David Sedaris
Author of Me Talk Pretty One Day
About the Author
David Sedaris was born in Binghamton, New York on December 26, 1956, but he grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. Much of Sedaris' humor is autobiographical and self-deprecating, and it often concerns his family life, his middle class upbringing in the suburbs of North Carolina. He graduated from the show more Art Institute of Chicago in 1987. He is a popular radio commentator, essayist, and short story writer. He held many part-time and odd jobs before getting a job reading excerpts from his diaries on National Public Radio in 1992. His first collection of essays and short stories, Barrel Fever, was published in 1994. His other works include Naked, Holidays on Ice, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary, Theft by Finding: Diaries (1977-2002), and Calypso. Me Talk Pretty One Day won the Thurber Prize for American Humor in 2001. He has also written several plays with his sister Amy Sedaris including Stump the Host, Stitches, and The Little Frieda Mysteries. In 2014 her title, Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls, made The New York Times Best Seller List. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Oliver DelaCruz, November 19, 2005
Series
Works by David Sedaris
Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules (2005) — Editor; Introduction — 1,244 copies, 16 reviews
David Sedaris Book Set: Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim/Me Talk Pretty One Day (2005) 4 copies
Innocents Abroad 3 copies
Do I Sound Gay? 2 copies
©lbum de fam©Ưlia 2 copies
Meet David Sedaris, Series 1 2 copies
Rooster at the Hitchin' Post 2 copies
Letting Go 2 copies
Jesus Shaves 1 copy
Now We Are Five 1 copy
David Sedaris 4 Book Set: Me Talk Pretty One Day, Naked, Dress Your Family in Corduroy, When you are Engulfed in Flames (2003) 1 copy
Sedaris David 1 copy
Farm 1 copy
Associated Works
The 50 Funniest American Writers: An Anthology of Humor from Mark Twain to The Onion (2011) — Contributor — 259 copies, 3 reviews
Not So Funny When It Happened: The Best of Travel Humor and Misadventure (2000) — Contributor — 235 copies, 6 reviews
Touchstone Anthology of Contemporary Creative Nonfiction: Work from 1970 to the Present (2007) — Contributor — 201 copies, 2 reviews
This Is My Best: Great Writers Share Their Favorite Work (2004) — Contributor — 165 copies, 3 reviews
Funny Times: A Monthly Newspaper of Humor, Politics & Fun, Volume 16, Issue 2 (2001) — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Sedaris, David Raymond
- Birthdate
- 1956-12-26
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Johnson City, New York, USA
- Places of residence
- Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
New York, New York, USA
Paris, France
London, England, UK
Rackham, West Sussex, England, UK - Education
- Kent State University
School of the Art Institute of Chicago (BA|1987) - Occupations
- writer
- Relationships
- Sedaris, Amy (sister)
Hamrick, Hugh (partner) - Organizations
- New Yorker
NPR - Awards and honors
- Honorary Doctorate (Binghamton University, 2008)
American Academy of Arts and Letters (2019)
Terry Southern Prize for Humor (2018)
Thurber Prize for American Humor (2001)
Jonathan Swift Internationaler Literaturpreis für Satire und Humor (2019)
Time Humorist of the Year Award (2001) (show all 7)
American Academy of Arts and Letters Medal for Spoken Language (2018) - Agent
- Steven Barclay Agency
- Short biography
- David Raymond Sedaris (born December 26, 1956) is an American humorist, comedian, author, and radio contributor. He was publicly recognized in 1992 when National Public Radio broadcast his essay "Santaland Diaries". He published his first collection of essays and short stories, Barrel Fever, in 1994. He is the brother and writing collaborator of actor Amy Sedaris.
Much of Sedaris's humor is ostensibly autobiographical and self-deprecating and often concerns his family life, his middle-class upbringing in the suburbs of Raleigh, North Carolina, his Greek heritage, homosexuality, jobs, education, drug use, and obsessive behaviors, and his life in France, London, and the English South Downs
Members
Reviews
I picked this up because my mind was a little busy and I wanted something quick and refreshing. I wanted something fun. I always thought this book looked compelling and I have enjoyed a couple of Sedaris's essay collections so I picked it up.
It was not fun, but it was pretty quick. That quickness was the best part.
Nearly every story was disgusting, usually from both gore and horrific characters.
I kind of liked the illustrations, but I wasn't down for the gore.
I kinda get it. It's like the bad in people mixed with the somewhat neutral horror of the wild world, but it's not something I ever wanted.
Genuinely I did not enjoy it. I read it just to finish it, but it did not make me happy. It's not like it was poorly written or even poorly conceived. I just don't want to have read this.
So if you're wondering what it is, it's stories of animals with bad human traits (annoying, self-centered, etc.) who are in situations that are usually gruesome (animals killing and eating other animals or getting killed).
Unnecessary and not even worth it for the novelty of the thing.… (more)
It was not fun, but it was pretty quick. That quickness was the best part.
Nearly every story was disgusting, usually from both gore and horrific characters.
I kind of liked the illustrations, but I wasn't down for the gore.
I kinda get it. It's like the bad in people mixed with the somewhat neutral horror of the wild world, but it's not something I ever wanted.
Genuinely I did not enjoy it. I read it just to finish it, but it did not make me happy. It's not like it was poorly written or even poorly conceived. I just don't want to have read this.
So if you're wondering what it is, it's stories of animals with bad human traits (annoying, self-centered, etc.) who are in situations that are usually gruesome (animals killing and eating other animals or getting killed).
Unnecessary and not even worth it for the novelty of the thing.… (more)
I love laughing out loud. Recounting various book tours, this 11 page essay is great fun.
An excellent, engaging audiobook. This is my fourth David Sedaris book and, so far, my favorite. It took me a while to get used to the canned laughter and then realized it was actually a live audience. (I think!) The darkest parts about his father had no laughter, of course, and were riveting. He can speak about the most mundane, common family affairs and I can't stop listening.
Recommended!
Recommended!
Lists
Five star books (1)
Best Satire (6)
Christmas Books (1)
Phoebe Bridgers (1)
Best Beach Reads (1)
Read (1)
French Books (1)
Best Audiobooks (1)
2000s decade (1)
Big tags (1)
1990s (2)
To Read (3)
Unread books (3)
100 New Classics (1)
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 67
- Also by
- 29
- Members
- 86,768
- Popularity
- #125
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 1,882
- ISBNs
- 465
- Languages
- 23
- Favorited
- 582
My 2018 review still holds: Picked up at the Goodwill outlet, my favorite used book store, where I can uy books for 29 cents a pound. It was quick reading. Not my favorite Sedaris, though the first section on being a Santa's elf is priceless. I like Sedaris best when he is telling stories of his own life rather than his fiction.