Lydia Davis is the author of several works of fiction, including Break it Down and The End of the Story. She is
also a noted translator, and has a new collection of stories, Samuel Johnson is Indignant. She teaches at Bard
College and lives in Port Ewen, New York.
Summary
From "one of the quiet giants in the world of American fiction" (Los Angeles Times), comes this inventive
collection of short fiction about intimacy and despair. In "The Family" one horrifying afternoon in the
park is succinctly described in 47 human actions. "Wife in One Country" depicts the aftermath of a failed
marriage. And in "Glenn Gould," a former pianist and new mother tries to justify her addiction to "The
Mary Tyler Moore Show." In each of her stories, Davis explores the difficulties of personal relationships
and the limits of language with great intelligence and empathy.
