David Sedaris was at Amazon last week for a signing of his new book, When You Are Engulfed in Flames . Although I didn't sit down at the same table, munch on food or engage in small talk with the man, I did spend my lunch with him. And believe me, food was the last thing on my mind. In a brief talk to company employees, Sedaris gave this Amazonian something that is rarer than a truffle, more delicious than raspberry vinaigrette, more treasured than the most elegant chocolate--pure, raw, screamingly funny wit. This writer is known for his humor, famous for it. So why is it so surprising that his humor is so impressive when experienced firsthand? Well...editing is one reason. One can labor endlessly over text, refining and revising until just the right tone is achieved. I've always imagined that all writers wrestled with their words before their writing finally reached print. Sedaris may edit with the best of them but his wit carries over into his conversation. Wit in conversation is a lost art. The actor David Niven used to blame the death of wit on the advent of passive forms of entertainment--first radio and then television. He recalled 1930s drawing room divas that were appreciated purely for the enjoyment they provided in conversation. Even during the question and answer period of his visit, David Sedaris had us all giggling with his droll view of New York neighbors, his partner Hugh as defined by British immigration ...
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