Just as the world appears to be losing its appetite for books, William T. Vollmann pens a 3,000-page novel

His latest – and possibly last – book tackles America’s foreign policy before and after 9/11. Could it also serve as an antidote to the fragmented attention and political duplicity of our current moment?

By: Christopher Coffman, Boston University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: August 24, 2026

Words: 312

Last Updated: 1 month, 3 weeks ago

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By Christopher Coffman, Boston University

With forecasters of doom debating the end of reading, of publishing and of literacy in general, what should we make of William T. Vollmann’s forthcoming novel, “A Table for Fortune”?

Spanning four volumes at 3,000 pages, is it madness? A determined attempt to silence print’s naysayers?

I have been writing about Vollmann’s works since I penned the introduction to “William T. Vollmann: A Critical Companion” more than …

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