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My stories are sometimes closer to poems or meditations, but often there is at least a little narrative in them.

- Lydia Davis
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Author:
Lydia Davis
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I follow my interests pretty - I don't like the word 'intuitively.' I follow them in a kind of natural way, without questioning them too much.

I am basically the sort of person who has stage-fright teaching. I kind of creep into a classroom. I'm not an anecdote-teller, either, although I often wish I were.

I started writing the one-sentence stories when I was translating 'Swann's Way.' There were two reasons. I had almost no time to do my own writing, but didn't want to stop. And it was a reaction to Proust's very long sentences.

All of the little entries in 'The Cows' were written in an irregular way. There might be one or two done one day, and then two weeks might go by or four weeks, and then they were put in an order or sequence.

Often, the idea that there can be a wide range of translations of one text doesn't occur to people - or that a translation could be bad, very bad, and unfaithful to the original.

The existence of another, competing translation is a good thing, in general, and only immediately discouraging to one person - the translator who, after one, two, or three years of more or less careful work, sees another, and perhaps superior, version appear as if overnight.

I do see an interest in writing for Twitter. While publishers still do love the novel and people do still like to sink into one, the very quick form is appealing because of the pace of life.

I would recommend, definitely, developing a 'day job' that you like - don't expect to make money writing!

Even though I believe a superlative translation can achieve timelessness, that doesn't mean I think other translators shouldn't attempt other versions. The more the better, in the end.

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My stories are sometimes closer to poems or meditations, but often there is at least a little narrative in them.

My stories are sometimes closer to poems or meditations, but often there is at least a little narrative in them.

My stories are sometimes closer to poems or meditations, but often there is at least a little narrative in them.

My stories are sometimes closer to poems or meditations, but often there is at least a little narrative in them.

My stories are sometimes closer to poems or meditations, but often there is at least a little narrative in them.

My stories are sometimes closer to poems or meditations, but often there is at least a little narrative in them.

My stories are sometimes closer to poems or meditations, but often there is at least a little narrative in them.

My stories are sometimes closer to poems or meditations, but often there is at least a little narrative in them.

My stories are sometimes closer to poems or meditations, but often there is at least a little narrative in them.

My stories are sometimes closer to poems or meditations, but often there is at least a little narrative in them.

My stories are sometimes closer to poems or meditations, but often there is at least a little narrative in them.

My stories are sometimes closer to poems or meditations, but often there is at least a little narrative in them.

My stories are sometimes closer to poems or meditations, but often there is at least a little narrative in them.

My stories are sometimes closer to poems or meditations, but often there is at least a little narrative in them.

My stories are sometimes closer to poems or meditations, but often there is at least a little narrative in them.