Lydia Davis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lydia Davis
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Davis in 2017
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| Born | July 15, 1947 Northampton, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Alma mater | Barnard College |
| Period | 1976–present |
| Genre | Short story, novel, essay |
| Spouses |
Alan Cote |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Robert Gorham Davis (father) Hope Hale Davis (mother) Claudia Cockburn (half-sister) |
Lydia Davis was born on July 15, 1947. She is an American writer known for her very short stories. She also writes novels and essays. Besides her own writing, Lydia Davis translates books from French and other languages. She has translated famous French books like Swann's Way by Marcel Proust and Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert.
Early Life and Education
Lydia Davis was born in Northampton, Massachusetts. Her father, Robert Gorham Davis, was a critic and English professor. Her mother, Hope Hale Davis, was also a writer and teacher.
When she was younger, Lydia Davis loved music. She first studied piano and then the violin. Even though music was her first love, she felt she was always meant to be a writer.
She went to The Brearley School in New York City for middle school. She then attended The Putney School and graduated in 1965. Later, she studied at Barnard College. During her time there, she mostly wrote poetry.
In 1974, Lydia Davis married Paul Auster. They had a son named Daniel. They later divorced. Lydia Davis is now married to an artist named Alan Cote. They have a son named Theo Cote.
Lydia Davis used to be a professor at the University at Albany, SUNY. She also taught as a special writer-in-residence at New York University in 2012.
Writing Career
Lydia Davis has published six collections of her short stories. Some of her early collections include The Thirteenth Woman and Other Stories (1976) and Break It Down (1986). Her more recent collections are Varieties of Disturbance (2007) and Can't and Won't (2013). In 2009, a book called The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis was released. It included all her short stories written up to 2008.
Besides her own stories, Lydia Davis is a well-known translator. She has translated works by many famous French writers. These include Marcel Proust, Gustave Flaubert, Maurice Blanchot, and Michel Foucault. She has also translated books by Belgian and Dutch writers.
Lydia Davis has written one novel. It is called The End of the Story and was published in 2004.
Selected Works
- The Thirteenth Woman and Other Stories, Living Hand, 1976
- The End of the Story (novel), 2004
- Varieties of Disturbance, 2007
- The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis, 2009
- Can't and Won't, 2013
Selected Translations
- Conrad Detrez (1984). A Weed for Burning.
- Michel Butor (1986). The Spirit of Mediterranean Places.
- Marcel Proust (2002). Swann's Way.
- Gustave Flaubert (2010). Madame Bovary.
See also
In Spanish: Lydia Davis para niños
