80. Helen DeWitt Rejects Modernity, Windham-Campbell Prize

MEOW: A Literary Podcast for Cats · Apr 12, 2026 · 26m

“People get huffy about suicide (selfish to do it, help should be sought, seeking help is called threatning suicide); it’s true that it causes distress, so one tries to avoid it. But the best way is to avoid being driven to the edge in the first place. If you’re trying not to crack up, there are some things you can’t do; it’s hard to get people to accept that.”

— Helen DeWitt, on dealing with Windham-Campbell publicity logistics

Helen DeWitt’s decision to avoid the trappings of modernity that come with being a literary grantee have cost her the $175,000 Windham-Campbell prize. The upside? No…