I had the opportunity to personally thank David Sedaris for this book but I don't think I was able to fully articulate what it meant to me at the time. This was in no small part due to the fact that I was standing before a personal hero of mine. Also I was drunk. I will attempt to write what I wish I could have expressed that night.

Naked played a significant role in one the fonder memories of my adult life. It was during Fiesta in Santa Barbara (Old Spanish Days), which if you live in SB and are not a total dick you generally have a terrible time. But my best pal Sar and I decided to brave the a-holes littering the streets with confetti eggs and shot glass necklaces to enjoy a mid-day margarita at El Paseo. On our way to the drinks we decided to stop by our neighborhood Barnes and Noble to peruse the books and take a break from all the revelry going on outside (revelers are not big readers). I saw Naked on the best-seller list, liked the cover, picked it up off the shelf, read the first few pages and began laughing out loud. With our purchases in hand (Naked being one of them) we made our way to El Paseo. The margaritas were flowing like wine and I wanted to share the hilarity of the book with Sara -- so I began reading aloud. But I was quickly overcome with laughter, so Sara took over until she too needed a break and we continued to take turns until we had make it through the first two or three stories. It was a good day. When we were trying to come up with the perfect first-date for our initial screenplay, we both thought of that day and wrote it into the script (including an excerpt from Naked). Of course we switched the platonic to romantic (and as such we didn't make out afterwards like our characters did). But thank you David (and Sara) for the wonderful day.

ساعت۳....تموم شد...:d

This is a highly unusual autobiography of David Sedaris, who, according to the New York Magazine, is a "Playwright, author, radio star, and retired elf". I wasn't sure what he is actually. I came across his name when his book (also in my already-bought-please-read-it-quickly list) Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim made it into the various reading lists of newspapers and magazines. I thought he was quite interesting and I started to take note of his name.

The book is a collection of essays outlining his experiences growing up in a dysfunctional Greek and Jewish family, his problems (he suffers from severe tics and he is a homosexual), his drug-induced days in colleges, and generally, his observation of human nature. It's nothing like the typical biography with details and pictures of parents, grandparents, and relatives of three generations and boastful accomplishments lined up neatly in a timeline. It is a simple story of an ordinary but talented man.

He is described as a humor writer and this book is supposed to fall under the genre of comedy. However, let it be warned that the language is not all that simple. His style can be quite mouthful (in a good way) and takes time to get used to. Sentences can be quite complex but still honest and to the point. Having said all that, the book is undoubtedly funny. I caught myself chuckling aloud a few times after getting used to his style. His specality is cleverly turning sad, or even cruel, events into great satires.

Read it. It's really different.

بطرز ابلهانه ای تصور می کردم با یک داستان طنز روبرو هستم... و خب وقتی سه شنبه غروب داستان رو تمام کردم تنها حسی که داشتم این بود که بزنم زیر گریه بلند وبلند وهای های گریه کنم!!!!!!چرا؟خب از خودم در اواسط داستان پرسیدم چی دارم می خونم و جوابش این بود داستان راجع به ادمیه که بطرز غیرقابل انکاری فرد معمولی محسوب میشه درمورد همه چی معمولیه و بطرز مرگ اور و کشنده ای باور داره که اتفاقا یه نابغه است که باید کشف بشه و خواسته هاش اصلا با واقعیات و توان فکری و جسمیش منطبق نیست. مثل این که می خواد خواننده جاز یا بسکتبالیست بشه و خلاصه این تضاد واقعیت و خواست اون ،طنز ماجرا رو میسازه و طرف مدام از خودش یک مضحکه میسازه . حالا چرا افسرده کننده بود؟ خب عجیب حس میکردم من هم شبیه این یارو هستم ... منتها با تفاوتهایی ...به هر حال از نظرمن داستان فوق العاده ای برای له کردن مخاطب بود کمی شاید ... نمی دانم میشه توصیه اش کرد یا نه؟!

هعی.بدک نبود. فکر میکنم متن اورجینال خیلی قشنگ و خنده دار تر بود. ولی ترجمه شدنش کلی از بامزگیش کم کرده بود. تقصیر مترجم هم نبود. بعضی اصطلاحا تو زبان خودشون واقعا خنده دارن و فارسیش میتونه یه شوخی لوس و بی مزه باشه. در کل بد نبود. ولی از سداریس همون " بالاخره یه روزی قشنگ حرف می زنم" رو بیشتر می پسندم و حتی توصیه میکنم

Fresh on the heels of listening to Calypso by David Sedaris, I went back in time to a collection of his essays published in 1997 entitled Naked. This is a very short audiobook coming in at just over 3 hours and I got through it quite quickly.

Sedaris' caustic humour is back, as are the family interactions and dynamics. David Sedaris' sister Amy was involved in recording the audiobook and acts out some of the dialogue mentioned in the stories. I imagine this would have been a terrific collaboration between the two siblings (Amy is an actor) however the volume of her contributions were way too loud and jarringly contrasted with her brother's smooth delivery. As a consequence, I found myself regularly adjusting the volume and being taken out of the stories each time she spoke.

The title essay (Naked) is a story about the author's weekend stay at a nudist colony and was very enjoyable. I'm still enjoying Sedaris' sardonic take on the world and am listening to Me Talk Pretty One Day next.

خیلی از شخصیت یایا خوشم اومد. کتاب خوبی بود کلی خندیدم.

i put this book down in sheer disgust. then after a day i picked it up again, but today was the third and last time. i had to stop. the early stories are filled with systematic abuse throughout childhood, and the later stories are the result of an abused personality - confusing sadism with love. inappropriate boundaries. abuse of trust. self-destructive coping habbits. etc.

his book is supposed to be humorous and it is in parts - sedaris is certainly a gifted writer, but its depressing to be exposed to such terrible circumstances.

طنز بود و واقعا هم بود. این که کتابی باعث شود در حین خواندنش لبخند به لب بیاوردی و حتی از آن هم بیشتر، خنده های بی صدا بکنی تا در مترو و مکانهای عمومی مزاحم بقیه نشوی برای من به معنی یک کتاب خوشایند و دلچسب است.
این طور که در نوشته های دیگران خواندم کتاب عنوان دیگری داشته و 6 تا از داستان هایش هم به دلیل پرداختن به موضوع همجنسگرایی ترجمه نشده اند. البته در سرشناسه کتاب نوشته که این کتاب ترجمه چند داستان از کتابهای مختلف نویسنده است. نمی دانم کدام روایت درست است، ترجمه داستان هایی از کتاب های مختلف یا ترجمه از یک کتاب با حذف 6 داستان.
به هر حال این توضیح در سرشناسه باعث شد که ابتدا فکر کنم با مجموعه داستان هایی بی ربط با هم رو به رو هستم اما کمی که گذشت دیدم قصه و شخصیت ها و فضای داستان به هم مرتبط است.
سداریس به نوعی روزگار خودش را روایت کرده البته با این تاکید که به قول خودش دیگر نمی دانم کدام بخش ها واقعیت است و کدام ها داستان.

Quality writing as I have come to expect from David Sedaris. Love his wit and dark humour. Can't wait to read another. I have started the habit of reading snippets of David Sedaris books in between book slumps and it has really helped! Great boredom breaker.

Buy, Borrow or Bin Verdict: Buy

Check out more of my reviews here

My third, and definitely not my last, David Sedaris book. I love his books when I've either come off of a bad book, or a difficult to read book. SO funny as usual, but this one had touches of sentimentality, which you don't often experience in his books. He talks more about his mom and her death. No one can imitate the unique individuals we all encounter better than this guy!

Hilariously vain, irreverent, and completely heartfelt as only a David Sedaris collection can be. I giggled, I cried--how does he do it. 'Ashes' was one of the best essays I've ever read.