The agents at the IRS Regional Examination Center in Peoria, Illinois, appear ordinary enough to newly arrived trainee David Foster Wallace. But as he immerses himself in a routine so tedious and repetitive that new employees receive boredom-survival training, he learns of the extraordinary variety of personalities drawn to this strange calling. And he has arrived at a moment when forces within the IRS are plotting to eliminate even what little humanity and dignity the work still has.

The Pale King remained unfinished at the time of David Foster Wallace's death, but it is a deeply compelling and satisfying novel, hilarious and fearless and as original as anything Wallace ever undertook. It grapples directly with ultimate questions—questions of life's meaning and of the value of work and society—through characters imagined with the interior force and generosity that were Wallace's unique gifts. Along the way it suggests a new idea of heroism and commands infinite respect for one of the most daring writers of our time.

Factotum, one of Charles Bukowski's best, follows the beer-soaked, deliciously degenerate wanderings of aspiring writer Henry Chinaski across World War II-era America. Deferred from military service, Chinaski travels from city to city, moving listlessly from one odd job to another, always needing money but never badly enough to keep a job. His day-to-day existence spirals into an endless litany of pathetic whores, sordid rooms, dreary embraces, and drunken brawls, as he makes his bitter, brilliant way from one drink to the next.

Charles Bukowski's posthumous legend continues to grow. Factotum is a masterfully vivid evocation of slow-paced, low-life urbanity and alcoholism, and an excellent introduction to the fictional world of Charles Bukowski.

Herzog is the story of Moses Herzog, a great sufferer, joker, mourner, and charmer. Although his life steadily disintegrates around him—he has failed as a writer and teacher, as a father, and has lost the affection of his wife to his best friend—Herzog sees himself as a survivor, both of his private disasters and those of the age.

He writes unsent letters to friends and enemies, colleagues and famous people, revealing his wry perception of the world around him and the innermost secrets of his heart. This novel is a multifaceted portrait of a modern-day hero, a man struggling with the complexity of existence and longing for redemption.

In this postmodern fiction, Saul Bellow presents a unique achievement, blending confessional elements with exorcism. Is Moses Herzog losing his mind? With his head buzzing with ideas, he writes frantic, unsent letters, revealing the spectacular workings of his labyrinthine mind and the innermost secrets of his troubled heart.