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A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
	First edition
Author	Dave Eggers
Cover artist	Komar and Melamid
Language	English
Genre	Memoir
Publisher	Simon & Schuster
Publication date	2000
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (paperback)
Pages	375
ISBN	0-684-86347-2
OCLC	42667954
LC Class	CT275.E37 A3 2000

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius is a memoir by American author Dave Eggers. Published in 2000, the book chronicles Eggers' experiences following the sudden death of both his parents and his subsequent responsibility for raising his younger brother, Christopher "Toph" Eggers. The memoir, noted for its postmodern style and self-referential prose, was a commercial and critical success, becoming a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction and hitting number one on The New York Times bestseller list.^[1]

Plot summary

The memoir begins with the deaths of Eggers' parents from cancer within five weeks of each other. This traumatic event leaves Eggers, then in his early twenties, as the primary caregiver for his eight-year-old brother, Toph. The two brothers move from Chicago to the San Francisco Bay Area, where Eggers tries to balance his responsibilities as a young parent with his desire to pursue creative ambitions, including starting the satirical magazine Might. The book explores Eggers' inner turmoil, alternating between humorous, surreal reflections and deep emotional sincerity.^[2]

Style and themes

The book is frequently praised for its distinctive narrative style, which includes meta-narrative techniques and frequent breaks of the fourth wall. Eggers often inserts himself into the text to question his motives and to comment on the memoir's construction. Critics have noted that the book embodies a postmodern approach to the memoir genre, blending fiction and nonfiction elements.^[3] The work also delves into themes of grief, parental responsibility, and self-doubt, while humor and absurdity offer a counterbalance to the weightier emotional topics.^[4]

Reception

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius received widespread critical acclaim. Time and San Francisco Chronicle named it one of the best books of 2000.^[5]^[6] In addition to its commercial success, the memoir was nominated for several prestigious awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 2001. Critics praised the book's innovative narrative techniques and Eggers' ability to convey both profound grief and comic absurdity. However, some critics noted that the book’s self-referential style could sometimes be indulgent.^[7]

Adaptations

In 2002, New Line Cinema acquired the rights to adapt the memoir into a film, with a screenplay written by novelist Nick Hornby. However, the project stalled, and Eggers later indicated it was unlikely to proceed.^[8]

Awards and recognition

Time Best Book of the Year (2000)^[5]
Finalist, Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction (2001)
The New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice (2000)
American Academy of Arts and Letters’ Addison Metcalf Award (2001)^[9]

References

^ "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius". The New York Times. 2000-02-13.
^ Jensen, Mikkel (2014). "A Note on a Title: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius". The Explicator. 72 (2): 146–150. doi:10.1080/00144940.2014.905434.
^ Altes, Liesbeth Korthals (2008). Narrative Unreliability in the Twentieth-Century First-Person Novel. Walter de Gruyter. pp. 187–190.
^ Funk, Wolfgang (2011). "The Quest for Authenticity – Dave Eggers' A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius". The Metareferential Turn in Contemporary Arts and Media: 221–235.
^ ^a ^b Gray, Paul (2000-12-07). "Best Books 2000". Time.
^ Villalon, Oscar C. (2000-11-19). "Tops of 2000/The year's best in fiction and nonfiction". SFGate. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
^ Miller, Ellen (2011). "Dave Eggers's A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius: Memoir as a "Pain-Relief Device"". Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association. 59 (3): 555–579.
^ "Dave Eggers on "What Is the What"". Entertainment Weekly. 2007-11-07.
^ Benson, H. (2001-04-12). "Eggers, Wolff Win American Academy Honors". San Francisco Chronicle.