David Sedaris facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Sedaris
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Sedaris at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2018
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| Born | David Raymond Sedaris December 26, 1956 Johnson City, New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | School of the Art Institute of Chicago (BA) |
| Genre | Humor, essays |
| Notable awards | Thurber Prize for American Humor American Academy of Arts and Letters |
| Partner | Hugh Hamrick |
| Relatives | Amy Sedaris (sister) |
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David Raymond Sedaris (born December 26, 1956) is a famous American writer, comedian, and radio personality. He is known for his funny essays and short stories. Many of his stories are about his own life and family.
David Sedaris became well-known in 1992. This happened when a radio show called National Public Radio (NPR) played his essay "Santaland Diaries". He then published his first book, Barrel Fever, in 1994. His book Naked (1997) was his first to become a New York Times bestseller. His book Me Talk Pretty One Day (2000) won the Thurber Prize for American Humor.
Sedaris often writes about his family, growing up in Raleigh, North Carolina, and his life in places like France and London. He is the brother of actress Amy Sedaris, and they have worked together on writing projects. In 2019, he was chosen to be part of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, which is a big honor for artists.
Contents
Early Life and Education
David Sedaris was born in Johnson City, New York. His mother was Sharon Elizabeth and his father was Louis Harry Sedaris. His father was an engineer for IBM. David's father's parents came from Greece.
When David was young, his family moved to Raleigh, North Carolina. He was the second of six children. His siblings are Lisa, Gretchen, Amy, Tiffany, and Paul.
After high school, David went to a few different colleges. He went to Western Carolina University and Kent State University. He later moved to Chicago in 1983. He graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1987.
David Sedaris's Career
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While working different jobs, David Sedaris was discovered by radio host Ira Glass. This happened in a club in Chicago. Sedaris was reading from his personal diary, which he had kept since 1977. Ira Glass was very impressed with David's writing.
Glass asked Sedaris to be on his local radio show, The Wild Room. Sedaris said that Ira Glass changed his life completely. Because of his success on The Wild Room, David Sedaris appeared on National Public Radio in 1992. He read his essay "Santaland Diaries" on the show Morning Edition. This essay was about his funny experiences working as an elf at a Macy's department store during Christmas.
"Santaland Diaries" was very popular with listeners. It made Sedaris quite famous. He started recording a monthly part for NPR based on his diary entries. He also signed a deal to publish two books.
Books and Mainstream Success
In 1994, Sedaris published Barrel Fever. This book was a collection of his stories and essays. He became a regular writer for This American Life, a weekly radio show hosted by Ira Glass. He also started writing essays for magazines like Esquire and The New Yorker.
In 1997, he published another collection of essays called Naked. This book won an award for gay non-fiction. Naked and his next four essay collections became New York Times Best Sellers. These books include Holidays on Ice (1997), Me Talk Pretty One Day (2000), Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim (2004), and When You Are Engulfed in Flames (2008).
Me Talk Pretty One Day was mostly written in France. It was published in 2000 and received great reviews. Sedaris won the 2001 Thurber Prize for American Humor for this book.
In 2004, Sedaris published Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim. This book reached number one on The New York Times Nonfiction Best Seller List. The audiobook version of Dress Your Family, read by Sedaris, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album. He was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album for his recording Live at Carnegie Hall.
In 2010, BBC Radio 4 aired Meet David Sedaris. This was a series of his essays read aloud to a live audience. He also released a collection of stories called Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary in 2010. In 2013, he published Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls. In 2017, he released Theft By Finding, which was a collection of his diary entries from 1977 to 2002.
In 2020, a collection of his best essays and short stories was released. It was called The Best of Me. In 2022, he published Happy Go Lucky. In this book, he wrote about his relationship with his father, who had recently passed away.
The Talent Family
David Sedaris has written several plays with his sister, Amy Sedaris. They call themselves "The Talent Family". Their plays include Stump the Host (1993) and The Book of Liz (2001). These plays were performed in New York.
The New Yorker Magazine
David Sedaris has written more than 40 essays for The New Yorker magazine. He also writes for their blog.
Personal Life
David Sedaris lives with his longtime partner, Hugh Hamrick. Hugh is a painter and set designer. They met in New York City in 1991. They moved to France in 1998 and later to England. Sedaris often mentions Hugh in his funny stories.
Sedaris spends his time between Rackham, West Sussex, England, and New York City. In 2013, he bought a beach house in Emerald Isle, North Carolina. Many of the stories in his 2018 book Calypso are set there.
David Sedaris is known for spending hours picking up trash from roads near his home in England. Because of this, people in the area sometimes call him "Pig Pen". A waste truck has even been named after him!
Images for kids
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David Sedaris's signature
See also
In Spanish: David Sedaris para niños
