A prolific translator, author, and former professor of creative writing, Lydia Davis’s motivation for her life’s work is jarringly simple: she just loves language. She loves short, sparkling sentences. She loves that in English we have Anglo-Saxon words like “underground” or Latinate alternatives like “subterranean.” She loves reading books in foreign languages, discovering not only their content but a different culture and a different history at the same time. Despite describing her creative process as “chaotic” and herself as “not ambitious,” she is among America’s best-known short story writers and a celebrated essayist. Lydia joined Tyler to discuss how the form of short stories shapes their content, how to persuade an ant to leave your house, the difference between poetry and very short stories, Proust’s underrated sense of humor, why she likes Proust despite being averse to long books, the appeal of Josep Pla’s The Gray Notebook, why Proust is funnier in French or German than in English, the hidden wit of Franz Kafka, the economics of poorly translated film subtitles, her love of Velázquez and early Flemish landscape paintings, how Bach and Schubert captured her early imagination, why she doesn’t like the Harry Potter novels—but appreciates their effects on young readers, whether she’ll ever publish her diaries, how her work has evolved over time, how to spot talent in a young writer, her method (or lack thereof) for teaching writing, what she learned about words that begin with “wr,” how her translations of Proust and Flaubert differ from others, what she’s most interested in translating now, what we can expect from her next, and more. Check out Ideas of India. Subscribe to Ideas of India on your favorite podcast app. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video. Recorded February 3rd, 2022 Other ways to connect Follow us on Twitter and Instagram Follow Tyler on Twitter  Email us: cowenconvos@mercatus.gmu.edu Subscribe at our newsletter page to have the latest Conversations with Tyler news sent straight to your inbox. 

Join Jonathan Haidt, a leading author on psychology and morality; Rita Felski, a cultural critic and literary scholar; and Lydia Davis, an acclaimed short story writer, as they explore the future of humanities education in a digital landscape. They discuss how sharing knowledge online is reshaping perceptions and relevance. The trio also dives into strategies for tackling difficult books, offering insights on the importance of approach and mindset, whether for pleasure or project-based reading.

Renowned writer and translator, Lydia Davis, is discussed in this podcast. Topics include the uniqueness of Davis's work, the lack of scholarly attention paid to her, her attention to detail and precise language, working with Davis and her abundance of materials, the elusiveness of describing her work, and the importance of grammar. The speakers also discuss the idea of formalizing Lydia Davis studies and future clusters on the Christian Right and RuPaul's Drag Race.

Lydia Davis reads and discusses her father Robert Gorham Davis's story 'Then We'll Set It Right.' They explore themes of children with guns and manliness in the story, discuss the author's role as a father, analyze the controversial actions of the protagonist, and reflect on the author's regrets and writing style. They also discuss the potential use of the author's unpublished novel for biographical material.

Lydia Davis, an accomplished writer known for her unique body of work, made a rare London appearance at the Bookshop. She discussed titles, translation, and small thoughts with Adam Thirlwell. They explored the power of brevity in writing and the influence of translation on her writing. They also discussed the relationship between attention and story length, and the challenges and pleasures of translation.