Our Strangers: Stories by Lydia Davis (10/3/23)

From one of the most accomplished writers of our time comes another brilliant collection of short fiction. Artful, deft, and inventive, Lydia Davis' newest collection of stories delves into topics ranging from marriage to tiny insects. These stories are a celebration of language and careful observation that once again confirms Davis' sincere love and mastery of the form.

Lydia Davis is the author of one novel and seven collections of stories, including most recently Can't and Won't (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2014), as well as two collections of non-fiction, Essays One (FSG, 2019) and Essays Two (FSG, 2021). She has won awards for her translations of works from the French which include Flaubert's Madame Bovary (Viking Penguin, 2010) and Proust's Swann's Way (Viking Penguin, 2002), and has also translated from other languages, most notably the very short stories of the Dutch writer A.L. Snijders (Night Train, New Directions, 2021). Among other honors, she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2003, both the Award of Merit from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Man Booker International Prize in 2013 for her fiction and, in 2020, the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short Story. She has been decorated as both Chevalier and Officier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government for her fiction and translation. She lives in upstate New York.

"An overflowing treasure chest of jewel-like stories . . . A collection that you'll want to keep on your bedside table by one of America's most original short story writers." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"This lovely collection, which will be available only in libraries and independent bookstores . . . invites readers to revel in the magic of the mundane . . . Throughout, Davis revels in the glory of well-wrought details. These spot-on depictions of life's low-key moments are best savored in small bursts." --Publisher's Weekly

"Elegant, mundane, and as genius as ever, Lydia Davis has written another timeless and totally perfect collection." --Catherine Lacey