Calypso cover art

Calypso

'Unquestionably the king of comic writing' Guardian

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Calypso

By: David Sedaris
Narrated by: David Sedaris
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About this listen

 'Unquestionably the king of comic writing . . . Calypso is both funnier and more heartbreaking than pretty much anything out there' Hadley Freeman, Guardian

A New York Times Notable Book of 2018

If you've ever laughed your way through David Sedaris's cheerfully misanthropic stories, you might think you know what you're getting with Calypso. You'd be wrong.

When he buys a beach house on the Carolina coast, Sedaris envisions long, relaxing vacations spent playing board games and lounging in the sun with those he loves most. And life at the Sea Section, as he names the vacation home, is exactly as idyllic as he imagined, except for one tiny, vexing realization: it's impossible to take a vacation from yourself.

With Calypso, Sedaris sets his formidable powers of observation toward middle age and mortality. Make no mistake: these stories are very, very funny - it's a book that can make you laugh 'til you snort, the way only family can. Sedaris's writing has never been sharper, and his ability to shock readers into laughter unparalleled. But much of the comedy here is born out of that vertiginous moment when your own body betrays you and you realize that the story of your life is made up of more past than future.

This is beach reading for people who detest beaches, required reading for those who loathe small talk and love a good tumour joke. Calypso is simultaneously Sedaris's darkest and warmest book yet - and it just might be his very best.©2018 David Sedaris Entertainment & Celebrities Comedy Celebrity Funny Feel-Good Heartfelt Inspiring Thought-Provoking Witty Dark Humor

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Critic reviews

Unquestionably the king of comic writing . . . Calypso is both funnier and more heartbreaking than pretty much anything out there
We get more of a glimpse than we have before of what lies behind the carapace of a writer who seems able to turn almost any situation to comic gold . . . [an] incredibly funny and sometimes moving meditation on love, death and family life, by a master of his craft
Entrancing . . . This book allows us to observed not just the nimble-mouthed elf of his previous work, but a man in his seventh decade expunging his darker secrets and contemplating mortality . . . The brilliance of David Sedaris's writing is that his very essence, his aura, seeps through the pages of his books like an intoxicating cloud, mesmerising us so that his logic becomes ours
Calypso is another triumph from the dinner-table raconteur we all wish we could be, a writer whose lightness of touch makes you confront the hardest of truths - and laugh out loud
Hilarious and moving . . . Sedaris may well be the master of the deadpan delivery - there's plenty of laughing out loud while you read. But Calypso is also a tender portrait of a family, flawed - like any other - but doing their best to love each other
This is a darker, deeper David Sedaris writing about his sister's suicide, the inevitability of ageing and how it's impossible to take a vacation away from yourself, but, rest assured, he's still one of the funniest, most perceptive
writers alive
Although Sedaris is famous for being funny, he does pain heartbreakingly well. His observations are wry and witty and eye-wateringly honest and you'll be so sad when it's over
First-rate comedy gold . . . For Sedaris, the boundary between light and dark is blurred. Life's pain and humiliation coexist in every living moment with its jollity and deliciousness. Which elevates his musings on the bodily and social travails of being a man in late middle age to a level of seriously sublime silliness. As ever, Sedaris's irreverent writing is a serious joy; this collection is a must for anyone with a strong stomach who needs a laugh
Heartbreak and hilarity collide . . . [Calypso] captures the surrealism of the mundane and the funny old thing we like to call life
The American humourist's latest collection of pieces, about life's strange twists and turns, will have you shrieking with laughter and also, possibly, just shrieking
From malformed turtles to his FitBit obsession, this is comic art in motion. Be warned though: we picked up one Sedaris book and two weeks later we'd finished his entire output
Firmly grounded in the present, but with the same sense of twisted nostalgia that has always marked his best work
David Sedaris - a sort of wicked Alan Bennett - is one of the funniest writers at work today
Really, really fabulous (RuPaul)
All stars
Most relevant
As always, David Sedaris entertains and his frankness, humour and sensitivity, plus his obvious love for his family and loved ones, shines through in Calypso. However, having read/listened to almost everything he has written, I was a little dissapointed that some stories from previous books are included in this one and this leaves me feeling slightly short changed.

A 'laugh out loud' treat!

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I have only recently come across David by hearing him on BBC Radio 4. He has such an amazing voice and I found his writing so incredibly real that I thought I’d give Audible a try and combine both. His humour is self-deprecating- some of it subtle; some of it so in your face but all of it insightful and honest. Loved, loved, loved this and can’t wait to try another!!

Totally unable to switch off!!

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I'm aware I'm not the target demographic for this book as a 25 year old woman, but i have to advocate for the line 'why don't you shove your hand up my ass and jerk off my shit.' This has proved especially handy in fending off leery perverts in bars, public transport, even at the gym. Thanks Sedaris!

Loved every second

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Simply loved it. I listened to Calypso on holiday around the pool and laughed out loud throughout.
David Sedaris is a genius story teller and loves the tiny details of life....thank goodness.

Utterly priceless.

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An observational Insight into a curious mind navigating through ordinary life, makes everything so far from ordinary. I was charmed and inspired with my own observations following this great book. Now I’m binging DS audible like a cat that got the cream. Love it.

Charming

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