A selection of essays on writing and reading by the master short-fiction writer Lydia Davis
Lydia Davis is a writer whose originality, influence, and wit are beyond compare. Jonathan Franzen has called her “a magician of self-consciousness,” while Rick Moody hails her as "the best prose stylist in America." And for Claire Messud, “Davis's signal gift is to make us feel alive.”
Best known for her masterful short stories and translations, Davis’s gifts extend equally to her nonfiction. In Essays One, Davis has, for the first time, gathered a selection of essays, commentaries, and lectures composed over the past five decades.
In this first of two volumes, her subjects range from her earliest influences to her favorite short stories, from John Ashbery’s translation of Rimbaud to Alan Cote’s painting, and from the Shepherd’s Psalm to early tourist photographs. On display is the development and range of one of the sharpest, most capacious minds writing today.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
“[Davis] is our Vermeer, patiently observing and chronicling daily life but from angles odd and askew. . . These pieces exalt clear language and the complicated work of looking and seeing. . . Davis takes pure pleasure in the muscular act of looking, and invites us to look alongside her.” ―Parul Sehgal, The New York Times
"She’s so deeply cerebral it’s perhaps counterintuitive that Davis is a companionable presence. She’s erudite, with catholic interests, and earnest but not humorless. This is the kind of book you could read alone in a restaurant and feel you’re lost in a stimulating conversation." ―Rumaan Alam, The New Republic
“The first in a planned two-volume collection of the nonfiction of short story author Davis (Samuel Johnson Is Indignant) proves a cornucopia of illuminating and timeless observations on literature, art, and the craft of writing . . . Fans of Davis’s unfailingly clever work should add this volume to their collection, and creative writers of every genre should take the opportunity to learn from a legend.” ―Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
"One gets the impression that even the most fleeting of pieces in “Essays One,” such as a few paragraphs about her favorite short stories, written for a British tabloid, has been given the precise and playful Lydia Davis treatment: “'Subtly, or less subtly, you always want to surprise a reader.'"― Brian Dillon, The New York Times Book Review
"Lively essays bound to stimulate debate among readers of global literature." ―Kirkus Reviews
“Davis, an innovative fiction writer, is also an erudite essayist, critic and translator, with an ever-questing mind evident in these 33 essays . . . An essential literary companion.” ―Jane Ciabattari, BBC
"Lydia Davis is immensely learned; that is clear not only from her translation work but also from her distinguished discussions of the works she has translated. But in much of her nonfiction, she is also a master of the energies that drive her fiction, with its plain style, irony, sensitivity, and elegantly subdued power." ―Sandra M. Gilbert, The American Scholar
"Davis is putting her more than 30 years of experience into a selection of essays on the craft of reading and writing; the first of the two-volume set comes out this fall. Don't expect run-of-the-mill advice like "show don't tell" here, though; Davis has made a career out of breaking the established rules . . ." ―The Week
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
US$ 4.00
Within U.S.A.
Book Description Condition: New. 2019. Hardcover. New. Dust Jacket is Like New. Seller Inventory # P008519
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 9780374148850
Book Description Condition: New. Brand New. Seller Inventory # 0374148856
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. New. Fast Shipping and good customer service. Seller Inventory # Holz_New_0374148856
Book Description Condition: New. . Seller Inventory # 52GZZZ00CTHL_ns
Book Description Condition: New. Book is in NEW condition. Seller Inventory # 0374148856-2-1
Book Description Condition: New. New! This book is in the same immaculate condition as when it was published. Seller Inventory # 353-0374148856-new
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. New Copy. Customer Service Guaranteed. Seller Inventory # think0374148856
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. Dust Jacket Condition: New. 1st Edition. Bright, tight copies signed by the author, in our shop by neighbor and friend of our store, Lydia Davis, on title page. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # WS21908
Book Description Condition: New. Brand New Original US Edition.We Ship to PO BOX Address also. EXPEDITED shipping option also available for faster delivery.This item may ship from the US or other locations in India depending on your location and availability. Seller Inventory # ABTR-202248