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Re: David Sedaris (fwd)
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From: Rodney Welch <rodney41@mindspring.com>
I can't imagine Nabokov not liking Sedaris, but maybe that's a personal
bias; Sedaris has often made me laugh so hard, and so often, that I can't
imagine ANYONE not liking him. When the story about his foul-mouthed brother
-- which I believe is collected in the new book -- appeared in Esquire, I
passed it around to everyone I could.
He's a scream.
Rodney Welch
Columbia, SC
> From: Galya Diment <galya@u.washington.edu>
> Reply-To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2000 13:53:04 -0700
> To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
> Subject: David Sedaris
>
> From: Mark Bennett <mab@straussandasher.com>
>
> If this is a representative example of Mr. Sedaris' humor, I'll pass.
>
>
> ** David Sedaris, who is often heard on NPR, is less of a "humorist," it
> seems to me, than a cultural parodist. His parodies are often quite
> dark as well as blunt, and probably uncomfortable to some. He does not
> really spare any cultural "icons," including little children -- as is
> evident in his oft-broadcast story of playing a Santa Claus in a
> department store during a Christmas season. This particular story, I
> have to admit, makes me too plenty uneasy. GD***
>
>
> From: Neil Spence <NSpence@2roam.com>
>
> In his latest book of humorous essays, _Me Talk Pretty One Day_, writer
> David Sedaris makes a reference to VN. In a piece called _The Late Show_,
> Sedaris relates several "epic daydreams" he makes up for himself while
> trying to fall asleep. In one of these scenarios, "I've Got a Secret",
> Sedaris is "a pretty, slightly chubby White House intern who's had a brief
> affair with the president of the United States." (S)he refuses to talk to
> reporters or to testify at hearings, and is sent to prison. "After prison I
> publish a novel under an assumed name. The book is _Lolita_ word for word,
> and I'm allowed to write it because, under the conditions of the fantasy,
> Vladimir Nabokov never existed. Because it is so magnificent, my book
> creates a huge stir. Reporters go hunting for the author; when they discover
> it's me, I think, Goddamnit, can't you people find anything better to do? I
> now have a reputation as both a dignified enigma and a genius, but I don't
> want people reading _Lolita_ because I wrote it. My masterpiece is demeaned
> by their pointless search for a hidden autobiographical subtext, so I give
> up writing, live off the money I've made from careful stock investments, and
> quietly spend the rest of my life sleeping with professional football
> players."
>
> Cheers,
> Neil Spence
> San Francisco
I can't imagine Nabokov not liking Sedaris, but maybe that's a personal
bias; Sedaris has often made me laugh so hard, and so often, that I can't
imagine ANYONE not liking him. When the story about his foul-mouthed brother
-- which I believe is collected in the new book -- appeared in Esquire, I
passed it around to everyone I could.
He's a scream.
Rodney Welch
Columbia, SC
> From: Galya Diment <galya@u.washington.edu>
> Reply-To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2000 13:53:04 -0700
> To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
> Subject: David Sedaris
>
> From: Mark Bennett <mab@straussandasher.com>
>
> If this is a representative example of Mr. Sedaris' humor, I'll pass.
>
>
> ** David Sedaris, who is often heard on NPR, is less of a "humorist," it
> seems to me, than a cultural parodist. His parodies are often quite
> dark as well as blunt, and probably uncomfortable to some. He does not
> really spare any cultural "icons," including little children -- as is
> evident in his oft-broadcast story of playing a Santa Claus in a
> department store during a Christmas season. This particular story, I
> have to admit, makes me too plenty uneasy. GD***
>
>
> From: Neil Spence <NSpence@2roam.com>
>
> In his latest book of humorous essays, _Me Talk Pretty One Day_, writer
> David Sedaris makes a reference to VN. In a piece called _The Late Show_,
> Sedaris relates several "epic daydreams" he makes up for himself while
> trying to fall asleep. In one of these scenarios, "I've Got a Secret",
> Sedaris is "a pretty, slightly chubby White House intern who's had a brief
> affair with the president of the United States." (S)he refuses to talk to
> reporters or to testify at hearings, and is sent to prison. "After prison I
> publish a novel under an assumed name. The book is _Lolita_ word for word,
> and I'm allowed to write it because, under the conditions of the fantasy,
> Vladimir Nabokov never existed. Because it is so magnificent, my book
> creates a huge stir. Reporters go hunting for the author; when they discover
> it's me, I think, Goddamnit, can't you people find anything better to do? I
> now have a reputation as both a dignified enigma and a genius, but I don't
> want people reading _Lolita_ because I wrote it. My masterpiece is demeaned
> by their pointless search for a hidden autobiographical subtext, so I give
> up writing, live off the money I've made from careful stock investments, and
> quietly spend the rest of my life sleeping with professional football
> players."
>
> Cheers,
> Neil Spence
> San Francisco