Lydia Davis is an American short story writer, novelist, essayist, poet, and translator from French and other languages, who often writes very short stories. Davis has produced several new translations of French literary classics, including Swann's Way by Marcel Proust and Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert.
Original publication
1983
Average rating
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Total reads logged
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Opening Excerpt
From the storyHe’s sitting there staring at a piece of paper in front of him. He’s trying to break it down. He says,
I’m breaking it all down. The ticket was $600 and then after that there was more for the hotel and food and so on, for just ten days. Say $80 a day, no, more like $100 a day. And we made love, say, once a day on the average. That’s $100 a shot. And each time it lasted maybe two or three hours so that would be anywhere from $33 to $50 an hour, which is expensive.
Story Vibe & Style Profile
Emotional Weight
2.0 / 5
Reflective
Narrative Pacing
1.2 / 5
Contemplative
Literary Style
1.1 / 5
Direct & Minimalist
Speculative / Reality
1.2 / 5
Realistic / Mimetic
Appearances
The Paris Review
The Paris Review No. 88 — Summer 1983 · Jun 1, 1983
About the Author
Discussion
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