George Saunders Libri

Con questa raccolta di racconti, George Saunders è stato consacrato uno dei migliori autori di short stories degli Stati Uniti di oggi. Per il suo talento comico e visionario è stato paragonato di volta in volta a Vonnegut, Pynchon, Twain, ma la sua è anche una scrittura profondamente critica rispetto alla società contemporanea. Il mondo di Saunders si configura così come una versione “alterata” del nostro, in cui il consumismo, la potenza dei media e dei messaggi pubblicitari, la cultura dello spettacolo vengono elevati all’ennesima potenza e condotti alle loro più estreme, e tragicomiche, conseguenze. Il risultato è una realtà deformata in cui le normali esperienze umane, dal portare il nipotino a teatro al cuocersi una bistecca (per non parlare dell’innamorarsi, fare un figlio e crescerlo), diventano piccoli incubi nell’universo della burocrazia e del mercato globale, e viceversa personaggi da soap opera, sacchetti di patatine e scimpanzé da laboratorio acquistano una vita autonoma tutta loro. Al centro di questo originalissimo e scatenato teatro dell’assurdo c’è quindi l’esigenza di riaffermare l’importanza del libero pensiero e dei rapporti autentici fra le persone. Nel paese della persuasione è una lettura esilarante ma anche un invito alla riflessione e al cambiamento politico.

From the 'New York Times' bestselling, Booker Prize-winning author comes a literary master class on the mechanics of great storytelling and its relevance to our lives today. For two decades, George Saunders has taught a class on the Russian short story at Syracuse University. In this work, he shares insights from that class, paired with iconic stories by Chekhov, Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Gogol. The seven essays aim to engage anyone curious about how fiction operates and its importance in contemporary society. Saunders introduces the essays by inviting readers to explore intricately constructed narratives that address fundamental questions about life: How should we live? What are our purposes? What do we value? He examines stories with both technical precision and accessibility, revealing how narrative captivates us or provokes resistance, while highlighting essential virtues for writers. Writing, he argues, is not only a technical skill but also a means of cultivating openness and curiosity about the world. This exploration delves into the cognitive processes involved in reading and writing, emphasizing how stories foster genuine connections.

From the New York Times bestselling Booker Prize-winning author comes a literary master class on storytelling and its relevance in today's world. For two decades, George Saunders has taught a class on the Russian short story at Syracuse University. In this work, he shares insights from his class, exploring what he and his students have learned. The book features seven essays paired with iconic short stories by Chekhov, Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Gogol, aimed at anyone curious about the mechanics of fiction. Saunders introduces the essays by stating that they serve as "scale models of the world," designed to address fundamental questions about life and purpose. He examines how narrative functions, why we engage with stories, and the essential virtues writers must cultivate. Writing is presented not only as a technical craft but also as a means to develop a more open and curious perspective on the world. This exploration delves into how great writing operates and how reading and writing foster genuine connections. Ultimately, it offers a profound look at the interplay between storytelling and the human experience.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Booker Prize winner George Saunders presents his first collection of short stories since Tenth of December, showcasing his inventive storytelling that delves into the complexities of our national character. This masterful collection, hailed as one of the best books of the year by multiple prestigious outlets, explores themes of power, ethics, and justice, revealing what it means to coexist with others. With his signature prose—wickedly funny, unsentimental, and finely tuned—Saunders invites readers to confront both joy and despair, oppression and revolution, as well as bizarre fantasy and harsh reality. Among the stories, “Love Letter” features a grandfather's heartfelt message to his grandson amid a dystopian future, emphasizing our obligations to ideals and one another. “Ghoul” follows Brian, a lonely character in a Hell-themed amusement park, as he questions his reality. In “Mother’s Day,” two women confront their shared love for a man during a hailstorm. “Elliott Spencer” tells of an eighty-nine-year-old victim of a scheme that brainwashes the vulnerable for political purposes. Lastly, “My House” poignantly addresses unfulfilled dreams and the inevitability of decay. These nine profound stories encourage readers to view the world with generosity and clarity, even in absurd circumstances.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Tenth of December, a 2013 National Book Award Finalist for Fiction, and the novel Lincoln in the Bardo. A New York Times Notable Book Six short stories and a novella. Set in a dystopian near-future in which America has become little more than a theme park in terminal disrepair, they constitute a searching and bitterly humorous commentary on the current state of the American Dream. Funny, sad, bleak, weird, toxic - the future of America as the Free Market runs rampant,the environment skids into disarray, and civilization dissolves into surreal chaos. These wacky, brilliant, hilarious and entirely original stories cue us in on George Saunder's skewed vision of the legacy we are creating. Against the backdrop of our devolvement, our own worst tendencies and greatest virtues are weirdly illuminated.

Tenth of December is the most honest, moving, and critically acclaimed collection yet from George Saunders, one of the most important writers of his generation. These stories take on the big questions and explore the fault lines of our own morality, the characters vividly and lovingly infused with Saunders's signature blend of exuberant prose, deep humanity, and stylistic innovation. (back cover)

An inspiring message from the inaugural Folio Prize winner, George Saunders, one of today's most influential and original writers

A stunning collection including the story "Sea Oak," from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Man Booker Prize-winning novel Lincoln in the Bardo and the story collection Tenth of December, a 2013 National Book Award Finalist for Fiction. One of the New York Times’s 100 Best Books of the 21st Century Hailed by Thomas Pynchon as "graceful, dark, authentic, and funny," George Saunders gives us, in his inventive and beloved voice, this bestselling collection of stories set against a warped, hilarious, and terrifyingly recognizable American landscape.

An enchanting and darkly comic fable of human greed and nature, from the Man Booker Prize-winning author of Lincoln in the Bardo, exquisitely illustrated by Chelsea CardinalFox 8 has always been curious, and a bit of a daydreamer. And, by hiding outside houses at dusk and listening to children's bedtime stories, he has learned to speak 'Yuman'. The power of words and the stories built from them is intoxicating for a fox with a poetic soul, but there is 'danjur' on the horizon: a new shopping mall is being built, cutting off his pack's food supply. To save himself and his fellow foxes, Fox 8 will have to set out on a harrowing quest from the wilds of nature deep into the dark heart of suburbia.