Conversations with Dave Eggers

It's been barely twenty years since Dave Eggers (b. 1970) burst onto the American literary scene with the publication of his memoir <i>A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius</i>. In that time he has gone on to publish several books of fiction a few more books of nonfiction a dozen books for children and many harder-to-classify works. In addition to his authorship Eggers has established himself as an influential publisher editor and designer. He has also founded a publishing company McSweeney's; two magazines <i>Might </i>and<i> McSweeney's Quarterly Concern</i>; and several nonprofit organizations. This whirlwind of productivity within publishing and beyond gives Eggers a unique standing among American writers: jack of all trades master of same. <p/>The interviews contained in <i>Conversations with Dave Eggers </i>suggest the range of Eggers's pursuits--a range that is reflected in the variety of the interviews themselves. In addition to the expected interviews with major publications Eggers engages here with obscure magazines and blogs trade publications international publications student publications and children from a mentoring program run by one of his nonprofits. To read the interviews in sequence is to witness Eggers's rapid evolution. The cultural hysteria around Eggers's memoir and his complicated relationship with celebrity are clear in many of the earlier interviews. From there as the buzz around him mellows Eggers responds in kind allowing writing and his other endeavors to come to the fore of his conversations. Together these interviews provide valuable insight into a driving force in contemporary American literature.