David Sedaris
Sedaris in 2005.
Born	December 26, 1957 (1957-12-26) (age 49) Binghamton, New York
Occupation	Humorist, radio contributor
Debut works	"SantaLand Diaries," 1992
Influences	Lorrie Moore, Alice Munro, Flannery O'Connor, Tobias Wolff, Richard Yates, Kurt Vonnegut[1]

David Sedaris (born December 26, 1957) is a Grammy Award-nominated American humorist and radio contributor. Sedaris came to prominence 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. Each of his four subsequent essay collections, Naked (1997), Holidays on Ice (1997), Me Talk Pretty One Day (2000), and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim (2004), have become New York Times Best Sellers.^[2][3][4][5] As of 2004, his books had collectively sold 2.5 million copies.^[6] Much of Sedaris' humor is autobiographical and self-deprecating, and it often concerns his family life, Greek heritage, various jobs, education, drug use, homosexuality and his life in France with his partner, Hugh Hamrick. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 360th day of the year (361st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about the City of Binghamton, New York. ... This article is about the state. ... This article is about work. ... A humorist is an author who specializes in short, humorous articles or essays. ... SantaLand Diaries is an essay by David Sedaris. ... Lorrie Moore is a novelist and writer of short stories. ... Alice Ann Munro, née Laidlaw (born 10 July 1931) is an award-winning Canadian short story writer who is widely considered an important writer in that form. ... Mary Flannery OConnor (March 25, 1925 – August 3, 1964) was an American novelist, short-story writer and essayist. ... Tobias Jonathan Ansell Wolff (born June 19, 1945, in Birmingham, Alabama) is a writer of fiction and nonfiction. ... Richard Yates (February 3, 1926 - November 7, 1992) was an American novelist and short story writer, a chronicler of mid-20th century mainstream American life, often cited as artistically residing somewhere between J.D. Salinger and John Cheever. ... Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. ... is the 360th day of the year (361st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A humorist is an author who specializes in short, humorous articles or essays. ... NPR redirects here. ... SantaLand Diaries is an essay by David Sedaris. ... Barrel Fever published in 1994 is a collection of short stories and essays by David Sedaris. ... Paperback cover of Naked Naked, published in 1997, is collection of essays by American humorist David Sedaris. ... Me Talk Pretty One Day, published in 2000, is a best-selling collection of essays by American humorist David Sedaris. ... Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim (2004) is a collection of 22 autobiographical essays by American humorist David Sedaris. ... The New York Times Best Seller List is a weekly chart in The New York Times newspaper that keeps track of the best-selling books of the week. ... Cover of the first English edition of 1793 of Benjamin Franklins autobiography. ...

Biography

Early life and "SantaLand Diaries"

Sedaris was born in Binghamton, New York, and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina. He was the third child of Lou Sedaris, an IBM engineer, and Sharon Sedaris; his siblings, from oldest to youngest, are Lisa, Gretchen, Amy, Tiffany, and Paul.^[7] As a child, he suffered from a lisp when pronouncing the "s" sound (which was later cured by speech therapy), obsessive compulsive disorder, and juvenile Tourette's syndrome, which he claims was partially cured when he took up smoking.^[8] In his teens and twenties, he dabbled in visual and performance art. His lack of success is described in several of his essays. Sedaris dropped out of Kent State University in 1977, and moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1983, graduating from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1987. (He did not attend Princeton University, although he spoke fondly of doing so in "What I Learned," a comic baccalaureate address delivered at Princeton in June 2006.) This article is about the City of Binghamton, New York. ... This article is about the state. ... For other uses of this name, see Raleigh. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Largest metro area Charlotte metro area Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²)  - Width 150 miles (240 km)  - Length 560[1] miles (900 km)  - % water 9. ... For other uses, see IBM (disambiguation) and Big Blue. ... Amy Sedaris (born March 29, 1961, in Endicott, New York) is an American actress, author, and comedian. ... For other things named OCD, see OCD (disambiguation). ... Many times, the term art is used to refer to the visual arts. ... This article is about Performance art. ... For the events of May 4, 1970, see Kent State shootings Kent State University (also known as Kent, Kent State or KSU) is one of America’s largest university systems, the third largest university in Ohio after Ohio State University (57,748) and the University of Cincinnati (35,364), and... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Nickname: Motto: Urbs in Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: , Country State Counties Cook, DuPage Settled 1770s Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government  - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area  - City 234. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (140,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is a fine arts college located in Chicago, Illinois. ... Princeton University is a private coeducational research university located in Princeton, New Jersey. ... A baccalaureate is an educational qualification. ... For other uses, see June (disambiguation). ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

While working a string of odd jobs across Raleigh, Chicago and New York City, Sedaris was discovered reading his diary (which he has kept since 1977) in a Chicago club by radio host Ira Glass, who asked Sedaris to appear on his weekly local program The Wild Room.^[9] Sedaris later said, "I owe everything to Ira....My life just changed completely, like someone waved a magic wand."^[6] Sedaris' success on The Wild Room led to his National Public Radio debut on December 23, 1992, when he read a radio essay on Morning Edition titled "SantaLand Diaries," which described his experiences working as an elf at Macy's department store during Christmas time in New York. See also Raleigh, North Carolina and Sir Walter Raleigh. ... Nickname: Motto: Urbs in Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: , Country State Counties Cook, DuPage Settled 1770s Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government  - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area  - City 234. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Ira Glass (born March 3, 1959) is an American public radio personality, and host and producer of the radio and television show This American Life. ... NPR redirects here. ... is the 357th day of the year (358th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Morning Edition is an American radio news program produced and distributed by National Public Radio (NPR). ... SantaLand Diaries is an essay by David Sedaris. ... This article is about the R. H. Macy & Co. ... The interior of a typical Macys department store. ... For other uses, see Christmas (disambiguation). ...

"SantaLand Diaries" was an immediate success with radio listeners,^[10] and made Sedaris what The New York Times called "a minor phenomenon."^[9] He began recording a monthly segment for NPR (based on entries in his diary, and edited and produced by Glass), considered adapting "SantaLand Diaries" into a screenplay for Touchstone Pictures, and signed a two-book deal with Little, Brown and Company.^[9] In 1993, he told The New York Times that he was polishing his first book, a collection of stories and essays, and had 70 pages written of his second book, a novel "about a man who keeps a diary and whom Mr. Sedaris described as 'not me, but a lot like me.'"^[9] (As of October 2007, the novel has not been published.) The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ... Touchstone Pictures (also known as Touchstone Films in its early years) is one of several alternate film labels of The Walt Disney Company, established in 1984. ... Little, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. ...

Collections and mainstream success

In 1994, Sedaris released the book of stories and essays, titled Barrel Fever. When, in 1995, Ira Glass began hosting the weekly hour-long PRI/Chicago Public Radio radio show This American Life, Sedaris became a frequent contributor. He also began publishing essays in Esquire and The New Yorker. In 1997, he published another collection of essays, Naked. His next book, Me Talk Pretty One Day, was written mostly in France over a period of seven months, and was published in 2000 to "practically unanimous rave reviews."^[11] For that book, Sedaris won the 2001 Thurber Prize for American Humor, and was named "Humorist of the Year" by Time magazine. Barrel Fever published in 1994 is a collection of short stories and essays by David Sedaris. ... PRI may refer to: IATA airport code for Praslin Island Airport, in the Seychelles The ISO 3166-1 3-letter country code and an abbreviation for Puerto Rico Pacific Research Institute, think tank Paleontological Research Institution Partido Revolucionario Institucional, Mexican political party Partito Repubblicano Italiano, Italian political party Penal Reform... Chicago Public Radio (CPR) is a noncommercial, public radio station broadcasting from Chicago, Illinois. ... This American Life (TAL) is a weekly hour-long radio program produced by Chicago Public Radio. ... Esquire is a magazine for men owned by the Hearst Corporation. ... For other uses, see New Yorker. ... Paperback cover of Naked Naked, published in 1997, is collection of essays by American humorist David Sedaris. ... Me Talk Pretty One Day, published in 2000, is a best-selling collection of essays by American humorist David Sedaris. ... The Thurber Prize for American Humor, named after James Thurber, recognizes outstanding contributions in humor writing. ... “TIME” redirects here. ...

In April 2001, Variety reported that Sedaris had sold the Me Talk Pretty One Day film rights to director Wayne Wang, who was adapting four stories from the book for Columbia Pictures with hopes of beginning shooting in late 2001.^[12][7] Wang had completed the script and begun casting when Sedaris asked to "g[e]t out of it," after a conversation with his sister aroused concerns as to how his family might be portrayed on screen. (He wrote about the conversation, and its aftermath, in the essay "Repeat After Me.") Sedaris recounted that Wang was "a real prince....I didn't want him to be mad at me, but he was so grown up about it. I never saw how it could be turned into a movie anyway."^[13] Variety is a daily newspaper for the entertainment industry. ... Wayne Wang (Chinese: 王穎; Hanyu Pinyin: ; born January 12, 1949) is a Chinese American film director. ... The Columbia Pictures logo from 1993 to the present Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. ...

In 2004, Sedaris published Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, which hit #1 on The New York Times Nonfiction Best Seller list on June 20, 2004.^[5] The audiobook of Dress Your Family, read by Sedaris, was nominated for a Grammy Award nomination for Best Spoken Word Album; the same year, Sedaris received a Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album, for his recording Live at Carnegie Hall. In March 2006, Ira Glass said that Sedaris' next book would be a collection of animal fables;^[14] that year, Sedaris included several animal fables in his US book tour, and three of his fables were broadcast on This American Life. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim (2004) is a collection of 22 autobiographical essays by American humorist David Sedaris. ... is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album has been awarded since 1959. ... The Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album was awarded from yearly 1959 to 1993 and then from 2004 to present day. ... For other uses, see Fable (disambiguation). ...

In the March 19, 2007 issue of The New Republic, Outside Magazine editor Alex Heard fact-checked Sedaris' books and alleged that some of what Sedaris described as true events actually never happened.^[15] Several published responses to Heard's article argued that Sedaris' readers are aware that his descriptions and stories are intentionally exaggerated and manipulated to maximize comic effect.^[15][16][17] For his part, Sedaris said he had not read the article, and, of the allegations, stated, "It just bothers the shit out of me."^[18] is the 78th day of the year (79th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... For other uses, see New Republic. ... Outside is a magazine focused on the outdoors. ...

In September 2007, a new Sedaris collection, All The Beauty You Will Ever Need, was announced for publication on June 1, 2008.^[19] Although at least one news source assumed that the book would consist entirely of fables,^[19] Sedaris said in an October 2007 interview that the collection might include a "surprisingly brief story about his decision to quit smoking....along with stories about a Polish crybaby, throwing shit in a paraplegic's yard, chimpanzees at a typing school, and people visiting him in France."^[18] (The collection's title, which Sedaris says is "a working title,"^[18] comes from the last line of his essay "The Way We Are", which was published in The New Yorker in February 2007.) All the Beauty You Will Ever Need is a book by humorist and essayist David Sedaris scheduled for release on June 1 2008 Categories: | ... is the 152nd day of the year (153rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) will be a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (common) era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Talent Family

Sedaris is also playwright, having authored with his sister, actress Amy Sedaris, several plays under the name "The Talent Family." These include Stump the Host (1993), Stitches (1994), The Little Frieda Mysteries (1997), and The Book of Liz (2002). All were produced and presented by Meryl Vladimer when she was the artistic director of "the CLUB" at La MaMa E.T.C. Sedaris also co-authored Incident at Cobbler's Knob, which was presented and produced by David Rockwell at the Lincoln Center Festival. Sets for those performances were designed by Sedaris's longtime partner, Hugh Hamrick, who also directed two of them, The Book of Liz and Incident at Cobbler's Knob. Amy Sedaris (born March 29, 1961, in Endicott, New York) is an American actress, author, and comedian. ... Meryl F. Vladimer (Artist, theatrical producer, political activist) Born in Brooklyn, New York. ... The Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center. ...

Works

Story and essay collections

• Barrel Fever (1994)
• Naked (1997)
• Holidays on Ice (1997)
• Me Talk Pretty One Day (2000)
• Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim (2004)
• Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules (editor, 2005)
• All The Beauty You Will Ever Need (out June 1, 2008)

Barrel Fever published in 1994 is a collection of short stories and essays by David Sedaris. ... Paperback cover of Naked Naked, published in 1997, is collection of essays by American humorist David Sedaris. ... Me Talk Pretty One Day, published in 2000, is a best-selling collection of essays by American humorist David Sedaris. ... Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim (2004) is a collection of 22 autobiographical essays by American humorist David Sedaris. ... Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules is a 2005 anthology of short stories edited by David Sedaris. ... All the Beauty You Will Ever Need is a book by humorist and essayist David Sedaris scheduled for release on June 1 2008 Categories: | ...

Plays

• Santaland Diaries & Seasons Greetings: 2 Plays (1998)
• The Book of Liz (2002, with Amy Sedaris)

Audio recordings

• The David Sedaris Box Set (2002)
• Live At Carnegie Hall (2003)

Episodes of This American Life featuring Sedaris

This American Life (TAL) is a weekly hour-long radio program produced by Chicago Public Radio. ...

References

Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules is a 2005 anthology of short stories edited by David Sedaris. ... The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Index Magazine is a prominent New York City based publication for art and culture. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 282nd day of the year (283rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... March is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... kkdkd ... Due to the epidemic of medical errors, readers are cautioned to be aware that the American Psychiatric Association isnt immune to this. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 219th day of the year (220th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... NPR redirects here. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 281st day of the year (282nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... January Magazine is one of the most respected book-related publications on the Web. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 282nd day of the year (283rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Variety is a daily newspaper for the entertainment industry. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... “TIME” redirects here. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see New Republic. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 219th day of the year (220th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Founded in 2002, Gawker. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 219th day of the year (220th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Todays San Francisco Chronicle was founded in 1865 as The Daily Dramatic Chronicle by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 219th day of the year (220th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Charleston City Paper is an alternative weekly published every Wednesday in Charleston, South Carolina. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Paste is a music magazine based in Decatur, Georgia. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 281st day of the year (282nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

David Sedaris

• David Sedaris: Barclay Agency, Official biography of Sedaris accompanied by his appearance schedule and related links.
• David Sedaris Appearance David Sedaris Live at the Center for Performing Arts at Governors State University on Oct. 19th, 2007
• NPR archive of selected Sedaris appearances
• The New Yorker archive of essays published in the magazine by Sedaris from 2003 to present
• Emdashes Interview with Sedaris, June 2005.
• "Go Carolina", the opening chapter from Me Talk Pretty One Day
• Antonella Gambotto-Burke on David Sedaris
• "Tasteless" , an article by David Sedaris from "The New Yorker" (September 3, 2007)