Publication date: April 7, 2026
Thirty years in the making, William Gass's second novel first appeared on the literary scene in 1995, at which time it was promptly hailed as an indisputable masterpiece. The story of a middle aged professor who, upon completion of his massive historical study, "Guilt and Innocence in Hitler's Germany," finds himself writing a novel about his own life instead of the introduction to his magnum opus. The Tunnel meditates on history, hatred, unhappiness, and, above all, language.
To celebrate this highly anticipated reissue, Dalkey Archive Press is launching a new companion, featuring both archival and new critical essays by esteemed writers. The Tunnel Reader will contextualize the 26 years of writing that went into the novel, the book’s initial publication in 1995, and its subsequent reissue in 2026.
Over the course of the next year and starting this month, these critical essays will be exclusively released in monthly installments via newsletter, which readers can subscribe to here. Upon the book’s publication in April 2026, The Tunnel Reader will be compiled and published in a print book, which is available for pre-order now, and can be bundled with a pre-order of The Tunnel.
This companion reader further supplements the existing casebook, which is available for free download here, juxtaposing The Tunnel’s critical reception in 1995 with its enduring legacy and eerie sense of timeliness in our modern political moment.