'All You Have to Do Is Live'

The author of "Me Talk Pretty One Day," "Naked, and "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim" is back with another collection of hilarious essays. David Sedaris's "When You Are Engulfed in Flames" (Little, Brown) lands in bookstores this week. Sedaris follows with a 30-city U.S. tour. He spoke to NEWSWEEK's Susanna Schrobsdorff about why people tip him at book signings and whether he'll marry Hugh, his boyfriend of 17 years. Excerpts:

NEWSWEEK: You've been living in France for a long time. Can you be funny in French now?
David Sedaris: Oh, yes. But I don't distinguish between being laughed with, and laughed at. I'll take either.

You said you have more than 30 years recorded in your diary, is that why you never run out of material?
All you have to do is live.

Do you think your stories are darker or more serious now than when you started out?
If they are, I think it's a consequence of reading out loud on those tours. I'll read something in front of an audience, and I'll read it like eight times, and I've proved to myself that I can get a laugh here and here and here. So now I'm more inclined to think: OK, I've proved that I can get a laugh, now let's see what it's like to go without it. Now let's dig a little deeper instead of what's going to get an easy laugh. Let's write what you were really thinking. I don't think I'd be inclined to do that if hadn't been going on these tours. When I look at a lot of older stuff that I've written, I think one sign of amateur humor writing is when you see people trying too hard. People often send me their stuff and I can see that trying on the page. I feel like I've done that myself, and it just makes me cringe. And I hope I'm getting away from that.

So you've read the stories in this collection before.
Yes, and to me, in terms of reading out loud, "All the Beauty You'll Ever Need," is the most satisfying story to read. But there's also a story called "Town and Country" that I like reading that out loud, too. But with that one, I have to get the audience to agree with me on something, and either you're going to agree with me or not. And I insist that's not a dirty story at all, and those are just arrangements of words. [Laughs.] And that if you will agree with me on that, then we can get on with it and have a fine time. But if you're going to be a stickler, and you're going to draw the line at sex with a horse, there's nothing I can do about that. [Laughs.]

Are you looking forward to coming back to the United States for the book tour?
My older sister was asking me if I was excited about my book tour. And I am because I like going on book tour. But once it starts you're so in it, it's so all encompassing. I sat on my ass for five hours straight after the reading just signing books. And that's a lot of books. For the last book tour, I put a tip jar on my table, because you just have to make it fun. I didn't even do it every night and I made $4,000.

You put a tip jar at your book-signing table?
Oh, yes. I would get there two to three hours early, and would sign books until 15 minutes before the reading. And I talk to everyone so I don't sign that many books in two and a half hours. And then just before you start the reading part you go to the back of the room and you say I will sign your book right now for $5. And that's how you really make your money because any one in their right mind, if they have a choice between paying $5 and waiting for four hours, would choose to pay $5.