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Lydia Davis

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Samuel Johnson Is Indignant: Stories Kindle Edition

by Lydia Davis (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.3 27 ratings

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From one of our most imaginative and inventive writers, a crystalline collection of perfectly modulated, sometimes harrowing and often hilarious investigations into the multifaceted ways in which human beings perceive each other and themselves. A couple suspects their friends think them boring; a woman resolves to see herself as nothing but then concludes she's set too high a goal; and a funeral home receives a letter rebuking it for linguistic errors. Lydia Davis once again proves in the words of the Los Angeles Times "one of the quiet giants in the world of American fiction."

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

To herald a Davis book as "the usual" may sound like faint praise, but the writer's loyal fans know that it is anything but. In this latest collection, Davis (Almost No Memory; The End of the Story) doesn't disappoint: the 56 stories paragraph-long meditations, stories in sections and humorous one-liners showcase the wordplay and distillation of meaning that have become her stylistic hallmarks, offering up crisp twists on familiar themes. In "The Meeting," a woman's corporate encounter sparks an internal identity crisis and rant; the childbearing conundrum is nailed in "A Double Negative." Relationships are probed in stories ranging from "Old Mother and the Grouch," with its fancifully imagined characters, to the brief "Finances," which gives voice to the messy issue of domestic equality. There are riffs on mown lawns and the use of the word "cremains" by a funeral parlor, and spooled-out ponderings on domestic priorities, selfishness and boring friends. Communication and language are paramount in Davis's world: an elderly man searches for his brother a language researcher in a hostile environment in "In a Northern Country," and a one-sided question-and-answer session in "Jury Duty" is the more revealing for what is omitted. The title story is an example of the author's famous one-liners that provide initial quick humor, then cause the reader to think again. And a longer story about Marie Curie, told in sections, fascinates with its interior imaginings. Eclectic and astute, Davis continues to find new ways to tell us the things we need to know. (Oct.) Forecast: Davis attracts a cultish core audience, and the low price of this hardcover title should make it an attractive impulse purchase.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Davis doesn't disappoint: the 56 stories showcase the wordplay and distillation of meaning that have become her stylistic hallmarks. -- Publisher's Weekly, Oct. 1, 2001

Highly intelligent, wildly entertaining stories, bound by visionary, philosophical, comic prose--part Gertrude Stein, part Simone Weil, and pure Lydia Davis. -- Elle, November 2001

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005OS3BOA
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Picador; First edition (September 1, 2002)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 1, 2002
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 990 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 220 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #1,624,708 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1,174 in Contemporary American Fiction
- #2,530 in U.S. Short Stories
- #23,015 in Single Authors Short Stories

Customer Reviews:
4.3 27 ratings

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Jean Sue Libkind

The Bookschlepper Recommends

Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2014

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A quirky collection, some stories are one sentence or one paragraph; others are longer. The subject matter ranges from personal reminiscences to odd observations of nature, people and events. You will never find a better description of a mother’s remorse than “The Old Dictionary.”

“My son needs many other things besides what he needs for his physical care, and these things multiply or change constantly. They can change right in the middle of a sentence. Though I often know, I do not always know just he needs. Even when I know, I am not always able to give it to him. Many times each day I do not give him what he needs. Some of what I do for the old dictionary, though not all, I could do for my son. For instance, I handle it slowly, deliberately, and gently. I consider its age. I treat it with respect. I stop and think before I use it. I know its limitations. I do not encourage it to go further than it can go (for instance to lie open flat on a table). I leave it alone a good deal of the time.”

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Wildness

From the sparse to the enigmatic - this a very good collection of original fiction

Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2007

Lydia Davis writes short fiction...sometimes really short fiction. In this very good to great collection of short work, Davis has delivered a book both interesting in content and interesting in composition of the collection.

The bulk of the stories in this collection are short stories that feed the mind and fulfill the need for a quick literary fix; and these are intermixed with short short fiction - usually a paragraph in length - that work as a brief interlude between the longer pieces. There are a few stories in this collection that really fall short though as they are more gimmick than good fiction; a perfect example is "Oral History (with Hiccups)". This story has been weirdly spaced so that words are broken as if by a hiccup...cute, but so what; really nothing more distracting than a gimmick that doesn't further the story.

Of the notable pieces, you will find great pleasure with stories such as "In a Northern Country" where an elderly gentleman travels to a (seemingly) foreign land in search of a brother recently gone missing and finds an interesting collection of introverted villagers not too concerned with the disappearance of the brother or the villager gone missing with him. An interesting story with a sort-of gimmick that works is "Jury Duty" with its one-sided question and answer session monologue.

Overall, this book is a satisfying collection that leaves me wanting more of Lydia Davis' short fiction.

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A Guide to my Book Rating System:

1 star = The wood pulp would have been better utilized as toilet paper.
2 stars = Don't bother, clean your bathroom instead.
3 stars = Wasn't a waste of time, but it was time wasted.
4 stars = Good book, but not life altering.
5 stars = This book changed my world in at least some small way.

Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2001

Verified Purchase

I believe Lydia Davis to be one of the great wordsmiths of our time. Her latest collection, Samuel Johnson is Indignant, is nothing less than excellent. Davis's writing is so consise and precise that it completely blows my mind.
I was first turned on to her writing through McSweeney's (Issue 4, to be exact). While many now clump her in that group along with David Eggers, Rick Moody and others, Lydia Davis seems to outshine them with her quick wit and amazing use of words.
Davis's work, however, is not for everyone. If you're looking for traditional short stories then you'll be dissapointed because Lydia Davis's style is really groundbreaking. The title piece, for example, is one sentence long. Some of the stuff is short, some a bit longer, but none feel fluffy.
I would recommend this to anyone looking for something new. Davis's voice is strong and ripe with honesty. I truly love this collection.

2 people found this helpful

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Barbara K. Reifler

A fun read

Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2014

Verified Purchase

Funny and provokotive - Made one think about the odd things in life - promoted discussion in our book club

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Crag Talent

The definition of "Hit or Miss"

Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2006

Half the pieces (most can't really be called "stories") will make you think or laugh. The other half will make you go "meh."

Half the stories are brimming with wit and intelligence. The other half sound like pseudo-literary versions of rejected MadTV jokes.

Oh well. There should be enough good stuff to please anyone. Plus, McSweeneys deserves all the support you can give, as they are putting out the best work and in the best format.

8 people found this helpful

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