I met William Vollman tonight

Courtenay and I had some time to kill before our movie, so we popped into a coffeehouse in downtown Sacramento. As we sat and drank (she got something called a Voodoo, which consisted of sweetened condensed milk, half-and-half, and four shots of espresso), I noticed William T. Vollmann approach the counter.

No, he's not a household name, but he is one of the greatest writers of his generation, and somewhat of a literary hero of mine. He won the 2005 National Book Award for his novel Europe Central. Here is a picture of him with his National Book Award:

His books are not easy to read (I've only tackled about four of them), but his prose is so masterfully rich and challenging that is makes me want to claw my skin. I have to avoid reading his work when I'm writing, lest I start trying to write like him, and sounding like a cheap, clownish imitation.

I don't usually approach famous people, even if I really admire their work, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to introduce myself. So I stopped him in his tracks as he made his way back to his table, unleashed about 30 seconds of fawning praise, and then made awkward small talk for about another half minute.

He didn't give me his email address or ask me to join me for coffee, but he was nice enough. I haven't been approached by strangers very many times, but when I have, I've never really been sure of what to say either.

As he returned to his 17-inch MacBook Pro, I considered the fact that, over the years, I've probably spent 30 or 40 hours reading his writing. He's made me laugh, cringe, and seethe with envy. He's made me think so hard my head hurt. At any given moment, he's very likely smarter than anyone else within a one mile radius. I was more excited to have met him than I would have been if, say, I'd turned and introduced myself to Nicholas Cage that time he sat next to me at a bar in San Francisco (and was very, very drunk).