The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis
Author: Lydia Davis
Published by: Penguin Books
Pages: 731
Format: Paperback
My Rating: ★★★★
Published by: Penguin Books
Pages: 731
Format: Paperback
My Rating: ★★★★
The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis is the complete collection of short fiction from the world-renowned Lydia Davis.
My thoughts:
Lydia Davis’s short stories are difficult to describe. The almost impossible-to-categorise author is known for the shortest of short stories and won the Man Booker International prize in 2013.
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been dipping in and out of this book which brings together four collections of her short stories: ‘Break It Down’ (1986), ‘Almost No Memory’ (1997), ‘Samuel Johnson is Indignant’ (2001) and ‘Varieties of Disturbance’ (2007).
Most of Lydia Davis’ stories really are very short – many of them are more like character portraits, and some are flash fiction stories which are only a sentence or a paragraph long. It is hard to pick out favourites but one that stuck in my mind was ‘Hand’ which consists of just one sentence: “Beyond the hand holding this book that I’m reading; I see another hand lying idle and slightly out of focus – my extra hand.”
Some of my favourite featured stories include The House Behind, The Other, Enlightened and A Friend of Mine, all of which stayed in my mind long after reading. Some of the stories are experimental and unconventionally structured in that there is rarely a beginning, a middle and an end, but they are all sharply observed, deeply involving and often very humorous. Be prepared for moments of beauty that are sharp and severe.
The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis is consistently original from start to finish although I think it is perhaps best not to try and read them all in one go. I very much enjoyed dipping in and out of this book which allowed each piece to leave a greater impact on me after reading.
With such an original and daring voice, Davis is the master of a literary form largely of her own invention. As Jonathon Messinger explained: “You could read several of her stories into a friend's voicemail box before you were cut off (and you should). You could fit one of her stories in this column. Some you could write on your palm.”
Whether in the first or third person, Davis's stories often take the form of miniature essays or journal entries. As with any collection, the quality of the experience varies, but Davis writes with such precision and imagination, her stories are unlike anything I have read before. In the years since she began publishing her lyrical, extremely short fiction, it is no surprise she has quietly become one of the most impactful influences on American writers today.
Overall reaction:
Lydia Davis’s short stories are difficult to describe. The almost impossible-to-categorise author is known for the shortest of short stories and won the Man Booker International prize in 2013.
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been dipping in and out of this book which brings together four collections of her short stories: ‘Break It Down’ (1986), ‘Almost No Memory’ (1997), ‘Samuel Johnson is Indignant’ (2001) and ‘Varieties of Disturbance’ (2007).
Most of Lydia Davis’ stories really are very short – many of them are more like character portraits, and some are flash fiction stories which are only a sentence or a paragraph long. It is hard to pick out favourites but one that stuck in my mind was ‘Hand’ which consists of just one sentence: “Beyond the hand holding this book that I’m reading; I see another hand lying idle and slightly out of focus – my extra hand.”
Some of my favourite featured stories include The House Behind, The Other, Enlightened and A Friend of Mine, all of which stayed in my mind long after reading. Some of the stories are experimental and unconventionally structured in that there is rarely a beginning, a middle and an end, but they are all sharply observed, deeply involving and often very humorous. Be prepared for moments of beauty that are sharp and severe.
The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis is consistently original from start to finish although I think it is perhaps best not to try and read them all in one go. I very much enjoyed dipping in and out of this book which allowed each piece to leave a greater impact on me after reading.
With such an original and daring voice, Davis is the master of a literary form largely of her own invention. As Jonathon Messinger explained: “You could read several of her stories into a friend's voicemail box before you were cut off (and you should). You could fit one of her stories in this column. Some you could write on your palm.”
Whether in the first or third person, Davis's stories often take the form of miniature essays or journal entries. As with any collection, the quality of the experience varies, but Davis writes with such precision and imagination, her stories are unlike anything I have read before. In the years since she began publishing her lyrical, extremely short fiction, it is no surprise she has quietly become one of the most impactful influences on American writers today.
Overall reaction: