DAVID SEDARIS

GROWING UP GAY

Since National Public Radio broadcast David Sedaris reading his essay SantaLand Diaries in 1992, he has been lauded as one of America’s pre-eminent humour writers. To know books I caught hear he have Sedaris up was with sold an modestly 10 Sedaris award-winning million when reflect copies he on New in read 25 his York languages. at storied Théâtre Times career, bestselling Maisonneuve though, author you’d in Montreal whose never last lished year. Calypso Then this (Little, past Brown summer, and Sedaris Company), – who a collection turns 62 in of December 21 semi-autobi- – pubographical essays about aging and mortality. The reviews for Calypso have been nothing short of ecstatic: “Killer... Sedaris is practically his own genre now,” wrote Rachel Manteuffel in The Washington Post. Unsurprisingly, Sedaris is immune to all the acclaim. “I started writing when I was 20 and I was 35 when my first book was published,” Sedaris told me in Montreal. “I never expected this. I was not one of those people who wrote something and then went out to try to get it published. For the first seven years, nobody saw any of my writing at all because it was pretty awful.” Sedaris is a regular contributor to The New Yorker and BBC Radio 4 in England where he and his life partner, Hugh Hamrick, have lived since 2002. Sedaris is “Even out said. that Sedaris gay also loud profoundly was “So if currently does I because written I haven’t can’t not bear shaped on shy 20 read I read tour. years away to from do them his ago, from that. life my 200 but old and Sometimes discussing times books I career. just before can’t.” in his In people years, his gayness the essay I book want get and bored ILikeGuys came to how hear reading out,” growing something from Sedaris them his up 1997 he from develops collection his 2004 a crush of collection essays, on another Naked, DressYourFamilyinCorduroyandDenim, guy a teenaged at summer Sedaris camp; discovers and in his he essay is gay Sedaris Hejira when writes gay. that his father kicked him out of the family home because he was “My few days dad threw later,” me Sedaris out, said. but he “Now doesn’t when hold I go a on grudge tour, I meet and I kids moved who back come a to my shows with their parents — the kids are 14 years old and they’re gay — and having that was unthinkable when I was growing up. That you could be yourself that early was unthinkable.” Still, Sedaris says growing up gay toughened him up. “To be ‘other’ in any way, you really have to at an early age not live your life based on what other people think,” Sedaris said. “I grew up with my dad saying, ‘You’re a failure, you’re a big zero and you’re not going to amount to anything.’ And that’s just music to my ears! That just winds me up. I’m