George Saunders Appreciation Thread (1 Viewer)

[jane]

Christ, he's fucking brilliant. Just finished Pastoralia and going back to In Persuasion Nation. Haven't read all of his stuff yet. Am afeared for the day I've reached the end of his work. He's still alive, so I might just write him a letter and tell him to get a move on.
He's got a little column in the Saturday Guardian magazine, and he does stuff for Harper's and The New Yorker, but I'm a greedy bitch and I want more.

Here's a taster, for those who have yet to appreciate the amazingness that is Mr George Saunders, who is amazing and also brilliant.

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/12/04/061204sh_shouts

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/04/10/060410sh_shouts

 

[Mormon Nailer]

He's spot on about Borat. It's terrible mean spirited crap, and personally I think the joke is on Cohen because what I see from the film is how tolerant and friendly the midwesterners he has so little respect for are.

I would dearly love to see him tray any of that behaviour anywhere else in the world. Like the anthem for example. Rather than sneering at yanks I wonder if you changed The star Spangled Banner to Amhrain na Bhfian and a Rodeo to the Munster hurling final what the outcome would have been.

 

[jane]

He's spot on about Borat. It's terrible mean spirited crap, and personally I think the joke is on Cohen because what I see from the film is how tolerant and friendly the midwesterners he has so little respect for are.

I would dearly love to see him tray any of that behaviour anywhere else in the world. Like the anthem for example. Rather than sneering at yanks I wonder if you changed The star Spangled Banner to Amhrain na Bhfian and a Rodeo to the Munster hurling final what the outcome would have been.

Yeah, it's why I didn't want to see the Borat movie. I've seen some of the show, and some clips on YouTube and that's enough for me. I'm sure it was funny, but the best satire involves a bit of humility, and ultimately lets the 'victims' in on the joke. But Sasha Baron Cohen is an arrogant, juvenile bully.

And it's true: most Americans will humour you out of politeness, and are really good-natured when it comes to taking a joke, so long as it's done in good faith.

George Saunders's satire is much more humane, and that's why I think it's so funny. He doesn't consider himself to be above it at all, and it's smart and sophisticated without being arrogant or 'clever-clever'. In fact, he was actually awarded a MacArthur Genius grant last year, an award that's usually given to scientists and stuff. There's something really reassuring in the fact that comic genius is actually recognised as being of broad cultural benefit. YAY!

Mormon, have you read any Saunders? Seriously, you should check out his books. They're fucking brilliant. His work has opened up a whole new world of fiction for me, and changed my writing forever.

 

[Mitchum]

Really enjoyed Pastoralia myself and the short fiction he's written for McSweeney's. I didn't even realise that those Letters from America in the Guardo were the same guy!!!
Ben Stiller is adapting one of his novels for the screen at the mo, incidentally.

 

[Mormon Nailer]

The name is familiar but that's about all. Definitely must check him out. He certainly seems to be a perceptive guy.

 

[jane]

Really enjoyed Pastoralia myself and the short fiction he's written for McSweeney's. I didn't even realise that those Letters from America in the Guardo were the same guy!!!
Ben Stiller is adapting one of his novels for the screen at the mo, incidentally.

I heard that about Ben Stiller, that he's adapting Civil War Land in Bad Decline, which is the one I've not read. It's weird, though, because I've generally seen Saunders's work as unfilmable, but maybe I'm just not thinking imaginatively enough. In fact, I always thought that one of the great strengths of his work is that while so many writers seem to write with the thoughts of screen rights in mind (although I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with this), he almost seems deliberately to avoid that. But maybe I'm wrong.

I've just gone back to In Persuasion Nation this week, which is included in last year's publication of The Brief And Frightening Reign of Phil, and it's just fucking brilliant. I think I like Pastoralia better, but there's some amazing shit in this, too. The 'title track' is particularly hilarious.

 

[Mitchum]

Well what I took from the short fiction of Pastoralia is that he's one of those PoMo stylists like David Foster Wallace or David Eggers who've taken their cue from Pynchon, Roth, Bellow etc and write with a keen sense of the absurd.
I guess that's why his fiction might seem 'unfilmable' and rightly so.

 

[jane]

Well what I took from the short fiction of Pastoralia is that he's one of those PoMo stylists like David Foster Wallace or David Eggers who've taken their cue from Pynchon, Roth, Bellow etc and write with a keen sense of the absurd.
I guess that's why his fiction might seem 'unfilmable' and rightly so.

Probably. Still, I'm interested to see what it looks like on film.

By the way, we're neighbours. Ish. Or we live in the same neighbourhood, if your 'location' is correct. Have you been here long? I like it, even if the footpaths are shamefully beshit.

 

[Mitchum]

Yeah my location is correct...I've been here about three years now-emigrated from the Northside-happy enough though-walking distance from city centre, Pearse St. library...and that Fresh supermarket on Gallery Quay.

Definitely covered in dog-sheeite too! Actually there's a big yellow notice c/o Dublin Corpo now up on Barrow Street suggesting that 'when your dog does it's business, you do yours!'
I reckon some people are taking this literally.

 

[jane]

Yeah my location is correct...I've been here about three years now-emigrated from the Northside-happy enough though-walking distance from city centre, Pearse St. library...and that Fresh supermarket on Gallery Quay.

Definitely covered in dog-sheeite too! Actually there's a big yellow notice c/o Dublin Corpo now up on Barrow Street suggesting that 'when your dog does it's business, you do yours!'
I reckon some people are taking this literally.

I've been here since late 2003 and yeah, it's great. It's weird to see it change so much, but I'm glad there are food shops close-ish. I'm further down, near the village, so it's still mouldy spud Spar for me, or a walk to Sandymount or up to Gallery Quay (is that what it's called?).

We've got those signs down here, too, but all they seem to do is provide visual encouragement. Any dog not curling its back will be upon seeing one of them things. And they all seem to drop them in transit, too, not from a stationary position. Sometimes you have to walk out in the road, it gets so bad. Once, there was a jiggly pile of what looked like grey jelly, with what I think might have been a length of rope in it. I could say it was memorable, since it was like three years ago, but if I still remember it in ten years, then perhaps it can be said to have gone down in shitstory.

Anyway, back to George Saunders. GENIUS. I'd actually love to see some of his stuff done animated, but maybe I'm being too literal about it?

 

[Mitchum]

Yup...a great writer for sure. I'll investigate more of his fiction poste-haste now...I'm delighted it's the same guy who writes that Guardo column!
His piece last Saturday on the Evangelical minister who is now 'cured' of his homos/xuality was priceless.
Curiously, only the Texaco on The Ringsend Road/Charlotte Quay stocks copies of the Guardian in this here locale.

 

[jane]

Yup...a great writer for sure. I'll investigate more of his fiction poste-haste now...I'm delighted it's the same guy who writes that Guardo column!
His piece last Saturday on the Evangelical minister who is now 'cured' of his homos/xuality was priceless.
Curiously, only the Texaco on The Ringsend Road/Charlotte Quay stocks copies of the Guardian in this here locale.

Oh, we can get the Guardian down here. Used to be tough enough, but usually they have a few copies in the Spar and the new Londis. It used to be that the Spar only sold sausage rolls, tabloids and chewing gum. Now they have the Guardian and also sometimes onions or cabbage.

I just read that one from Saturday now -- classic. Mr Jane brought it down for me because I like to read him, Jon Ronson, and I've been collecting some of the tasty recipes in the eating parts.

 

[Mitchum]

I just read that one from Saturday now -- classic. Mr Jane brought it down for me because I like to read him, Jon Ronson, and I've been collecting some of the tasty recipes in the eating parts.

Gah those recipes annoy me-where in Ringsend do I get 'chewy bulgar with the nuttiness of argan oil' fr'instance? Seems to me their food & drink section is aimed at the upper middle-class DINKYs of Notting Hill etc.

Not to worry...Saturdays are null & void without The Guardian nonetheless.

 

[mamul]

the chaps amazing. wish he had more books out cause ive read em all. twice. think its time for another go. civilwarland and pastorilia are my faves. gappers of fripp is the best kids story ive probably ever read.

 

[jane]

the chaps amazing. wish he had more books out cause ive read em all. twice. think its time for another go. civilwarland and pastorilia are my faves. gappers of fripp is the best kids story ive probably ever read.

I just had a 'look inside' the Gappers of Frip on Amazon and the illustrations are incredible. Like the scariest Bruegel but funnier. Same one who did The Stinky Cheese Man, which I've bought for people's nippers.

YAY. I love Saunders. MORE PLEASE. I'm not reading Civil War Land until he publishes something new because I don't want to find myself in your position. The other night, I even started pulling out old New Yorkers and back issues of Harper's, hungrily searching for more unread Saunders. MORE, GEORGE, MORE!

 

[Goff]

Apart from The Third Man and Rebecca, my fave ever thing about George was that, during WWII, he came up with the great idea of Roller Skating Battalions and "The best idea in the world ever", the idea that they should make bombs that, instead of whistling, should have an "all-clear siren" built in.

Oh, sorry. I thought you meant George Sanders.

I will fix this with a Sanders appreciation thread after yours.

One of my favourite actors ever.


"The Third Man", wha'?!!


Did I mention that I met Sam Sheperd last week?

Not quite life-changing.

Or was it?

Man still looks the same age as he did in The Right Stuff.


SAM SHEPERD!!!!!!!!

 

[mamul]

good interview here from last year, the following weeks show is an extract from the brainddead megaphone i do believe.