A Swim in a Pond in the Rain
In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life
George Saunders
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain is a literary master class on what makes great stories work and what they can tell us about ourselves—and our world today. George Saunders shares his twenty-year experience teaching a class on Russian short stories to MFA students at Syracuse University. In this book, he pairs iconic short stories by Chekhov, Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Gogol with his technical yet accessible essays on how narrative functions, why we stay immersed in a story, and the bedrock virtues a writer must foster to create compelling fiction. Through this exploration, Saunders illuminates how the mind itself works while reading and how the reading and writing of stories make genuine connection possible.
Publish Date
2021-01-12T00:00:00.000Z
2021-01-12T00:00:00.000Z
Goodreads rating
4.55
ISBN
9781984856029
Categories
Recommendations
6
Recommendations
2022-11-04T17:10:56.000Z
@amyjccuddy A Swim In A Pond In The Rain, by George Saunders. The best book on how to read carefully and think about what you read that I have ever encountered. Also introduced me to some wonderful deeply humane classics of Russian literature. – source2021-02-25T07:34:10.000Z
Most inspiring and hands-in-the-dirt useful book about writing I’ve maybe ever read. – source2021-07-22T16:07:35.000Z
My friend @gilkenan gave me this. It is one of the best books about writing I have come across. – source2021-02-18T01:44:37.000Z
I'm reading George Saunders's A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, and feeling grateful that it's impossible to read quickly or carelessly. Recommended if you want a book that will slap you out of bad reading habits and teach you some beautiful things. – source2021-02-26T10:45:51.000Z
This book is so damn good. If you’re a writer — or an avid reader — every page is gold. #AmReading 📚 – source2022-03-09T15:33:59.000Z
@timoreilly @tylercowen Just finished the recording and recommended the Saunders book. Love love love that book. Wish he would come on the show... – source