Book cover for Random House Trade Paperbacks | Art Director: Robbin Schiff | Designer: Chelsea Cardinal | Published 2018
From his office at Syracuse University, George Saunders discusses the writing process and bringing his characters to life: http://nyr.kr/IEEYCd
2013 #NBAwards Fiction Finalist for Tenth of December.
I like the idea that a work of fiction is basically just some timeless human dilemma, dressed up in contemporary clothing.
A Wine List for the Longlist
To drink with George Saunders’ Tenth of December…
One will require the fortification of a wine of truly beatific origin to better swallow the raw brutality of George Saunders’ short-story collection, Tenth of December. The 2011 Monastero Suore Cistercensi Coenobium is a blend of regional white varietals fermented traditionally– with a long maceration on the skins– by nuns in Lazio, Italy. Its golden hue and rich body will prove a great comfort while reading Saunders’ unflinchingly harsh, but strangely cheerful stories that reflect the discomfiting realities of contemporary American culture.
The National Book Foundation thanks Max Davis, of Brooklyn’s Smith & Vine, for A Wine List for the Longlist, which celebrates the ten Fiction books Longlisted for the 2013 National Book Award. Finalists will be revealed October 16.
Insights on Writing with George Saunders
In his semester-long class, George Saunders teaches a number of the great classic Russian short story writers. Tolstoy, Gogol, Chekhov, amongst others. His discussions about the stories always begin generically. What was interesting? What was odd? Then, something happens – something magical, usually early on. George begins to extract small and brilliant beads of wisdom from the text – wisdom about the writing process, about what makes a short story irresistible. Suddenly, the class transforms into a strange and precise blueprint for aspiring writers. George says, “Trust your boredom. Don’t write what bores you,” and “A writer has to have empathy at the tips of his fingers.” He says, “We are in the business of persuasion, but we are also suspicious,” and “Present questions realistically, rather than answering them.”
Sitting in his class, George’s words seem a lot like the transfer of secrets through a chain-link of writers, beginning with the Russians, shooting up through George, and landing with a hard clunk in my head. A lot of time, he says something, and I think, Yes, of course! I knew that all along. Because these aren’t really secrets. They are truths that generally scare the fingertips off new writers. His wisdom confirms that flaw and uncertainty and variety and empathy (especially empathy) are positive aspects of the writing process. And that’s just terrifying to a new writer who tries so hard to make something identifiably good.
Rebecca Fishow is a writer and artist living in Montreal. She holds an MFA from Syracuse University, where she was the Cornelia Carhart Ward fellow, the recipient of the Joyce Carol Oates Nonfiction Award, and an art editor for Salt Hill Journal. Her work can be found in The Fiddleback.
#nbaward Fiction Finalist George Saunders in the classroom.
FOURTEEN YEARS TO WRITE ONE SHORT STORY!
#nbaward Fiction Finalist George Saunders speaks to author Edan Lepucki.
Edan Lepucki: Firstly, congratulations on being a Finalist for the National Book Award! Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions. What was the first thing you did after hearing the news of your nomination?
George Saunders: I deleted an in-progress essay I was working on called ‘Why Awards Don’t Matter.’
Ha. No—I was in Las Vegas to do a reading and immediately called my wife.
EL: Do you recall a moment in writing this book when the process seemed just too difficult to go on? How about a moment when you really enjoyed yourself? Please explain.
GS: One of the stories in the book (‘The Semplica Girl Diaries’) took 14 years to finish—but honestly, even that was sort of pleasurable. I love the feeling of being on the hunt—the feeling that the story is refusing to be solved in some lesser way and is insisting that you see it on its highest terms. One really enjoyable moment was sending that story, which still wasn’t done, to Andy Ward, and having him counsel me to have faith in it, and finish it, and put it in the book. I’d been on the fence about it. It would have been a much less interesting book without it, but I’d been working on it so long I’d lost any clarity. So what a wonderful thing, to have someone you trust deeply give you such strong advice—it’s what enabled me to finish it.
Read the entire interview here.
The Telegraph features National Book Foundation writers Karen Russell, George Saunders, Molly Antopol, Shirley Jackson, Jess Walter, and Lydia Davis in their article about why “the short story is the perfect literary form for the 21st century:” Read on.
Photo credit: Ania Wawrzkowicz
One of the stories in the book (‘The Semplica Girl Diaries’) took 14 years to finish—but honestly, even that was sort of pleasurable. I love the feeling of being on the hunt—the feeling that the story is refusing to be solved in some lesser way and is insisting that you see it on its highest terms.
NBF staffers are all verklempt over #NBAwards Finalist George Saunders’ winning his THIRD literary prize this month for Tenth of December.
Saunders’ most excellent interview with The Millions’ Edan Lepucki is up on our website here.
Talk amongst yourselves!
Pat yourself on the back & get this new work on kindness by George Saunders on the ides of April
Coming soon from #NBAwards Finalist George Saunders
#NBAwards Finalist GEORGE SAUNDERS has WON the 2014 Story Prize for Tenth of December.
A good time to share George Saunders’ appearance at last year’s Finalists Reading evening.
This week, we were thrilled to announce the Longlists for the 2019 National Book Awards. These titles in the categories of Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature represent some of the best writing of the year. The Finalists will be announced October 8, all in the lead up to the 70th National Book Awards on November 20.
alwaysbringabookwithyou
all-these-paperback-dreams
Barnes and Nobles is gonna start serving food and alcohol.
Everybody’s cracking jokes about how it’s a desperate attempt to stay relevant in the age of Amazon.
But you know what? Props to them. This is exactly what Blockbuster didn’t do. At no point was Blockbuster like “Hey, movie rentals aren’t the lucrative enterprise they once were. Perhaps it’s time we become known for our cheesy garlic bread.”
that’s a fantastic plan, honestly? i would 100% go sit at a bookshop, buy a glass of wine, and pick up the newest biography. 50/50 i’d decide to buy it after a couple chapters, and even if i don’t, that’s still money i spent at B&N!
They could host book clubs with food and drinks where one of the employees shares their experiences with a book of their choice and tries to convince the guests to buy it.
Barnes and noble realizing the only reason people go to brick and mortar stores is for the experience and access to an enjoyable physical space they can socialize in (sure isnt for the price) and capitalizing on that is a stroke of genius and a really refreshing approach to the dilemma of competing with online stores
