David Sedaris

David Sedaris may well be the closest thing the literary world has these days to a rock star—his speaking engagements are now consistently standing-room-only, a far cry from his early days as a housecleaner in New York City.

Sedaris made his comic debut recounting his strange-but-true experiences of his job as a Macy’s elf clad in green tights, reading his “SantaLand Diaries” on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition. His sardonic wit and incisive social critiques have since made him one of America’s pre-eminent humor writers. The great skill with which Sedaris slices through cultural euphemisms and political correctness proves that he is a master of satire and one of the most observant writers addressing the human condition today.

David Sedaris is the author of the bestsellers Barrel Fever and Holidays on Ice, as well as collections of personal essays, Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, each of which became immediate bestsellers. His essays appear regularly in Esquire and The New Yorker. Sedaris and his sister, Amy Sedaris, have collaborated under the name “The Talent Family” and have written several plays which have been produced at La Mama, Lincoln Center , and The Drama Department in New York City . These plays include Stump the Host, Stitches, One Woman Shoe, which received an Obie Award, Incident at Cobbler’s Knob, and The Book of Liz, which was published in book form by Dramatist’s Play Service.

Sedaris’ original radio pieces can often be heard on This American Life, distributed nationally by Public Radio International and produced by WBEZ in Chicago . In 2001, David Sedaris became the third recipient of the Thurber Prize for American Humor. He was named by Time magazine as “Humorist of the Year” in 2001. An anthology of stories, Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules: An Anthology of Outstanding Stories, edited by David Sedaris, was published in April 2005. In 2005, David Sedaris was nominated for two Grammy Awards for Best Spoken Word Album ("Dress Your Family in Corduroy & Denim") and Best Comedy Album ("David Sedaris: Live at Carnegie Hall").