UPDATE: The contest is closed–and in record time.
Want to win a copy of The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis? Of course you do. The book makes a hefty stocking stuffer, so you could even give it away if you wanted to, but we suggest you do the selfish thing and hold on to it. It’s excellent.
Picador has kindly agreed to give a copy to one lucky Biblioklept reader (you must have a U.S. address, though). Win this handsome Davis volume by being the first to correctly answer all three questions of our quiz. Post your answers in the comments section.
1. Lydia Davis was married to another famous writer back in the 1970s. Name that writer and his new novel.
2. One of Davis’s short story collections is titled Samuel Johnson Is Indignant. Why is Dr. Johnson indignant? (Hint: Read our review).
3. In a 2008 interview with The Believer, Davis commented that she tried to translate/update a famous 18th century Irish novelist’s work. Who was the writer?
Biblioklept 
1. Paul Auster
2. “that Scotland has so few trees”
3. Laurence Sterne
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Close, but one of your answers is incomplete.
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1. Paul Auster, whose new novel is Sunset Park
2. “that Scotland has so few trees”
3. Laurence Sterne
Damn.
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1. Paul Auster, author of the soon-to-be-released Sunset Park – but best know for the (excellent) New York Trilogy.
2. Samuel Johnson is indignant because … well, to be totally honest I’m not entirely certain. I love the story itself but I feel that I lack some background knowledge on Mr. Johnson to really make the thing work. I imagine there’s a joke in there that I don’t really get. Regardless, there’s a lot to unpack in the story, which is why Davis is really so great. My favorite part of the story is where she mentions that the people must like us are the ones we distrust and it gets me all thinking about self-loathing and self-hatred and a desire to appear to be better or more “interesting” than we really are.
3. Laurence Sterne, who I wasn’t familiar with until just now.
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Close — but I think you’re overthinking one of these…
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I’m so stupid – I was reading the wrong story for #2. ugh. He’s indignant “that Scotland has so few trees”
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Congrats–you win (by, like, 9 min).
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