Essays One

This was an absolutely fantastic collection of essays. I mostly know Davis for her short stories, but it was great to get a better understanding of her life and work through these non-fiction pieces. My favorites were the “Forms and Influences” essays, four in total, which discuss her methods and the other writers she's read over the years. Because her stories are so short, there are a couple of instances where she was able to include several versions of the same story in its entirety in order to show its evolution, which provided some great insight into her process. I was less thrilled with some of her essays on visual artists, but even they were worthwhile reads simply for showing the breadth of her writings. I can't wait for volume two, which I believe will focus on her work as a translator.