Calypso

'Sedaris is the premier observer of our world and its weirdnesses' Adam Kay, author of THIS IS GOING TO HURT

'He's like an American Alan Bennett' Guardian

A New York Times Notable Book of 2018

'Entrancing . . . This book allows us to observed not just the nimble-mouthed elf of his previous work, but a man in his seventh decade expunging his darker secrets and contemplating mortality . . . The brilliance of David Sedaris's writing is that his very essence, his aura, seeps through the pages of his books like an intoxicating cloud, mesmerising us so that his logic becomes ours' Alan Cumming, Scotsman

If you've ever laughed your way through David Sedaris's cheerfully misanthropic stories, you might think you know what you're getting with CALYPSO. You'd be wrong.

When he buys a beach house on the Carolina coast, Sedaris envisions long, relaxing vacations spent playing board games and lounging in the sun with those he loves most. And life at the Sea Section, as he names the vacation home, is exactly as idyllic as he imagined, except for one tiny, vexing realization: it's impossible to take a vacation from yourself.

With CALYPSO, Sedaris sets his formidable powers of observation toward middle age and mortality. Make no mistake: these stories are very, very funny - it's a book that can make you laugh 'til you snort, the way only family can. Sedaris's writing has never been sharper, and his ability to shock readers into laughter unparalleled. But much of the comedy here is born out of that vertiginous moment when your own body betrays you and you realize that the story of your life is made up of more past than future.

This is beach reading for people who detest beaches, required reading for those who loathe small talk and love a good tumour joke. CALYPSO is simultaneously Sedaris's darkest and warmest book yet - and it just might be his very best.

“He's like an American Alan Bennett - Guardian Unquestionably the king of comic writing . . . Calypso is both funnier and more heartbreaking than pretty much anything out there - GuardianWe get more of a glimpse than we have before of what lies behind the carapace of a writer who seems able to turn almost any situation to comic gold . . . [an] incredibly funny and sometimes moving meditation on love, death and family life, by a master of his craft - Sunday Times So often Sedaris's phrasing is beautiful in its piquancy and minimalism . . . His life is extraordinary in so many ways - the drug addiction, the eccentric family, the crazy jobs, the fame, the globetrotting - but one of the more unlikely achievements here is in making it all seem quite ordinary. Ultimately, his masterstroke is in acting as a bystander in his own story - Guardian on Theft by FindingEntrancing . . . This book allows us to observed not just the nimble-mouthed elf of his previous work, but a man in his seventh decade expunging his darker secrets and contemplating mortality . . . The brilliance of David Sedaris's writing is that his very essence, his aura, seeps through the pages of his books like an intoxicating cloud, mesmerising us so that his logic becomes ours - Scotsman”

He's like an American Alan Bennett - Guardian

Unquestionably the king of comic writing . . . Calypso is both funnier and more heartbreaking than pretty much anything out there - Guardian

We get more of a glimpse than we have before of what lies behind the carapace of a writer who seems able to turn almost any situation to comic gold . . . [an] incredibly funny and sometimes moving meditation on love, death and family life, by a master of his craft - Sunday Times

So often Sedaris's phrasing is beautiful in its piquancy and minimalism . . . His life is extraordinary in so many ways - the drug addiction, the eccentric family, the crazy jobs, the fame, the globetrotting - but one of the more unlikely achievements here is in making it all seem quite ordinary. Ultimately, his masterstroke is in acting as a bystander in his own story - Guardian on Theft by Finding

Entrancing . . . This book allows us to observed not just the nimble-mouthed elf of his previous work, but a man in his seventh decade expunging his darker secrets and contemplating mortality . . . The brilliance of David Sedaris's writing is that his very essence, his aura, seeps through the pages of his books like an intoxicating cloud, mesmerising us so that his logic becomes ours - Scotsman

David Sedaris is the author of twelve previous books, including, most recently, A Carnival of Snackery, The Best of Me, and Calypso. He is a regular contributor to the New Yorker and BBC Radio 4. In 2019, he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He is the recipient of the Thurber Prize for American Humor, the Jonathan Swift Prize for Satire and Humor, and the Terry Southern Prize for Humor.

'Sedaris is the premier observer of our world and its weirdnesses' Adam Kay, author of THIS IS GOING TO HURT 'He's like an American Alan Bennett' Guardian A New York Times Notable Book of 2018 'Entrancing . . . This book allows us to observed not just the nimble-mouthed elf of his previous work, but a man in his seventh decade expunging his darker secrets and contemplating mortality . . . The brilliance of David Sedaris's writing is that his very essence, his aura, seeps through the pages of his books like an intoxicating cloud, mesmerising us so that his logic becomes ours' Alan Cumming, Scotsman If you've ever laughed your way through David Sedaris's cheerfully misanthropic stories, you might think you know what you're getting with CALYPSO. You'd be wrong. When he buys a beach house on the Carolina coast, Sedaris envisions long, relaxing vacations spent playing board games and lounging in the sun with those he loves most. And life at the Sea Section, as he names the vacation home, is exactly as idyllic as he imagined, except for one tiny, vexing realization: it's impossible to take a vacation from yourself.With CALYPSO, Sedaris sets his formidable powers of observation toward middle age and mortality. Make no mistake: these stories are very, very funny - it's a book that can make you laugh 'til you snort, the way only family can. Sedaris's writing has never been sharper, and his ability to shock readers into laughter unparalleled. But much of the comedy here is born out of that vertiginous moment when your own body betrays you and you realize that the story of your life is made up of more past than future.This is beach reading for people who detest beaches, required reading for those who loathe small talk and love a good tumour joke. CALYPSO is simultaneously Sedaris's darkest and warmest book yet - and it just might be his very best.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.