The Cows (Quarternote Chapbook Series)
“By the end of the chapbook (it’s only 37 pages) the three cows have become five, echoing the cycles that occupy the center of this impressionistic work. It’s the most simple stuff, but by slowing down to take a look, day in and day out, Davis reminds us of the profundity of everything—even creatures who “do not know the words ‘person,’ ‘neighbor,’ ‘watch,’ or even ‘cow.’”—David L. Ulin,Los Angeles Times“She has translated Proust and Flaubert and published a 752-page short-story collection, but in this smaller project, Davis observes the movements of three cows that live across the road. Her pitch-perfect ear, eye for detail and the classical quietude of her prose allow us to see these creatures in a new light.”—Moe’s Books,San Francisco Chronicle"This is Davis at her most playful, though, again, calmly and patiently. . . . Cows have their own apparel of momentary permanence, and capturing it is the ultimate exercise of Lydia Davis’s prose. Zeroed in, that everything about the cows seems inevitable and eternal."—David Bartone,The Rumpus"Davis' lovely chapbook is an exercise in simplicity."—Vikas Turakhia,Cleveland Plain Dealer