The essay collection.<p>He&#x27;s probably marginally better known as an essayist than as a novelist, except that his one famous novel (IJ) is one of the giant novels of the last 30 years. After IJ, the most impactful works of fiction he&#x27;s produced are short story collections, and while I like them, they aren&#x27;t the most pleasant reads.<p>The right way to approach DFW is to read his essays for awhile, and, if you find that you enjoy them, you can look at IJ as a long series of essays from an alternate universe.