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Winner of the Folio Prize 2014.
With an introduction from the New York Times by Joel Lovell George Saunders' most wryly hilarious and disturbing collection yet, Tenth of December illuminates human experience and explores figures lost in a labyrinth of troubling preoccupations.
If you like George Saunders you might also like to read books by Jess Walter.
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Synopsis
Tenth of December by George Saunders
Winner of the Folio Prize 2014.
A family member recollects a backyard pole dressed for all occasions; Jeff faces horrifying ultimatums and the prospect of DarkenfloxxTM in some unusual drug trials; and Al Roosten hides his own internal monologue behind a winning smile that he hopes will make him popular. With dark visions of the future riffing against ghosts of the past and the ever-settling present, this collection sings with astonishing charm and intensity.
Reviews
'A joyous, mad, brilliant, laugh-out-loud box of tricks from one of America's most daring writers. Delicious, delicious, delicious. I could read Saunders forever' Liz Jensen
'Again and again, Saunders demonstrates that wacky, subversive, formally strange writing is not only not contrary to our nation's capitalist spirit, it's the most natural and effective of responses to it. He makes the all-but-impossible look effortless. We're lucky to have him' Jonathan Franzen
'Saunders reads like Barthelme or Coover, and can be funnier than either' Hari Kunzru, Guardian
Books of the Year
'Surreal and puncturing' Margaret Atwood
'Saunders, as an American social and literary critic, may be shaping up as the Orwell of the millennium' The Times
'An astoundingly tuned voice - graceful, dark, authentic, and funny' Thomas Pynchon
'A multifaceted writer, very easy on the surface to pin down but incredibly difficult once you actually read him with any depth' Joshua Ferris
'Saunders is a writer of arresting brilliance and originality, with a sure sense of his material and apparently inexhaustible resources of voice ... Scary, hilarious and unforgettable Tobias Wolff Like the illegitimate offspring of Nathanael West and Kurt Vonnegut ... Mr. Saunders's satiric vision of America is dark and demented; it is also ferocious and very funny' Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times Reading
'George Saunders is, it's safe to say, like no other literary experience. His satirical short stories are set in a kind of Lewis Carroll version of our world, only far, far darker ... surreal, rather moving and deeply angry' Observer
'Both droll and acerbic, his tales cleverly blend slapstick with Orwellian alarm at a society unwilling to safeguard a common morality or independence of thought from the rapacity of an arrogant, aggressive, capitalist ethic' Daily Telegraph
'Riotously imaginative ... There's something so wildly magnanimous about these stories that you want to hit yourself for not thinking this creatively yourself and force them on everyone you meet for the good of mankind .. .Saunders has Kurt Vonnegut's gift of combining antique, high-flown ideas with a strong empathy. Even better, he does not have the sci-fi self-consciousness of Vonnegut' Daily Telegraph
'Dazzingly surreal stories about a failing America' Sunday Times Must Reads
'Masterpieces of surrealist satire' Vanity Fair
'Gripping ... Saunders takes a wry and uncompromising look at life in contemporary America, from everyday occurrences to the downright cruel and mind-boggling, providing quirky voices to bring his authentic stories to life. A strong collection from a master of the short story, it's not one to be missed' Irish Examiner
'His sharp satire and visions of a dystopian future are tempered with warmth and humanity ... Somehow, Saunders forces the reader to consider our dysfunctional world without ever preaching. Every page is packed with laughs; astute observations with deep implications are never far away either ... This is a brilliant, trenchant and hilarious collection' Independent
'His nuanced explorations of character are achieved with an impressively light touch' -- Luke Neima Times Literary Supplement
'These are stories of integrity and authenticity, often wildly inventive. The raw nerve endings of these blue-collar tragedies are insulated by playfulness, humour and heart' -- Martin Fletcher Independent
'The stories are self-contained and I get a feel for the characters quickly. Each is like a little novel in its own right' -- James Patterson Daily Mail
'What Saunders does is invent an alternative America - which is, in fact completely today's America' -- David Sedaris Vogue
'For more than a decade, George Saunders has been the best short story writer in English - not 'one of', not 'arguably', but the Best ... George's work is a stiff tonic for the vapid agony of contemporary living - great art from the greatest guy' Time Magazine
'Mad, hilarious and downright terrifying ... A hilarious, twisted treat' Shortlist
About the Author
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Book Info
Publication date
2nd January 2014Author
George SaundersMore books by George Saunders
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Author's Website
www.georgesaundersbooks.com...Author's Facebook Latest
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Publisher
Bloomsbury Publishing PLCFormat
Paperback288 pages
Categories
Literary FictionAll Shortlists and WinnersShort Story CollectionseBook FavouriteseBook Favourites
Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945)Short storiesISBN
9781408837368The best new books on the market, reviewed honestly, to give your readers the best choices.
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