Calypso (book)

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Calypso
AuthorDavid Sedaris
Audio read byDavid Sedaris
Cover artistPeter Mendelsund
CountryUnited States
LanguageAmerican English
SubjectHealth, death, family
Set inEngland, Japan, United States
PublisherLittle, Brown and Company, Blackstone Audio
Publication date
May 29, 2018 (2018-05-29)
Media typePrint, ebook, audiobook
Pages261
ISBN978-0316392389 (print)

Calypso is a collection of 21 semi-autobiographical essays by David Sedaris.[1][2] It was published on May 29, 2018 by Little, Brown and Company.[3] 14 of the 21 essays were previously published in a magazine or newspaper; some of these were published under a different title or in a different form.[2][4]

Essays[edit]

  1. "Company Man"[a]
  2. "Now We Are Five"[a]
  3. "Little Guy"
  4. "Stepping Out"[a]
  5. "A House Divided"
  6. "The Perfect Fit"[a]
  7. "Leviathan"[a]
  8. "Your English Is So Good"[b]
  9. "Calypso"[c]
  10. "A Modest Proposal"[a]
  11. "The Silent Treatment"
  12. "Untamed"[a]
  13. "The One(s) Who Got Away"[c]
  14. "Sorry"
  15. "Boo-hooey"
  16. "A Number of the Reasons I've Been Depressed Lately"[d]
  17. "Why Aren't You Laughing?"[a]
  18. "I'm Still Standing"
  19. "The Spirit World"[d]
  20. "And While You're Up There, Check On My Prostate"[e]
  21. "The Comey Memo"


  1. ^ a b c d e f g h First published in The New Yorker
  2. ^ First published in Condé Nast Traveller
  3. ^ a b First published in The Guardian
  4. ^ a b First published in The Paris Review
  5. ^ First published in Esquire

Synopsis[edit]

In Calypso, Sedaris writes primarily about his family and aging, as he is approaching the age his mother was when she died of cancer (62) and his sister Tiffany had recently died by suicide. He purchases a seaside vacation home in Emerald Isle, North Carolina, for the remaining siblings to spend time in with their father, now in his 90s, as they did growing up. He also discusses shopping for clothes in Japan with his sisters and a gastrointestinal virus he acquires while on book tour, an experience he views in terms of looming incontinence of old age.

Reception[edit]

The review aggregator website Book Marks reported that 65% of critics gave the book a "rave" review, whilst 30% of the critics expressed "positive" impressions, based on a sample of 23 reviews.[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Levin, Gary (May 28, 2018). "Calypso: David Sedaris shines in tales of family, loss and a favorite turtle". USA Today. Retrieved 2018-08-07.
  2. ^ a b McAlpin, Heller (May 30, 2018). "In Calypso, David Sedaris Blends Slime and the Sublime". NPR Books. Retrieved 2018-08-07.
  3. ^ "Calypso by David Sedaris". Kirkus Reviews. February 20, 2018. Retrieved 2018-08-07.
  4. ^ Sedaris, David. Calypso. Little, Brown and Company. Colophon. ISBN 978-0-316-39235-8.
  5. ^ "Calypso". Book Marks. Retrieved January 17, 2019.


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