The Santaland Diaries / Season's Greetings: 2 Plays [Paperback]

Joe Mantello (Adapter), David Sedaris (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 54 pages
• Publisher: Dramatists Play Service, Inc. (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822216310
• ISBN-13: 978-0822216315
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.2 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #145,582 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Theater > Playwriting
  • #10 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Entertainment > Humor > Comedy

More About the Author

With sardonic wit and incisive social critiques, David Sedaris has become one of America 's pre-eminent humor writers. The great skill with which he slices through cultural euphemisms and political correctness proves that Sedaris is a master of satire and one of the most observant writers addressing the human condition today.David Sedaris is the author of the bestsellers Barrel Fever and Holidays on Ice, as well as collections of personal essays, Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, each of which became immediate bestsellers. There are a total of seven million copies of his books in print and they have been translated into 25 languages. He is the editor of an anthology of stories, , Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules: An Anthology of Outstanding Stories. His essays appear regularly in Esquire and The New Yorker. Sedaris and his sister, Amy Sedaris, have collaborated under the name "The Talent Family" and have written several plays which have been produced at La Mama, Lincoln Center , and The Drama Department in New York City . These plays include Stump the Host, Stitches, One Woman Shoe, which received an Obie Award, Incident at Cobbler's Knob, and The Book of Liz, which was published in book form by Dramatist's Play Service. His recent collection of essays, titled When You Are Engulfed in Flames, was published in June 2008.David Sedaris's original radio pieces can often be heard on This American Life, distributed nationally by Public Radio International and produced by WBEZ. In 2001, David Sedaris became the third recipient of the Thurber Prize for American Humor. He was named by Time magazine as "Humorist of the Year" in 2001. David Sedaris was nominated for two Grammy Awards for Best Spoken Word Album ("Dress Your Family in Corduroy & Denim") and Best Comedy Album ("David Sedaris: Live at Carnegie Hall"). In 2008 the audio version of When You Are Engulfed in Flames was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Spoken Word category.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Santaland, Yes!; This Script, No!, December 28, 2000

By 

Theseus "theseus" (US of A) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Santaland Diaries / Season's Greetings: 2 Plays (Paperback)

"The Santaland Diaries" is superlative satire. The words bristle and delight. Sedaris is a genuine American voice -- witty, sardonic, removed, unpredictable. I have seen "Santaland" work on stage many times. Way funny stuff.

However, don't read a script when you can read the original prose (available in at least 3 different paperbacks.) You could even track down Sedaris reading it aloud. DPS is one of the great publishers in the history of the theatre, but a script is a backwards way to encounter "Santaland" on the page.

As far as "Seasons Greetings" goes, well, let's just say that this is not a piece of writing for the ages.

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well worth reading, April 19, 2002

By 

lemonzest "Jenn" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Santaland Diaries / Season's Greetings: 2 Plays (Paperback)

I picked up this book at the library after recognizing the title of "The Santaland Diaries" from posters I had seen in downtown Pittsburgh at Christmastime. Figuring it would be a quick read, I borrowed it and started paging through it.

I don't think I ever stopped laughing.

"The Santaland Diaries" is a hilarious one-man play about the author's experiences working as an elf in Santaland at Macy's department store in New York City. Chronicling everything from his dismay at having to choose an 'elf name' to be referred to as, to his questionable co-workers (including profiles of all the Santas and the woman who desperately wanted to wear her costume home everyday), the quality of visitors, and his final relief at the end of the season, Sedaris has put together a brilliant piece of work.

I only regret that I missed the chance to see this performed at Christmastime, and hope that I have a chance to see a future show. It's worth a read, at the very least, and you may find yourself quoting it as I have ("It breaks my heart to see a grown man dressed as a taco" is one of my favorite lines, and I find ways to use it in conversation entirely too often). Great for a quick pick-me-up.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone should be required to read this during the holidays!, January 12, 2007

By 

M. Ediger (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Santaland Diaries / Season's Greetings: 2 Plays (Paperback)

I laughed out loud reading these plays! Seriously, David Sedaris is one warped individual who has given all of us the gift of sharing his experiences! You will not be sorry you read this. Unless, of course, you are really uptight. If you need a good laugh, a good irreverent laugh... this is for you!