The Collected Stories of LYDIA DAVIS. Farrar, Straus and Giroux New York

Transcription

1 The Collected Stories of LYDIA DAVIS I Farrar, Straus and Giroux New York

2 Contents BREAK IT DOWN (1986) Story 3 The Fears of Mrs. Orlando 7 Liminal: The Little Man 12 Break It Down 17 Mr. Burdoff's Visit to Germany 25 What She Knew 32 The Fish 33 Mildred and the Oboe 34 The Mouse 35 The Letter 40 Extracts from a Life 47 The House Plans 51 The Brother-in-Law 62 How W. H. Auden Spends the Night in a Friend's House: 64 Mothers 65 In a House Besieged 66 Visit to Her Husband 67 Cockroaches in Autumn 69 The Bone 72 A Few Things Wrong with Me 74

3 v i Contents Sketches for a Life of Wassilly 80 City Employment 92 Two Sisters 94 The Mother 96 Therapy 97 French Lesson I: Le Meurtre 103 Once a Very Stupid Man 110 The Housemaid 114 The Cottages 120 Safe Love 123 Problem 124 What an Old Woman Will Wear 125 The Sock 129 Five Signs of Disturbance 133 ALMOST NO MEMORY (1997) Meat, My Husband 145 Jack in the Country 149 Foucault and Pencil 151 The Mice 154 The Thirteenth Woman 155 The Professor 156 The Cedar Trees 165 The Cats in the Prison Recreation Hall 167 Wife One in Country 170 The Fish Tank 172 The Center of the Story 173 Love 178 Our Kindness 179 A Natural Disaster 180 Odd Behavior 182 St. Martin 183 Agreement 199 In the Garment District 200

4 Disagreement 201 The Actors 202 What Was Interesting 204 In the Everglades 210 The Family 212 Trying to Learn 214 To Reiterate 215 Lord Royston's Tour 216 The Other 241 A Friend of Mine 242 This Condition 244 Go Away 246 Pastor,Elaine's Newsletter 248 A Man in Our Town 254 A Second Chance 256 Fear 258 Almost No Memory 259 Mr. Knockly 262 How He Is Often Right 270 The Rape of the Tanuk Women 271 What I Feel 273 Lost Things 275 Glenn Gould 276 Smoke 285 From Below, as a Neighbor 287 The Great-Grandmothers 288 Ethics 289 The House Behind 291 The Outing 298 A Position at the University 299 Examples of Confusion 300 The Race of the Patient Motorcyclists 307 Affinity 310 Contents v i i

5 v i i i Contents SAMUEL JOHNSON IS INDIGNANT (2001) Boring Friends 313 A Mown Lawn 314 City People 315 Betrayal 316 The White Tribe 318 Our Trip 319 Special Chair 323 Certain Knowledge from Herodotus 325 Priority 326 The Meeting 328 Companion 332 Blind Date 333 Examples of Remember 338 Old Mother and the Grouch 339 Samuel Johnson Is Indignant: 353 New Year's Resolution 354 First Grade: Handwriting Practice 356 Interesting 357 Happiest Moment 359 Jury Duty 360 A Double Negative 373 The Old Dictionary 374 Honoring the Subjunctive 377 How Difficult 378 Losing Memory 379 Letter to a Funeral Parlor 380 Thyroid Diary 382 Information from the North Concerning the Ice: 397 Murder in Bohemia 398 Happy Memories 399 They Take Turns Using a Word They Like 403 Marie Curie, So Honorable Woman 404

6 Contents Mir the Hessian 423 My Neighbors in a Foreign Place 424 Oral History (with Hiccups) 428 The Patient 430 Right and Wrong 432 Alvin the Typesetter 433 Special 440 Selfish 441 My Husband and I 443 Spring Spleen 444 Her Damage 445 Workingmen 447 In a Northern Country 448 Away from Home 467 Company 468 Finances 470 The Transformation 471 Two Sisters (II) 473 The Furnace 476 Young and Poor 493 The Silence of Mrs. Iln 494 Almost Over: Separate Bedrooms 498 Money 499 Acknowledgment 500 VARIETIES OF DISTURBANCE (2007) A Man from Her Past 503 Dog and Me 504 Enlightened 505 The Good Taste Contest 506 Collaboration with Fly 508 Kafka Cooks Dinner 509 Tropical Storm 520

7 Contents Good Times 521 Idea for a Short Documentary Film 522 Forbidden Subjects 523 Two Types 525 The Senses 526 Grammar Questions 527 Hand 530 The Caterpillar 531 Child Care 533 We Miss You: A Study of Get-Well Letters from a Class of Fourth-Graders 534 Passing Wind 561 Television 563 Jane and the Cane 568 Getting to Know Your Body 569 Absentminded 570 Southward Bound, Reads Worstward Ho 571 The Walk 575 Varieties of Disturbance 588 Lonely 591 Mrs. D and Her Maids Sculptures in One Hour 620 Nietszche 622 What You Learn About the Baby 623 Her Mother's Mother 634 How It Is Done 635 Insomnia 636 Burning Family Members 637 The Way to Perfection 642 The Fellowship 643 Helen and Vi: A Study in Health and Vitality 644 Reducing Expenses 692 Mother's Reaction to My Travel Plans 695

8 For Sixty Cents 696 How Shall I Mourn Them? 697 A Strange Impulse 700 How She Could Not Drive 701 Suddenly Afraid 703 Getting Better 704 Head, Heart 705 The Strangers 706 The Busy Road 708 Order 709 The Fly 710 Traveling with Mother 711 Index Entry 713 My Son 714 Example of the Continuing Past Tense in a Hotel Room 715 Cape Cod Diary 716 Almost Over: What's the Word? 732 A Different Man 733 Contents