Lydia Davis

Lydia Davis (born July 15, 1947) is an American short story writer, novelist, essayist, and translator renowned for her very short, idiosyncratic stories and translations of French classics like Proust's Swann's Way and Flaubert's Madame Bovary. She gained prominence with collections such as Break It Down (1986, PEN/Hemingway finalist) and Varieties of Disturbance (2007, National Book Award finalist), culminating in the comprehensive The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis (2009). Her accolades include the 2013 Man Booker International Prize, a 2003 MacArthur Fellowship, and recognition as a Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters.