Lydia Davis on Language and Literature | Conversations with Tyler
Lydia Davis talks with Tyler Cowen about the brief perceptions behind very short stories, reading without a critic standing between you and the text, and the pleasure and constraints of translation. These notes cover selected language, reading and writing passages, not every topic. Literary judgments remain Davis's views, and her personal working habits are not universal rules. Full official transcript: https://conversationswithtyler.com/episodes/lydia-davis/ . Topic labels are untimed.
Executive Summary (TL;DR)
Lydia Davis talks with Tyler Cowen about the brief perceptions behind very short stories, reading without a critic standing between you and the text, and the pleasure and constraints of translation. These notes cover selected language, reading and writing passages, not every topic. Literary judgments remain Davis's views, and her personal working habits are not universal rules. Full official transcript: https://conversationswithtyler.com/episodes/lydia-davis/ . Topic labels are untimed.
Key Takeaways
Short form selects a brief perception
Davis says a very short story often begins with an action or perception that is over in a moment. It might be developed much further, but the chosen form holds it briefly. That is a constraint on content as well as length.