<iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-K3L4M3" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden">

Books

Don't let creative writing students read this book

A review of Lydia Davis’ ‘Can’t and Won’t’. Susan Hill finds flashes of genius in Davis’ latest collection of short stories but she’s not sure everyone will

12 April 2014

9:00 AM

12 April 2014

9:00 AM

Can’t and Won’t Lydia Davis

Hamish Hamilton, pp.283, £16.99, ISBN: 9780374118589

One of these is by Lydia Davis, acclaimed American writer. One is not. They are whole pieces, by the way, not extracts.

This morning I went into the park I often pass on my journeys to somewhere else. I can now say that I have been into this park and not always passed it by.

Already a subscriber? Log in

Black Friday sale

Subscribe today and get 10 weeks of The Spectator Australia for just $1

  • Unlimited access to spectator.com.au and app
  • The weekly edition on the Spectator Australia app
  • Spectator podcasts and newsletters
  • Full access to spectator.co.uk
Or

Unlock this article

REGISTER

Available from the Spectator Bookshop, £13.99. Tel: 08430 600033

You might disagree with half of it, but you’ll enjoy reading all of it. Try your first month for free, then just $2 a week for the remainder of your first year.


Comments

Black Friday sale

Subscribe today and get 10 weeks of The Spectator Australia for just $1

Already a subscriber? Log in

Close