The gay American author David Sedaris has long had a complicated relationship with his father. “My father was an asshole, but a great character,” the 69-year-old told Zeit-Magazin (paywalled). He said he was able to write about it. “If you’re a writer and you have such a rich source of material in your life, it would be a waste not to do it.”
His father never gave him the sense that he could be himself. Ultimately, he disinherited him. “My father never wanted me to be myself,” said Sedaris, who is openly gay. “And then exactly that being myself made me rich,” he added.
Despite his worldwide fame, he regards himself as average. “There is nothing extraordinary about me,” the 69-year-old said. He was not born into wealth and did not attend a top-tier school. There are many more talented writers than he is. (AFP)
