The Tunnel

The Tunnel, William H. Gass’ colossal second novel, appeared on the literary scene in 1995, after three decades at the typewriter. 

The Tunnel was hailed by many as an indisputable masterpiece, reviled by others as a suffocating and overwhelming experiment, and has been voraciously studied by readers ever since. The story of a middle-aged history professor who, upon nearing completion of his magnum opus, "Guilt and Innocence in Hitler's Germany," finds himself implicated in his own research, and begins to write a parallel work of history: his own life’s story. Fearing that someone might find these confessional pages, he begins to dig a tunnel out from beneath his home in an attempt to hide, or escape, from the past that he has so diligently cataloged.

The Tunnel is many things: an awe-inspiring and apocalyptic novel that reckons with the accumulating brutality of the twentieth century; a mirror, asking readers to confront their own potential for darkness; and the crowning achievement by one of America’s great prose stylists.

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The Tunnel

The Tunnel, William H. Gass’ colossal second novel, appeared on the literary scene in 1995, after three decades at the typewriter. 

The Tunnel was hailed by many as an indisputable masterpiece, reviled by others as a suffocating and overwhelming experiment, and has been voraciously studied by readers ever since. The story of a middle-aged history professor who, upon nearing completion of his magnum opus, "Guilt and Innocence in Hitler's Germany," finds himself implicated in his own research, and begins to write a parallel work of history: his own life’s story. Fearing that someone might find these confessional pages, he begins to dig a tunnel out from beneath his home in an attempt to hide, or escape, from the past that he has so diligently cataloged.

The Tunnel is many things: an awe-inspiring and apocalyptic novel that reckons with the accumulating brutality of the twentieth century; a mirror, asking readers to confront their own potential for darkness; and the crowning achievement by one of America’s great prose stylists.

27.95 Pre Order
The Tunnel

The Tunnel

by William H. Gass
The Tunnel

The Tunnel

by William H. Gass

eBook

$27.95 
Available for Pre-Order. This item will be released on April 7, 2026

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Overview

The Tunnel, William H. Gass’ colossal second novel, appeared on the literary scene in 1995, after three decades at the typewriter. 

The Tunnel was hailed by many as an indisputable masterpiece, reviled by others as a suffocating and overwhelming experiment, and has been voraciously studied by readers ever since. The story of a middle-aged history professor who, upon nearing completion of his magnum opus, "Guilt and Innocence in Hitler's Germany," finds himself implicated in his own research, and begins to write a parallel work of history: his own life’s story. Fearing that someone might find these confessional pages, he begins to dig a tunnel out from beneath his home in an attempt to hide, or escape, from the past that he has so diligently cataloged.

The Tunnel is many things: an awe-inspiring and apocalyptic novel that reckons with the accumulating brutality of the twentieth century; a mirror, asking readers to confront their own potential for darkness; and the crowning achievement by one of America’s great prose stylists.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781628976373
Publisher: Dalkey Archive Press
Publication date: 04/07/2026
Series: Dalkey Essentials
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook

About the Author

William H. Gass (1924-2017) was an essayist, novelist, and literary critic. He graduated from Kenyon College and received his PhD at Cornell University. He taught philosophy at both Purdue University and at Washington University in St. Louis where he was the David May Distinguished Professor of Humanities. In 1990, Gass founded the International Writers Center (now known as the Center for the Humanities) and served as its director until his retirement in 2000.

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