Children Playing Before a Statue of HerculesDavid Sedaris A must-have for the fans of the New York Times bestselling author of Me Talk Pretty One Day, David Sedaris, a collection of his favorite short fiction from Flannery O'Connor to Tobias Wolff. David Sedaris is an exceptional reader. Alone in his apartment, he reads stories aloud to the point he has them memorized. Sometimes he fantasizes that he wrote them. Sometimes, when they’re his very favorite stories, he’ll fantasize about reading them in front of an audience and taking credit for them. The audience in these fantasies always loves him and gives him the respect he deserves. David Sedaris didn’t write the stories in Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules . But he did read them. And he liked them enough to hand pick them for this collection of short fiction. Featuring such notable writers as Lorrie Moore, Alice Munro, Joyce Carol Oates, Jean Thompson, and Tobias Wolff, Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules includes some of the most influential and talented short story writers, contemporary and classic. Perfect for fans who suffer from Sedaris fever, Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules will tide them over and provide relief. |
Contents
Cover Page | 346 |
Title Page | 350 |
Copyright Notice | 351 |
Contents | 352 |
Introduction David Sedaris | 1 |
Oh Joseph Im So Tired Richard Yates | 9 |
Gryphon Charles Baxter | 37 |
Interpreter of Maladies Jhumpa Lahiri | 57 |
Where the Door Is Always Open and the Welcome Mat Is Out Patricia Highsmith | 145 |
The Best of Betty Jincy Willett | 165 |
Song of the Shirt 1941 Dorothy Parker | 189 |
The Girl with the Blackened Eye Joyce Carol Oates | 199 |
Canonical Babbling in Peed Onk Lorrie Moore | 213 |
Revelation Flannery OConnor | 251 |
In the Cemetery Where Al Jolsen Is Buried Amy Hempel | 277 |
Cosmopolitan Akhil Sharma | 289 |
The Garden Party Katherine Mansfield | 83 |
Half a Grapefruit Alice Munro | 101 |
Applause Applause Jean Thompson | 121 |
I Know What Im Doing About All the Attention Ive Been Getting Frank Gannon | 141 |
Irish Girl Tim Johnston | 317 |
Bullet in the Brain Tobias Wolff | 331 |
About 826NYC Sarah Vowell | 339 |
Permissions Acknowledgments | 343 |
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Alice Munro Amy Hempel Anders asked Baby Bart Bernie Billy Pope called Charlie chemo Claud dark David Sedaris Dear Betty door drink Edith Edith Atwater everything eyes face father feel Flannery O'Connor floor friends girl Gopal felt hair hands Hastings-on-Hudson head hear heard Hibler Husband Interpreter of Maladies Jhumpa Lahiri Kapasi kitchen knew lady laugh Laura legs light live looked Lorrie Moore Martindale Mildred Miss Ferenczi morning mouth moved never night nurse Patricia Highsmith picked puffed rice pulled remember Richard Yates Rose says the Mother seemed Shaw shoulder side sister Sloane smile sound stared stopped story talk tell There's thing thought Tiny Tim Tobias Wolff told trying turned Turpin voice waited walked watched What's white-trash William window woman wondered