Machine generated contents note: George Saunders, The Art of Fiction No. 245 / Benjamin Nugent. An Interview with George Saunders / J. J. Wylie -- An Interview with George Saunders / Ben Marcus -- Roy Kesey Interviews George Saunders / Roy Kesey -- George Saunders Land in Its Heady Prime / Dave Welch -- George Saunders's Wild Ride / Deborah Treisman -- The George Saunders Interview / Patrick Dacey -- George Saunders Interview / Gary Percesepe -- Real as Hell: A Conversation with George Saunders / Maria Bustillos -- George Saunders: The Kind Side / Nick Curley -- A Conversation with George Saunders / W. Brett Wiley -- Interview with George Saunders / Aidan Ryan -- George Saunders / Zadie Smith -- George Saunders, The Art of Fiction No. 245 / Benjamin Nugent.
Summary:
"Besides being one of America's most celebrated living authors, George Saunders (b. 1958) is also an excellent interview subject. In the fourteen interviews included in Conversations with George Saunders, covering nearly twenty years of his career, the Booker Prize-winning author of Lincoln in the Bardo and Tenth of December provides detailed insight into his own writing process and craft, alongside nuanced interpretations of his own work. He also delves into aspects of his biography, including anecdotes from his childhood and his experiences as both a student and teacher in MFA programs, as well as reflections on how parenthood affected his writing, the role of religious belief and practice in his work, and how he has dealt with his growing popularity and fame. Throughout this collection, we see him in conversation with former students, fellow writers, mainstream critics, and literary scholars. In each instance, Saunders is eager to engage in meaningful dialogue about what he calls the "big questions of our age." In a number of interviews, he reflects on the moral and ethical responsibility of fiction, as well as how his work engages with issues of social and political commentary. But at the same time, these interviews, like all of Saunders's best work, are funny, warm, surprising, and wise. Saunders says he has "always enjoyed doing interviews" in part because he views "intense, respectful conversation [as], really, an artform-an exploration of sorts." Readers of this volume will have the pleasure of joining him in this process of exploration"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.