PLAY PODCASTS
George Saunders, writer

George Saunders, writer

Michael Berkeley's guest is the Booker Prize-winning writer, George Saunders.

Private Passions · BBC Radio 3

March 15, 202651m 14s

Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (open.live.bbc.co.uk) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.

Show Notes

The American writer George Saunders won the 2017 Booker Prize with his first novel, Lincoln in the Bardo. It’s a moving exploration of the grief of President Lincoln as he mourns his 11-year-old son Willie – and it’s voiced by the weird and wonderful spirits trapped in the cemetery.

George was 58 when the novel was published. In the decades before that, he won renown and awards as a master of the short story. He’s also won legions of followers for his close analysis of the form.

Most recently he’s published a second novel, Vigil, in which spirits return – this time to the deathbed of an oil tycoon.

His musical choices include John Adams, William Grant Still, Caroline Shaw and Dvorak.

Producer: Katy Hickman