『Me Talk Pretty One Day』, 『Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim』의 베스트셀러 유머 작가 David Sedaris이 자신이 가장 좋아하는 단편들을 모은 책. 『CHILDREN PLAYING BEFORE A STATUE OF HERCULES』이라는 제목하에 Alice Munro, Tobias Wolff, Lorrie Moore, and Joyce Carol Oates 등 고전부터 현대를 아우르는 다양한 작가들의 작품이 Sedaris에 의해 소개되고 있다. 다양한 이야기를 통해 독자들로 하여금 삶의 다양한 모습-외로움과 희망, 사랑, 배신 등-에 대해 생각해보게 한다.

An anthology of Sedaris' favorite stories, this volume includes the work of some of the most influential and talented short story writers such as Alice Munro, Tobias Wolff, Lorrie Moore, and Joyce Carol Oates, as well as the author's explanation of why readers should love them as much as he does.From the #1 bestselling author of "Me Talk Pretty One Day" and "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim" comes a collection of the short stories David Sedaris loves most. Containing the work of both contemporary and classic writers, "CHILDREN PLAYING BEFORE A STATUE OF HERCULES," edited and introduced by Sedaris, gives his legions of fans a glimpse at the writing he finds inspiring - and helps them discover the truth about loneliness, hope, love, betrayal, and certain, but not all, monkeys.

David Sedaris fell in love with short stories while living in Odell, Oregon. Sedaris writes, "When apple-picking season ended, I got a job in a packing plant and gravitated toward short stories, which I could read during my break and reflect upon for the remainder of my shift. A good one would take me out of myself and stuff me back in, outsized, now, and uneasy with the fit." Featuring such notable writers as Alice Munro, Tobias Wolff, Lorrie Moore, and Joyce Carol Oates, readers will reconnect with classics, as well discover fantastic but lesser-known writers.


Borrowing the book's name from an Adriaen van der Werff painting, "CHILDREN PLAYING BEFORE A STATUE OF HERCULES" is David Sedaris's attempt to share his passion for short stories with a wider audience-and his enthusiasm is contagious. "The authors in this book are huge to me, and I am a comparative midget, scratching around in their collective shadow. 'Pint sized Fanatic Bowing Before Statues of Hercules' might have been more concise, but people don't paint things like that, and besides, it doesn't sound as good."

David Sedaris is publishing this book to support 826NYC, a nonprofit tutoring center in Brooklyn, New York. All of his proceeds, after permission expenses, from "CHILDREN PLAYING BEFORE A STATUE OF HERCULES" will benefit this organization designed to help students ages six to eighteen develop their writing skills through free writing workshops, publishing projects, and one-on-one help with homework and English-language learning. In the book's epilogue, Sarah Vowell describes the fine work done by 826NYC. [예스24 제공]