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 — 1,248 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 — 260 copies, 3 reviews
Not So Funny When It Happened: The Best of Travel Humor and Misadventure (2000) — Contributor — 236 copies, 6 reviews
Touchstone Anthology of Contemporary Creative Nonfiction: Work from 1970 to the Present (2007) — Contributor — 202 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
Some chapters were hilarious, particularly the ones about Sedaris's crazy family. Other chapters I found whiny and annoying, such as the ones where he refuses to participate in French culture, while living in France. While he's an interesting writer, Sedaris is definitely not someone I would want to spend time with.
from Shei:
(I listened to Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls via Overdrive.)
He had me when I heard him sing “Away in a Manger” as an elf at Macy’s on NPR. He sounded so much like her it’s uncanny; I will not listen to this Christmas song the same way again.
Sedaris intrigued me, like many of us, with his innumerable stories about his offbeat family. Maybe it’s in his deadpan delivery; or perhaps the way he imitates his father Lou and his brother Paul with the same high-pitched Raleigh accent. I don’t know, but whatever it is, I like to listen to him read his essays rather than read them myself. In his newest collection, Let’s Explore Diabetes withOwls, Sedaris gets a little more experimental, sentimental and political. As expected, he shines an unflinching light on his childhood’s embarrassing and unsavory moments. His father continues to play a force in this series as a pushy and loving parent. Sedaris also reveals a bit more of his idiosyncratic OCDness and how his boyfriend and life partner Hugh entered his life. Two of my favorite chapters include a tiny rant on the colorful people he is forced to interact with in airports and the colonoscopy he had after much insistence from his dad.
I can’t imagine a better way to enjoy the cold front doldrums than to sit and listen to David Sedaris wax realistic about the painful, funny ‘in-betweens’ of life.… (more)
(I listened to Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls via Overdrive.)
He had me when I heard him sing “Away in a Manger” as an elf at Macy’s on NPR. He sounded so much like her it’s uncanny; I will not listen to this Christmas song the same way again.
Sedaris intrigued me, like many of us, with his innumerable stories about his offbeat family. Maybe it’s in his deadpan delivery; or perhaps the way he imitates his father Lou and his brother Paul with the same high-pitched Raleigh accent. I don’t know, but whatever it is, I like to listen to him read his essays rather than read them myself. In his newest collection, Let’s Explore Diabetes withOwls, Sedaris gets a little more experimental, sentimental and political. As expected, he shines an unflinching light on his childhood’s embarrassing and unsavory moments. His father continues to play a force in this series as a pushy and loving parent. Sedaris also reveals a bit more of his idiosyncratic OCDness and how his boyfriend and life partner Hugh entered his life. Two of my favorite chapters include a tiny rant on the colorful people he is forced to interact with in airports and the colonoscopy he had after much insistence from his dad.
I can’t imagine a better way to enjoy the cold front doldrums than to sit and listen to David Sedaris wax realistic about the painful, funny ‘in-betweens’ of life.… (more)
Outstanding. I listened to this on audiobook, and it's always such a joy to hear David Sedaris read his own work. He's one of those authors that lets the reader in on the joke, and doesn't ever seem to pull the punches. The diaries start admittedly pretty bleak, but it's wonderful to go along with him, and see his thread of unique wit come too. I loved every minute of it.
Lists
Best Satire (6)
Phoebe Bridgers (1)
Christmas Books (1)
Five star books (1)
Big tags (1)
French Books (1)
Best Beach Reads (1)
Best Audiobooks (1)
2000s decade (1)
Read (1)
1990s (2)
To Read (3)
Unread books (3)
100 New Classics (1)
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 67
- Also by
- 29
- Members
- 87,167
- Popularity
- #123
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 1,886
- ISBNs
- 465
- Languages
- 23
- Favorited
- 582
4 stars… (more)