Letters to His Neighbor

In Lydia Davis’s hands, the digressive brilliance of his sentences shines: “Don't speak of annoying neighbors, but of neighbors so charming (an association of words contradictory in principle since Montesquiou claims that most horrible of all are 1) neighbors 2) the smell of post offices) that they leave the constant tantalizing regret that one cannot take advantage of their neighborliness.”Proust makes fine distinctions among his auditory torments: “The valet de chambre makes noise and that doesn't matter. Williams, these ever-polite letters (often accompanied by flowers, compliments, books, even pheasants) are frequently hilariousProust couches his fury in a gracious tone. Williams married a widow with small children.Chiefly to Mrs.

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