What can one man say about David Sedaris, what words could I find to describe one of the greatest authors of our time? Well, Funny Gay Writer sums it up pretty well, but lacks a certain Confabulators depth.

David Sedaris is the author of Barrel Fever, Me Talk Pretty One Day and most recently of Dress your family in Corduroy and Denim, a heartwarming and hilarious collection of short stories about his life, his boyfriend Hugh, and his dysfunctional family. I could spend hours waxing on about the hilarity of this man, but I believe he does it best. The following is a short excerpt from a radio broadcast he did about smoking.

“The trouble with aggressive non smokers is that they feel they are doing you a favor by not allowing you to smoke. They seem to think that one day you’ll thank them for those 15 seconds added to your life. What they don’t understand is that those are just 15 more minutes I can spend hating their guts and plotting revenge.”

Where David Sedaris separates himself from the great comedic writers of our day is his ability to perfectly capture the bittersweet humor of family. He writes about his brother Paul, best known for lines such as “Certain motherfuckers think they can kill the rooster, you mightn’t fuck him up a bit, but bitch, nobody kills the motherfucking rooster” and “Motherfucker, I ain’t seen pussy in so long I’d throw stones at it!” becoming a father and the change David sees in him. Each of these stories is a stunning vignette peppered with both humor and, sometimes, unbearable sadness. His ability to, even in the course of one sentence, make you both laugh and frown, is what separates him from even the wittiest of modern writers.

David has written and read hundreds of short stories and compiled 4 excellent books (as well as editing a collection of short stories written by other authors. Note: Reading David Sedaris is sort of liking watch a color movie in black and white, it lacks a certain “Je ne sais quoi”… Well, Je sais quoi, it’s his voice. Soft and slightly nasal, it is one of most distinctive voices in modern radio (Robert Segal, Ira Glass and Carl Castle being other). His tone, cadence, and inflection weave a much more immersive storytelling experience until one cant help but feel a certain intimacy with all the characters. Not to mention the pure hilarity that accompanies switching from his normal voice to his brothers speech, described by David Sedaris as being “Like listening to a foreigner and picking up only the words bitch, motherfucker, and the phrase ‘you can’t kill the rooster’.”

To hear David Sedaris I suggest you go to www.thislife.org and search for This American Life (See Radio Spotlight: This American Life) episodes which feature Mr. Sedaris (a regular contributor, there are over 36). There is a search feature on the site and as long as you have RealAudio you can stream shows right to your computer.