David Sedaris / Courtesy
Bibliophiles and NPR lovers rejoice – David Sedaris returns to Walton Arts Center on Sunday, Nov. 3 for one night only!
Known as a master of satire, a pre-eminent humorist and one of today’s most observant storytellers addressing the human condition, Sedaris’ writing is not always what you would expect. His personal essays and short stories are full of sardonic wit and incisive social critiques, riddled with drug addiction, mental illness, abnormal jobs, his eccentric family and, in one case, a tumor that he had removed and fed to a snapping turtle. But the proof is in the pudding – his droll and conversational style has garnered him three Grammy® nominations for Best Spoken Word and Best Comedy Album, his books are immediate New York Times bestsellers and over 10 million copies of his books are in print, translated into 25 languages.
Sedaris is an atypical author, and not just because of his singular worldview or because his books sell so well, but because of his unusually close relationship with his readers. Many writers have mixed feelings about going on book tours. But not Sedaris. He loves audiences, and audiences love him. Even when there is no new work to promote, he spends much of his time on extended tours in the U.S. and abroad. After he appears, he signs books and chats with his fans late into the night (his record is 10.5 hours, in Chicago). According to The New York Times, his conversational gambits cover the sort of topics that people often avoid. “How old do you think you are going to be when you die?” he asked one fan. When a man wanted a book signed for his father, he said “What happened to your mother — is she dead?” Released from conversational convention, his readers confide in him about things matter-of-factly and without restraint. For someone else it would feel like a high-wire act; for Sedaris it’s business as usual.
David Sedaris is the author of Barrel Fever; Holidays on Ice; Naked; Me Talk Pretty One Day; Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim; When You Are Engulfed in Flames; Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls; Theft By Finding: Diaries (1977-2002) and his most recent collection of essays is entitled Calypso. His pieces regularly appear in The New Yorker and have twice been included in “The Best American Essays.” He and his sister, Amy Sedaris, have collaborated under the name “The Talent Family” and have written half-a-dozen plays which have been produced at La Mama, Lincoln Center and The Drama Department in New York City. Sedaris’ original audio pieces can often be heard on the NPR show “This American Life.”
Tickets to David Sedaris at Walton Arts Center start at $46 and are on sale now. Buy yours by clicking here.
