otm, i switched to her translation halfway through reading another mustier one and the difference was shocking
― flopson, Wednesday, 16 October 2019 18:27 (four years ago) link
sry i did that for madame bovary
― flopson, Wednesday, 16 October 2019 18:28 (four years ago) link
also i love her short stories
What I've read of her criticism has been really great. Her tastes in lit are very similar to mine too.
― xyzzzz__, Thursday, 17 October 2019 14:39 (four years ago) link
have you ever read joy williams?
― plax (ico), Thursday, 17 October 2019 17:09 (four years ago) link
they may not be as similar as I sometimes think because I read them at the same time. Joy Williams is quite gothic.
― plax (ico), Thursday, 17 October 2019 17:10 (four years ago) link
i love joy williams. she should be hipper imo, it's really hard to find her books
― flopson, Thursday, 17 October 2019 17:37 (four years ago) link
she's kinda the anti-Lydia Davis tho lol
Yeah I guess, but they are both really interested in dreams and dream interpretations and they both have a large interest in gaps and ommissions.
― plax (ico), Thursday, 17 October 2019 19:09 (four years ago) link
I will check Joy Williams out, thanks!
― xyzzzz__, Thursday, 17 October 2019 21:47 (four years ago) link
it's been a while since i've read either and there was a long gap between reading them so don't remember too specifics, but just in terms of prose style williams' sentences are so knotty long and wild whereas davis' are immaculate short and cute
― flopson, Thursday, 17 October 2019 22:01 (four years ago) link
I was so into Gordon Lish's baroque-ification of Carver's posthumous collection Cathedral that I followed up with other authors he edited, this was my intro to Williams. She's great, I read a collection of hers in a couple of days
― i could chug a keg of you (flamboyant goon tie included), Thursday, 17 October 2019 23:21 (four years ago) link
Sorry, what's Williams' connection to Carver?
― What a ridiculous clusterfuck of totally uncool jokers (jed_), Thursday, 17 October 2019 23:55 (four years ago) link
Oh, they have/had the same editor?
The big orange short story collection (textured paper! rough pages!!) was my first encounter with her as anything other than an excellent translator & I foolishly sold it when money was tight because I knew I could get 5 bucks for it easy :/
I've been there, too. it is hard to shake the regrets. it can take a decade or more of quietly mourning for the loss. (sighs)
― A is for (Aimless), Friday, 18 October 2019 00:07 (four years ago) link
it’s still in print. i can buy you a copy if u want bro
― flopson, Saturday, 19 October 2019 15:03 (four years ago) link
lol
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 19 October 2019 15:05 (four years ago) link
The original paperback collections I bought for a buck apiece
xyzzzz u r herne hill right? i'm leaving on wednesday (moving to islington) and discovered I have two copies of joy williams escapes if u want one? otherwise its going to oxfam. not sure how i'd get it to you i guess dm me if ur interested.
― plax (ico), Sunday, 27 October 2019 20:22 (four years ago) link
Hi plz indeed I am. Let me try and DM you my address now
― xyzzzz__, Monday, 28 October 2019 10:22 (four years ago) link
*plax
Just did it now, did you get it.
― xyzzzz__, Monday, 28 October 2019 10:25 (four years ago) link
got it!
― plax (ico), Monday, 28 October 2019 11:26 (four years ago) link
Thanks 👍
― xyzzzz__, Monday, 28 October 2019 11:47 (four years ago) link
my pleasure. hope you enjoy it. I read an interview with her once where she said something about how her difficulty with writing dialogue was solved when she realised that she could make her characters say whatever she wanted them to. it might have been in her paris review interview which is very good and worth reading. I think she is very good, honored guest is the collection I like the most and escapes is patchier but the good stories are very good and there's a couple that I have read more than several times.
― plax (ico), Monday, 28 October 2019 13:00 (four years ago) link
👏👏👏
― xyzzzz__, Monday, 28 October 2019 13:59 (four years ago) link
Omg did you get this?
― plax (ico), Saturday, 16 November 2019 01:28 (four years ago) link
Hey plax sorry should've updated. Yes thank you v much for this. Hope the move went well.
― xyzzzz__, Saturday, 16 November 2019 15:47 (four years ago) link
Lol, I don't know why this suddenly seemed urgent late last night!
― plax (ico), Saturday, 16 November 2019 16:35 (four years ago) link
Hope you enjoy it
essays 1 is incredible. i read the ‘lydias tips for writing’ one last night
― flopson, Saturday, 16 November 2019 19:16 (four years ago) link
essays 1 is an insane book. the thing i've enjoyed most after the end of the story
― plax (ico), Monday, 16 March 2020 21:40 (four years ago) link
Agreed. I read the essays on writing three weeks ago; they had their effect.
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 16 March 2020 21:53 (four years ago) link
might buy this for the lockdown.
― Alain the Botton (jed_), Monday, 16 March 2020 22:04 (four years ago) link
essential for any writer. it’s incredible how much insight into the craft she gives
― flopson, Monday, 16 March 2020 23:31 (four years ago) link
hi, flopson!
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 16 March 2020 23:41 (four years ago) link
hey :)
― flopson, Monday, 16 March 2020 23:47 (four years ago) link
every writer should publish their lecture notes for the fancy MFA classes they teach imo
oh god i guess i was wrong to hold out on this
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Tuesday, 17 March 2020 00:12 (four years ago) link
What's amazing is how continuous they are with her actual fiction (opening and expanding its themes) but simultaneously how straightforwardly demystifying they are
― plax (ico), Tuesday, 17 March 2020 06:47 (four years ago) link
i just started reading essays one and it’s really good. i am in quarantine and it’s going to be a very pleasing time chewer upper
― estela, Friday, 20 March 2020 00:24 (four years ago) link
lydia could (and did, and still can) get it
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 18 July 2023 04:43 (eleven months ago) link
https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/a-letter-from-lydia-davis-on-independent-bookshopsNew collection not available on Amazon
― Boris Yitsbin (wins), Saturday, 14 October 2023 08:28 (eight months ago) link