SOURCE: "William T. Vollmann," in Publishers Weekly, Vol. 239, No. 31, July 13, 1992, p. 5.

In the following excerpt, based on an interview with Vollmann, Coffey discusses Vollmann's works to date and the author's approach to writing and publishing.

"I'd say the biggest hope that we have right now is the AIDS epidemic," offers William Vollmann, sipping from a glass of dark rum in his living room in a quiet section of Sacramento, Calif. "Maybe the best thing that could happen would be if it were to wipe out half or two-thirds of the people in the world. Then the ones who survived would just be so busy getting things together that they'd have to help each other, and in time maybe the world would recover ecologically, too."

Vollmann delivers this startling observation in a languid, deceptive drawl, like a pitcher with a slow, deliberate windup blazing a fastball by your eyes...