Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso A Human Conversation with Writer George Saunders
4 snips
Oct 15, 2023 
George Saunders, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, discusses his new short-story collection, Liberation Day. He shares insights on his creative process, citing influences like Chekhov and Gogol. The conversation covers how short stories reflect times of disruption and includes a poignant reading from 'Love Letter' on democracy's fragility. Saunders also explores the power of revision, the emotional depths in his stories, and his enduring relationship with his wife, emphasizing why he continues to write as he seeks personal growth and surprise.
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Stories As Rollercoaster Experiences
- Saunders thinks of a story as a designed experience like a roller coaster that stuns the reader into reevaluation.
- The goal is to produce astonishment, not to lecture or preach a theme.
Short Stories Fit Turbulent Times
- Short stories naturally suit moments of abrupt change because they set up stasis then jolt the reader into a new condition.
- That structural trait makes short fiction especially fitting for our unsettled, rapidly changing era.
Art Simulates Self-Dropping Clarity
- Saunders links the temporary loss of self after grief or meditation to clearer perception and values that art can briefly simulate.
- He argues art's value includes reminding us that such self-dropaway states are possible.
