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William Gaddis (1922-1998) was an American novelist renowned for his complex, satiric postmodern works. His debut novel, The Recognitions (1955), became an underground classic despite initial harsh criticism, followed by JR (1975), which won the National Book Award, and A Frolic of His Own (1994), another National Book Award winner. He supported himself through freelance corporate writing during long gaps between novels and received a MacArthur Fellowship. Read more →