A Swim in a Pond in the Rain

"That is what George Saunders explores throughout A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life ( public library ) — his wondrous investigation of what makes a good story (which is, by virtue of Saunders being helplessly himself , a wondrous investigation of what makes a good life) through a close and contemplative reading of seven classic Russian short stories, examined as “seven fastidiously constructed scale models of the world, made…"

"A Swim in the Pond in the Rain is the most surprising book I’ve read this year. Most of the great Russian writers of the 19th century wrote short stories and, in this book, American author George Saunders teaches us what a handful of his favourites are about. It’s based on a class on Russian short stories he teaches to talented aspiring writers at Syracuse University. After class one day, he realized that “some of the best moments of my life, the moments during which I’ve really felt myself offering something of value to the world, have been spent teaching that Russian class.” He then tries to recreate that teaching experience in the pages that follow. It’s an extraordinarily successful effort. I don’t particularly enjoy short stories: I find them too short to be satisfying, but I was completely mesmerized by his explanations of what they meant to him, and what they can teach us about how to write effectively. After reading it, not only had I read some stories—by Leo Tolstoy , Anton Chekhov , Ivan Turgenev, and Nikolai Gogol—which I would never have embarked on otherwise, but I felt I’d spent a few days in 19th century Russia."

"When my faith in humanity falters (often, these days), I reach for either a drink or a George Saunders story. His fiction is the dressing room mirror that finds us naked and vulnerable, capturing us humans at our most embarrassing, selfish, lazy or lovelorn. Saunders’ gift, though, is that he never condemns his characters – or us – but instead pleads for patience and grace, daring readers to forgive each other our awfulness and to live with kindness on our minds. His latest book is nonfiction but still thrums with empathy as Saunders, who also teaches creative writing at Syracuse University, unpacks the short stories of four Russian writers – Tolstoy, Chekhov, Turgenev and Gogol – exploring how they too used verbs, nouns and adjectives to paint and plead for our shared humanity. It’s a must-read for writers, and for the rest of us humans."

"I read the Tolstoy short story Master and Man for the first time via George Saunders's analysis in his great book, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain. Saunders shows you how Tolstoy did it, which is a gift, truly."

"it is a glorious reminder of the intensity of teaching and of what reading can mean."

"Each story more brilliant and uncanny than the last. Plus unpretentious unpackings of their craft. Works with so much misery and difficulty and death, and Saunders showing how alive they are, extracting the joy held within the gloom."