Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules

by Sedaris, David; Sedaris, David

• ISBN13: 9780743273947
• ISBN10: 074327394X
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-04-04
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Summary

From the #1 bestselling author ofMe Talk Pretty One DayandDress Your Family in Corduroy and Denimcomes a collection of the short stories David Sedaris loves most. Containing the work of both contemporary and classic writers,CHILDREN PLAYING BEFORE A STATUE OF HERCULES,edited and introduced by Sedaris, gives his legions of fans a glimpse at the writing he finds inspiring - and helps them discover the truth about loneliness, hope, love, betrayal, and certain, but not all, monkeys.David Sedaris fell in love with short stories while living in Odell, Oregon. Sedaris writes, "When apple-picking season ended, I got a job in a packing plant and gravitated toward short stories, which I could read during my break and reflect upon for the remainder of my shift. A good one would take me out of myself and stuff me back in, outsized, now, and uneasy with the fit." Featuring such notable writers as Alice Munro, Tobias Wolff, Lorrie Moore, and Joyce Carol Oates, readers will reconnect with classics, as well discover fantastic but lesser-known writers.Included inCHILDREN PLAYING BEFORE A STATUE OF HERCULESare: Introduction by David Sedaris"Oh, Joseph, I'm So Tired" by Richard Yates"Gryphon" by Charles Baxter"Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri"The Garden Party" by Katherine Mansfield"Half A Grapefruit" by Alice Munro"Applause, Applause" by Jean Thompson"I Know What I'm Doing About All the Attention I've Been Getting" by Frank Gannon"Where the Door Is Always Open and the Welcome Mat Is Out" by Patricia Highsmith"The Best of Betty" by Jincy Willett"Song of the Shirt, 1941" by Dorothy Parker"The Girl with the Blackened Eye" by Joyce Carol Oates"People Like That Are the Only People Here: Canonical Babbling in Peed Onk" by Lorrie Moore"Revelation" by Flannery O'Connor"In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson Is Buried" by Amy Hempel"Cosmopolitan" by Akhil Sharma"Irish Girl" by Tim Johnston"Bullet in the Brain" by Tobias WolffEpilogue by Sarah VowellBorrowing the book's name from an Adriaen van der Werff painting,CHILDREN PLAYING BEFORE A STATUE OF HERCULESis David Sedaris's attempt to share his passion for short stories with a wider audience-and his enthusiasm is contagious. "The authors in this book are huge to me, and I am a comparative midget, scratching around in their collective shadow. 'Pint sized Fanatic Bowing Before Statues of Hercules' might have been more concise, but people don't paint things like that, and besides, it doesn't sound as good."David Sedaris is publishing this book to support 826NYC, a nonprofit tutoring center in Brooklyn, New York. All of his proceeds, after permission expenses, fromCHILDREN PLAYING BEFORE A STATUE OF HERCULESwill benefit this organization designed to help students ages six to eighteen develop their writing skills through free writing workshops, publishing projects, and one-on-one help with homework and English-language learning. In the book's epilogue, Sarah Vowell describes the fine work done by 826NYC.

Author Biography

David Sedaris is the author of the internationally bestselling Barrel Fever, Naked, Holidays on Ice, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, and Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION	1	(8)
David Sedaris
OH, JOSEPH, I'M SO TIRED	9	(28)
Richard Yates
GRYPHON	37	(20)
Charles Baxter
INTERPRETER OF MALADIES	57	(26)
Jhumpa Lahiri
THE GARDEN PARTY	83	(18)
Katherine Mansfield
HALF A GRAPEFRUIT	101	(20)
Alice Munro
APPLAUSE, APPLAUSE	121	(20)
Jean Thompson
I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING ABOUT ALL THE ATTENTION I'VE BEEN GETTING	141	(4)
Frank Gannon
WHERE THE DOOR IS ALWAYS OPEN AND THE WELCOME MAT IS OUT	145	(20)
Patricia Highsmith
THE BEST OF BETTY	165	(24)
Jincy Willett
SONG OF THE SHIRT, 1941	189	(10)
Dorothy Parker
THE GIRL WITH THE BLACKENED EYE	199	(14)
Joyce Carol Oates
PEOPLE LIKE THAT ARE THE ONLY PEOPLE HERE: CANONICAL BABBLING IN PEED ONK	213	(38)
Lorrie Moore
REVELATION	251	(26)
Flannery O'Connor
IN THE CEMETERY WHERE AL JOLSEN IS BURIED	277	(12)
Amy Hempel
COSMOPOLITAN	289	(28)
Akhil Sharma
IRISH GIRL	317	(14)
Tim Johnston
BULLET IN THE BRAIN	331	(8)
Tobias Wolff
EPILOGUE:ABOUT 826NYC	339
Sarah Vowell