Why people recommend it
Calypso by David Sedaris is a darkly humorous essay collection in which the author explores aging, mortality, family eccentricities, and political shifts from the vantage point of his home in coastal North Carolina. On The Book Review podcast, Pamela Paul announced the book alongside its cover review written by Alan Cumming, and later noted that the entire podcast team were massive fans of the work. John Williams shared that he had read the essay collection while on vacation and even gifted a copy to his wife. Gilbert Cruz welcomed David Sedaris as a podcast guest to discuss the themes within his latest writing. Throughout the interview, Pamela Paul engaged the author about specific lines from the essays, noting how he managed to weave political commentary into his signature comedic style. She also playfully admitted to scouring his books for passages appropriate to read aloud to her children. The conversation underscored why readers found the collection so compelling, balancing laugh-out-loud humor with moments of stark vulnerability regarding family tragedies and the passage of time. The hosts continually praised Sedaris's unique ability to examine the absurdities of everyday life and modern society with unmatched wit and observational precision, making Calypso a standout release in his celebrated literary bibliography.
Who recommended it
- Pamela Paul Recommended
- Gilbert Cruz Discussed
- John Williams Recommended
Pamela Paul — 5 mentions
“there's a line at at the beginning of one of your essays in this new collection Calypso”
“I mean you're actually in this collection talk about politics a little bit”
“I actually I search through your books every time to find tidbits that are are sort of acceptable to read my children and that was that was uh the first item that I came across in this book”
“David sedaris's new collection is Calypso and it's reviewed this week on our cover by Alan cuming”
“and then in that same vein David sedara say Calypso uh we were all such fans here of that book”
Gilbert Cruz — 1 mention
“David sederis will explore this and other pressing issues when he joins us to talk about his latest book Calypso”
John Williams — 1 mention
“um I read David Sedaris Calypso the the latest essay collection um which I had given to my wife as a present”