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The 2000s in America

Sedaris, David

by Sally Driscoll

Identification: American autobiographical essayist and humorist

Born: December 26, 1956; Johnson City, New York

A master of the satirical essay, writer David Sedaris has been compared to Mark Twain, James Thurber, and Dorothy Parker. His books have been translated into over two dozen languages and sold millions of copies worldwide.

Prior to the publication of Me Talk Pretty One Day in 2000, David Sedaris had already established himself as a well-known memoirist and satirist with his works Naked (1997) and Holidays on Ice (1997). Several stories in Me Talk Pretty were published previously in the New Yorker, Esquire, and GQ, and some were read by Sedaris on NPR’s This American Life. The best-selling book presents Sedaris’s comical reflections on his upbringing in North Carolina, and his insights and opinions of French culture after moving to Normandy. In 2001, Time magazine named Sedaris the Humorist of the Year. In addition, Sedaris was awarded the 2001 Thurber Prize for American Humor.

In 2004, Sedaris published Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, another collection of autobiographical essays. In addition to continued explorations of France and his family, Sedaris writes about his father’s reaction to his homosexuality and about his relationship with his partner. When You Are Engulfed in Flames, published in 2008, further explores the themes familiar to Sedaris’s readers, presented in his trademark wry and earnest style.

Some critics have faulted Sedaris for exaggerating many autobiographical events and have questioned whether is work is “nonfiction” in the truest sense of the word. Sedaris has responded by asserting that certain techniques of storytelling are required in works of satire.

In 2004, David Sedaris: Live at Carnegie Hall (2003) was awarded a Grammy Award for best comedy album. In 2005, he edited a collection of short stories entitled Children Playing before a Statue of Hercules. Sedaris published a collection of short stories entitled Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary in 2011. The book explores dark humor and the nuances of relationships via anthropomorphism, or the literary technique of imbuing animals with human qualities.

Impact

David Sedaris has been credited with reviving the art of satire and for providing reading audiences with welcome comic relief from the seriousness and cynicism of contemporary writing. His essays are read widely in creative nonfiction, memoir, and gay literature courses, and have inspired countless writers. As an openly gay American, Sedaris has lent his voice and talent toward changing prejudicial attitudes about homosexuality, and has inspired other gay authors to discuss their sexual identities publicly.

Further Reading

1 

Sedaris, David. “All You Have to Do Is Live: David Sedaris on Writing, Reading and Gay Marriage.” Interview by Susanna Schrobsdorff. Newsweek. Newsweek/Daily Beast, 30 May 2008. Web. 8 Oct. 2012.

2 

---. “David Sedaris.” Interview by Allison Block. Booklist 1–15 June 2008: 114. Print.

3 

---. Interview by Terry Gross. Writers Speak: Fresh Air with Terry Gross. HighBridge, 2004. CD.

Citation Types

Type
Format
MLA 9th
Driscoll, Sally. "Sedaris, David." The 2000s in America, edited by Craig Belanger, Salem Press, 2013. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=2000_0336.
APA 7th
Driscoll, S. (2013). Sedaris, David. In C. Belanger (Ed.), The 2000s in America. Salem Press.
CMOS 17th
Driscoll, Sally. "Sedaris, David." Edited by Craig Belanger. The 2000s in America. Hackensack: Salem Press, 2013. Accessed September 18, 2025. online.salempress.com.