and is organized in collaboration with Uitgeverij Koppernik.

After the program, books will be available for purchase through De Vries Van Stockum, with an opportunity for signing.

Writers Series: Nikki Dekker, Sascha Luinenburg en Ramon Groenendijk on Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
Friday June 19 2026, 19:00 – 20:30, Centrale Bibliotheek Den Haag (Podium B), Spui 68, 2511 BT The Hague

Writers Unlimited organizes the annual Writers Unlimited International Literature Festival The Hague (21–24 January 2027). Throughout the year, it also hosts monthly Writers Series programs at various locations across The Hague, including the Central Library of The Hague. The festival features over one hundred writers, poets, spoken word artists, and musicians from both the Netherlands and abroad. Over the course of four days, events take place at venues such as Theater aan het Spui, Filmhuis Den Haag, PAARD, the Royal Theatre (Koninklijke Schouwburg), neighborhood libraries, universities, and secondary schools in The Hague.

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