- George Saunders
Infobox Writer
name = George Saunders
caption =
birthdate = Birth date and age|1958|12|2|mf=y
birthplace =
deathplace =
occupation =short story writer, journalist, teacher
genre =
movement =
nationality =United States
influences =Kurt Vonnegut ,John Steinbeck
influenced =
website =George Saunders (born
December 2 ,1958 ) is an acclaimed Americanwriter of short stories. His writing has appeared in "The New Yorker ", "Harper's", "McSweeney's " and "GQ", among others. He also contributes a weekly column, "American Psyche", to the weekend magazine ofThe Guardian 's Saturday edition. Currently a professor atSyracuse University , he won theNational Magazine Award for fiction in 1994, 1996, 2000, and 2004, and second prize in theO. Henry Awards in 1997. His first story collection, "CivilWarLand in Bad Decline" was a finalist for the 1996PEN/Hemingway Award . In 2006, Saunders received one of that year's MacArthur Fellowships, more popularly known as the "genius grant."Biography
Saunders was born in
Amarillo , Texas, and raised on the south side of Chicago. In1981 , he received a B.S. in geophysical engineering fromColorado School of Mines inGolden, Colorado . Speaking of his scientific background, Saunders said "...any claim I might make to originality in my fiction is really just the result of this odd background: basically, just me working inefficiently, with flawed tools, in a mode I don't have sufficient background to really understand. Like if you put a welder to designing dresses." [cite news | last = Childers| first = Doug| title = The Wag Chats with George Saunders| pages = | publisher = The Wag| date =2000-07-01 | url = http://www.thewag.net/interviews/saunders.htm| accessdate = 2007-06-04] In 1988, he obtained an M.A. in creative writing fromSyracuse University . As a young man in the 1980s Saunders considered himself an Objectivist, but is now repulsed by the philosophy, comparing it to neoconservative thinking. [cite news | last = Bemis| first = Alec Hanley| title = Mean Snacks and Monkey Shit| pages = 12–27| publisher = LA Weekly| date =2006-05-10 | url = http://www.laweekly.com/art+books/books/mean-snacks-and-monkey-shit/13461/| accessdate = 2007-06-04] From 1989 to 1996 he worked for Radian International, an environmental engineering firm inRochester, New York as a technical writer and geophysical engineer. He also worked for a time inSumatra with an oil exploration crew. Since 1997, Saunders has been on the faculty ofSyracuse University , teaching creative writing in the school's MFA program. In2006 , Saunders was awarded a $500,000MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, commonly called a "genius grant". In the same year he was also awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship. Saunders currently resides in Syracuse, New York. He is married with two daughters. His most recent book, a collection of recent non-fiction entitled "The Braindead Megaphone", was published onSeptember 4 ,2007 .Themes in Saunders' writing
Saunders' fiction often focuses on the absurdity of
consumerism andcorporate culture . While many reviewers are quick to mention the satirical tone in most of Saunders' writing, many of these same works also deal with philosophical questions ofmorality . The tragicomic element, concurrently devastating and wildly funny, has earned Saunders comparisons toKurt Vonnegut , a writer to whom Saunders has acknowledged a debt. [cite web| last = Saunders| first = George| title = God Bless You, Mr. Vonnegut| url=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/feature/-/539001| accessdate = 2007-06-04]Film adaptations
The film rights to "CivilWarLand in Bad Decline" were purchased by
Ben Stiller in the late 1990s and a film has been rumored to be in the works for several years now, to be produced by Stiller's company,Red Hour Productions . [cite web| last = Whitney| first = Joel| title = Dig the Hole: An Interview with George Saunders| url=http://www.guernicamag.com/interviews/216/dig_the_hole/| accessdate = 2007-06-01] Saunders has also written a feature-length screenplay for one of his stories from "Pastoralia", "Sea Oak." [cite web| last = Vollmer| first = Matthew| title = "Knowable in the Smallest Fragment": An Interview with George Saunders| url=http://www.gutcult.com/litjourn2/html/GS1.html| accessdate = 2007-06-01]Books
Fiction
* "CivilWarLand in Bad Decline" (1996) (
Short Stories and aNovella )
* "Pastoralia" (2000) (Short Stories and aNovella )
* "The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip" (2000) (Novella with illustrations byLane Smith )
* "The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil " (2005) (Novella )
* "In Persuasion Nation" (2006) (Short Stories )Non-fiction
* "A Bee Stung Me, So I Killed the Fish" (2006) (promotional
chapbook of essays, limited to 500 copies)
* "The Braindead Megaphone" (2007) (Collectedessays )Notes
External links
* [http://www.saunderssaunderssaunders.com/ Official website] at saunderssaunderssaunders.com.
* [http://www-hl.syr.edu/depts/english/cwp/saunders.htm Staff profiles] at Syracuse University website.
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend "The Guardian Weekend" magazine] , where Saunders' column "American Psyche" appears each week.
* [http://www.georgesaundersland.com/ George Saunders Land] , a comprehensive fan website.
* [http://www.thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=51 Saunders reads "The 400 Pound CEO"] on the "This American Life" radio program.
* [http://www.guernicamag.com/guest_editors/fiction/06/10/ Saunders editorial] about guest-editing "Guernica" magazine.
* [http://www.guernicamag.com/interviews/216/dig_the_hole/ Saunders interview] in "Guernica" magazine.
* [http://www.maximumfun.org/blog/2006/06/podcast-whats-wrong-with-america.html Saunders interview] on public radio programThe Sound of Young America , with bonus reading from "In Persuasion Nation".
* [http://www.powells.com/ink/saunders.html Hilarious Saunders Q&A] at "Ink" via Powell's Books.
* [http://www.brassland.org/ahb/writing/archives/2006/05/mean_snacks_and.html Brief Saunders Q&A] upon publication of "In Persuasion Nation".
* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5432052 Saunders on All Things Considered]
* [http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/bw/bw071227george_saunders Saunders on KCRW'S The Bookworm] discussing "The Braindead Megaphone".
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.