No personal opinion, observation, or neurotic musing is off-limits for prolific humorist, nonfiction legend, and unironic lover of culottes, David Sedaris, who since taking to NPR in 1992 to read his now-famous essay "SantaLand Diaries" (during which he details his stint as a department store elf during Christmas) has made life a whole lot easier to laugh at.
In recent years, Sedaris has come under scrutiny due in part to writer Alex Heard, who fact-checked some of Sedaris’ work in 2007 only to discover some of his published essays involved exaggerated accounts with fictitious characters. But, like everything, Sedaris puts his spin on his already quirky world view and, as a result, invites us into a world in which we are reminded that we are the authors of our own stories. Hey, it’s not like he went all James Frey or Stephen Glass and, anyway, no one seems to care much as to how fanciful his memories of personal accounts might be, a testament to his whimsical approach to the art of writing.
Anyway, fast-forward to Sedaris’ 13th collection of essays, this year’s A Carnival of Snackery: Diaries (2003-2020), which is exactly (and nothing like) what it sounds like: a charcuterie board of self-examination. Sedaris found himself in hot water after a "joke" didn’t land. During a CBS segment last year, Sedaris complained about poor customer service during the pandemic and introduced the idea of "citizen’s dismissal," which is basically a citizen’s arrest but instead of detaining someone, you get to fire them. In this economy? Woof. Maybe just … stick to culottes.
Doors open at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 7 at the Michigan Theater; 603 E. Liberty St., Ann Arbor; 734-668-8397; michtheater.org. Tickets are $56+. *Venue requires proof of full vaccination or negative COVID-19 test 72 hour prior to entry. Masks are also required.
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