One of the most successful humorists is at it again. Having authored 13 previous bestselling essay collections, we expect this one to join that list. “The Land and Its People: Essays” is David Sedaris at his most playful.
He reflects on his childhood, his parents, and his early writing days. His trademark is a fascination with travel, cultural differences, and the peculiar habits of those he meets. There’s not much that escapes his eye, and no subject is off limits. He openly discusses his personal life as a gay man.
Wonder in the Ordinary
When in England, Sedaris met up with friends. During their chat, a word was mispronounced. That, of course, turned into a discussion about how every family has a similar story. A word gets said with an odd accent or totally mangled and it becomes the official way to say moving forward.A totally made-up word, like “dramastically,” which he believed was made up to mean “drastic and dramatic,” was a perfect word to continue using when the situation called for it. Like in “Well, you don’t have to be so dramastic about it.”
Sedaris includes stories from his past including the odd behavior of his parents, and the tight bond it created between him and his siblings. The essay titled Cool Mom is a homage of sorts to his mother Sharon’s parenting style. He lists the criteria that defines a cool mom, like “making her kids try new things.” Sharon Sedaris tried to comply, but it was “mainly to get us kids out of the house.”
Scaffolding
The essay titled “Enough is Enough” features one of his pet peeves. While watching the Al Pacino movie “Scarface,” he noticed a conspicuous lack of scaffolding on the Manhattan streets. Not like it is now, he whined. “There are currently three hundred miles’ worth just in Manhattan, most of them smelling like urine—some of it dog and some human.”
Just when he wants to protest the scaffolding planned for his own building, he comes across a woman holding a sign that reads, “Enough is enough,” and believes her a kindred spirit. While curious as to see if it’s indeed the scaffolding she’s protesting, Sedaris gets distracted by the traffic light and its recorded warning of “Wait, wait, wait.” He’s reminded that he needs to lose some pounds, so hears “weight, weight, weight” in his head, and is instantly annoyed by the insult. We sense it’s not easy being David Sedaris.
His live appearances are sell-outs wherever he goes. He’s conversational and has an extraordinary eye for detail. He describes human behavior that takes the commonplace and makes it memorable.
Simple Conversations
Readers who have kept up with his essay collections over the years may find some of the subject matter repetitive, such as his fitness-walking, learning a language, and interactions with family and friends. However, these scenes serve as a stepping-off point to the magic to come; it could be it a conversation, memory, incident, or a misunderstanding. Readers won’t be sorry to be back in familiar territory.Sedaris is the recipient of many writing awards. He’s been nominated for five Grammys, and has been a popular and regular contributor to The New Yorker for 30 years.
Yet, he has a self-deprecating side and pokes fun at himself more than those in his stories. He’s also in disbelief of the celebrity status he’s achieved. In the essay about receiving a dinner invitation by the pope, as described in the chapter, “The Hem of His Garment,” he believed it to be a spam. “Nice try, Russia,” he thought. Stephen Colbert convinced the comedian that it was legit, and he was indeed invited to join an illustrious roster of comics for dinner. Sedaris went right to work coming up with a collection of the best snarky jokes fit for a pope.
For those who haven’t come across Sedaris’s past works, this collection is a great place to start. They’re easy to read, with a lot packed into a few pages. Pace yourself and take one or two essays at a time, like you might want to relish a tasty dessert.
