Civilwarland In Bad Decline

'An astoundingly tuned voice - graceful, dark, authentic and funny' Thomas PynchonThe first ferocious, funny and unique collection of stories from George Saunders, winner of the inaugural Folio PrizeTHE 2017 MAN BOOKER-SHORTLISTED AUTHOR OF LINCOLN IN THE BARDOIn his first collection, George Saunders' vision of our near future is as black and funny as you can get. He takes us on a trip to the shopping malls and theme parks and enviromental hazards that lie just around the chronological corner, introducing us to a gang of misfits and losers struggling to survive in an increasingly haywire world. Bizarre but familiar, fierce but always humane, these are stunningly original stories by a master of the form.'Saunders is a morally passionate, serious writer, who perfectly expresses the madness of the times we live in. He will be read long after these times have passed' Zadie Smith'He makes the all-but-impossible look effortless. We're lucky to have him' Jonathan Franzen'There is no-one better, no-one more essential' Dave Eggers

“Surreal and puncturing”

One of the few living masters of the [short story] genre Daily Telegraph
-- Margaret Atwood
There is no author I recommend to people more often - for ten years I've urged George Saunders onto everyone and everyone. -- Dave Eggers
[A] brilliant collection of short stories -- Philip Hensher Mail on Sunday
Strangely moving, hilariously unsettling, and unlike anything else you'll read this year Esquire
Hilarious but frightening, cruel yet compassionate...read the first pages of any story slowly and you'll realise how good he is Scotland on Sunday
The debut of an exciting new voice in fiction...He's a savage satirist with a sentimental streak who delineates the dark underbelly of the American dream. Mr Saunders' satiric vision of America is dark and demented, also ferocious and very funny -- Michiko Kakutani New York Times

George Saunders was born in 1958 in Texas and trained as a geophysical engineer. In 1988, he obtained an M.A. in creative writing from Syracuse University and went on to teach on the MFA program. His works comprise several collections of short stories, including Tenth of December (2013)a novella, The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil (2005), a children's book, a book of essays, screenplays and travel pieces for GQ magazine. In 2006 Saunders was awarded a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship and a Guggenheim Fellowship. In 2009 he received an Academy Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He lives in Rochester, US, with his wife and children.

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