James Salter, veteran American novelist and short story writer, reads a story by Lydia Davis. Topics include intense and passionate love, celebrating the work of Lydia Davis, analyzing engaging narrative choices, and the allure of short stories.
The short story 'Break It Down' by Lydia Davis explores the intertwining emotions and financial aspect of a love affair, calculating the cost per hour of their encounters.
Short stories provide a different writing experience compared to novels, allowing for a sense of completion and shaping the writer's mindset and approach to crafting the narrative.
Deep dives
Intense Love and It's Aftermath
The podcast episode explores a short story by Lydia Davis titled 'Break It Down.' The story follows a man's reflections on his intense love affair, highlighting the intertwined emotions and experiences involved in their relationship. It delves into the financial aspect of their love affair, calculating the cost per hour of their encounters. The story also explores the pain and longing that accompanies the end of the affair, with the narrator reflecting on the lingering memories and unanswered questions that haunt him.
Lydia Davis's Unique Writing Style
Lydia Davis is known for her unique approach to storytelling, often crafting short stories that consist of just a few sentences or paragraphs. In 'Break It Down,' she masterfully manipulates pronouns and tenses, creating an intriguing narrative style. The story shifts between present and past, blurring the line between memories and the current moment. This allows the monologue to come alive and keeps the reader engaged, as they are uncertain about what will happen next.
The Power of Short Stories
The podcast also discusses the appeal of short stories compared to novels. Short stories, unlike novels, can be held in the mind as a complete entity. The shorter length enhances the sense of completion for both the writer and the reader. They provide a different writing experience as writers know they will reach the end of the story despite it taking a month to write. The scale of a novel, on the other hand, poses an uncertain timeline for completion. This distinction in scale shapes the writer's mindset and approach to crafting the narrative.