PRINTOn (not) smoking in Japan
David Sedaris’ life is once again engulfed in flames
Photo: Courtesy of Little, Brown and Company
April 2, 2009 | 12:00 a.m. CST
David Sedaris’ rise to mainstream success has always revolved around his dry, often self-deprecating sense of humor and his inimitable way of looking at the world.His newest collection of essays, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, quickly ran to the top of the New York Times Nonfiction Bestsellers list in June and stayed there for eight consecutive weeks.
Fans eager to hear the Grammy-nominated Sedaris, who was named “Humorist of the Year” by Time in 2001, helped sell out tickets to his April 8 Columbia appearance approximately two months in advance.
Lou and Sharon Sedaris must have been working with some intense genetic material to produce such a talented family. Here are other places to get your Sedaris fix.
1. “This American Life”: The next best thing to reading David Sedaris’ books is listening to his voice, which he describes as high-pitched and often leads telemarketers to ask for his husband. Listen to Sedaris’ radio appearances by downloading “This American Life” podcasts on kbia.org or thisamericanlife.org.
2. I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence: Ever wondered how to cook a fine steak for your uncle or what to have on hand for your stoned friend’s munchies? Amy Sedaris has a book full of tips, from recycling pantyhose to preparing Baked Alaska.
3. Youcantkilltherooster.com: Don’t forget the youngest Sedaris. David’s brother Paul, who goes by “The Rooster,” has a Web site for any fans of his appearances in David’s and Amy’s family essays. With $5 barbecue sauce and T-shirts, this Sedaris knows how to cash in on the family’s fame.
4. The Book of Liz: A play with wit as sharp as aged cheddar. Amy and David Sedaris, under the pseudonym The Talent Family, tell the story of an Amish-like community called the Squeamish. It survives on profits of its famous cheese balls but runs into trouble when the head cheese leaves town. Think The Crucible on crack.
5. Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules: Good writers are typically good readers, and David is no exception. In this printed anthology, he has compiled his favorite short stories from writers such as Richard Yates, author of Revolutionary Road, Dorothy Parker, a satirical author during the ‘20s, and Southern gothic writer Flannery O’Connor.
--Hannah Hayes
There’s always been a voyeuristic nature to Sedaris’ writings, along with a steady cast of characters (boyfriend Hugh Hamrick, siblings Paul and Amy and his parents), and When You Are Engulfed in Flames offers fans more of
the same.
Throughout the course of the book, Sedaris wards off sexual advances from a truck driver while hitchhiking (“Road Trips”), laments about the lack of pick-me-up accessories for men (“Buddy, Can You Spare a Tie?”) and debates the art of small talk (“Of Mice and Men”).
In “Solutions to Saturday’s Puzzle,” Sedaris encounters an unruly airplane passenger who lashes out after he refuses to accommodate her seat-change request. En route to Raleigh, he inadvertently spits a cough drop into the lap of his now-sleeping neighbor and spends the remainder of the flight filling in nonsense answers to the New York Times crossword puzzle including “I am not an asshole” and “whore” while plotting his best chance for escape.
As the book’s final essay, the 83-page “The Smoking Section” (Sedaris’ tale of his $23,000 attempt to quit smoking), unfolds, his tale evokes a genuine hope for success. The tale at times runs unbridled and causes the reader to flip ahead and scan for another entry point. “The Smoking Section,” along with other moments, finds Sedaris relying too much on heart and not enough on humor.
Even so, it’s easy to forgive Sedaris when the stories get too thoughtful and teary-eyed, given his penchant to consistently deliver in page-turning, sidesplitting work. But when things turn to shock and awe — in “Memento Mori,” Sedaris buys a human skeleton as a gift for Hugh, and “It’s Catching” recounts the worm that lived in Hugh’s mother’s leg in 1968 — it all becomes a bit much. At some point, the oddities seem like they coudn’t have happened to just one person.
Even through all the missteps, the thing that shines bright is Sedaris’ undeniable knack for a good story. There’s something captivating about his ability to make fun of both himself and others and make it all look so
ridiculously easy. Self-loathing aside, Sedaris’ modest, aw-shucks attitude makes him a character worth rooting for, almost an underdog figure. It’s the least we can do in return for all the unadulterated looks at his life that he has provided to us.
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