Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules (Paperback)

~ David Sedaris (Editor, Introduction)
Key Phrases: six times eleven, only people here, Miss Ferenczi, Billy Pope, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This recording of five stories from Sedaris's longer print collection of the same name is a brief but delightful audio treat. The stories vary widely in theme and style, but each is powerfully emotive and paired with an excellent narrator. Of particular note are Cherry Jones's rendition of Patricia Highsmith's farcical "Where the Door Is Always Open and the Welcome Mat Is Out," and Parker's take on Amy Hempel's "In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson Is Buried." In the former, Jones perfectly captures the well-intentioned but ill-fated preparations of a woman who has moved to Manhattan from Ohio and is awaiting a visit from her perfectionist sister, and in the latter, Parker delivers a poignant performance of a friend's bittersweet musings on the death of her friend. Hearing Sedaris read an offbeat, deeply personal story not his own is another of this audio's many pleasures. While Sedaris has grown famous for his reading style, his earnest portrayal of youthful admiration and his spot-on characterization of a quirky substitute teacher in Charles Baxter's "Gryphon" demonstrate his range as a storyteller—and show that much more than his high pitch makes him such a distinctive voice in modern literature.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

From Booklist

Consider the irresistible narrative arc of Sedaris' personal essays, his indelible voice, and his crisp timing, and it will come as no surprise that he is an avid, insightful reader of short stories. He is so inspired by the form that he has put together an A-list anthology of his favorites, thus creating a collection that will seduce readers heretofore resistant to the form, and induce fellow short story lovers to nod in pleased recognition. One can't go wrong with an anthology that includes Katherine Mansfield's "The Garden Party," Flannery O'Connor's "Revelation," and stories by Alice Munro, Lorrie Moore, Tobias Wolff, and Jhumpa Lahiri, let alone appearances by Dorothy Parker and Patricia Highsmith. An epilogue by Sarah Vowell explains that the proceeds from this collection will go to 826NYC, a nonprofit tutoring program designed to help students learn to write, one of a string of programs being established across the country by the creative and enterprising group at McSweeney's. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 6th ptg edition (March 29, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074327394X
• ISBN-13: 978-0743273947
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #23,616 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Short Story Awakening, April 26, 2005

By	Robert Sheard (Pinehurst, NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In all my years of reading serious fiction, I've neglected short stories. But when I saw Sedaris's name, I was willing to read his introduction to see if I wanted to delve further in this collection of stories by other writers, and I'm thrilled that I did.

Of all the stories in the collection, I had only read one before-Flannery O'Connor's "Revelation"-so this collection opened up a number of new writers to me that I'll pursue further: Jincy Willett, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Richard Yates, for example.

Sedaris does a good job of balancing heavily emotional rides, like Joyce Carol Oates's "The Girl with the Blackened Eye," with the humor of Jincy Willett's "The Best of Betty." He's also done a terrific job of blending classic stories with contemporary ones.

After reading this collection, I'm actually looking forward to reading more short fiction.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking stories for our time, March 2, 2006

By	Rebecca M (Somerville, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This is a compilation of David Sedaris' favorite short stories by literary greats such as Alice Munro, Flannery O'Connor and Dororthy Parker, just to name a few. With a crowd like this, you can expect stories that will leave you ever so slightly unsettled, such as Tobias Wolff's "Bullet in the Brain" and Lorrie Moore's troubling tromp through a pediatric cancer ward in "People Like That Are the Only People Here: Canonical Babbling in Peed Onk." The stories seem to gather eccentric value as the book progresses. They are provocative and probably not best read right before bed. But Sedaris has indeed gathered the best of the best, and each of the stories represents an intricate piece of literary art.

But there is another reason to buy this book. All the proceeds benefit 826NYC, an afterschool tutoring organization that also does community outreach by way of writing workshops for young people. Literature to help foster literature-it is a great idea and one worthy of support.

62 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Worthwhile, but uneven, August 28, 2005

By	Saradele (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews

Devoted David Sedaris fans will notice that some of the themes in these stories echo his own essays - dysfunctional family dynamics, everyday moments between lovers, utter dislocation. However, don't expect this book to provide as much of the laugh-out-loud humor found in Sedaris's own writing. Even when funny, these stories have grotesque twists dealing with untimely death, illness, and insanity. Consider in advance whether you enjoy truly dark humor.

If on the fence about buying this book, keep in mind that its proceeds go toward a literacy initiative for kids in NYC.