You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
1.51k reviews for:
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life
George Saunders
4.52 AVERAGE
1.51k reviews for:
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life
George Saunders
4.52 AVERAGE
I am just as shocked as everyone else that one of my only 5 stars of the year is 1) nonfiction and 2) by George Saunders (I think I gave Lincoln in the Bardo a flat 3 stars). But oh my. I almost want to buy this book (I got it from the library) because I can see how all the lessons about writing can help me in my (hopeful) future profession as an editor of fiction. I learned so much.
On top of that, Russian literature of this time period holds a special place in my heart. I took a class on Tolstoy and Dostoevsky in college that was technically a class on ethics but radically informed how I read literature. I had never before thought of story telling as a possible artistic expression of politics, especially in a world where certain politics were dangerous. This collection of essays is like that class on a minute level. Instead of sifting through all of Anna K for purpose and intent, Saunders breaks these stories down into the tiniest pieces. I feel like I understand short stories in a completely new way.
It also just felt like coming home. A year after graduation, what I would give to sit in a lecture hall, coffee in hand, pen at the ready, as a professor dissects the fiction I’ve just spent the last 12 hours voraciously reading in preparation for this moment.
On top of that, Russian literature of this time period holds a special place in my heart. I took a class on Tolstoy and Dostoevsky in college that was technically a class on ethics but radically informed how I read literature. I had never before thought of story telling as a possible artistic expression of politics, especially in a world where certain politics were dangerous. This collection of essays is like that class on a minute level. Instead of sifting through all of Anna K for purpose and intent, Saunders breaks these stories down into the tiniest pieces. I feel like I understand short stories in a completely new way.
It also just felt like coming home. A year after graduation, what I would give to sit in a lecture hall, coffee in hand, pen at the ready, as a professor dissects the fiction I’ve just spent the last 12 hours voraciously reading in preparation for this moment.
Thanks to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for sending me this Advance Reading Copy. Expected publication date is January 12, 2021.
The title pretty much tells what this book is about:
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain
In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life
I was thrilled to read that George Saunders and I have something in common - a great appreciation of Russian literature. In this book, he “takes apart” the essence of seven significant Russian short stories as we learn what makes these particular stories stand out, techniques for writing a compelling short story how to evaluate them. Oh, to be fortunate enough learn from this master. I would love to see more of these literature explorations in the future.
The title pretty much tells what this book is about:
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain
In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life
I was thrilled to read that George Saunders and I have something in common - a great appreciation of Russian literature. In this book, he “takes apart” the essence of seven significant Russian short stories as we learn what makes these particular stories stand out, techniques for writing a compelling short story how to evaluate them. Oh, to be fortunate enough learn from this master. I would love to see more of these literature explorations in the future.
Pretty awesome. It was the closest I've felt to being back in a CSU English classroom, it reminded me greatly of e341, the study of literature. It was a blend of that class, creative writing, and Russian literature 101. Cool combo, love learning more about critically reading and this was a new angle for me. Saunders also talked about his own writing style throughout in "afterthoughts" which can be summed up by just doing what he wants; writing something down to see what happens and changing it because he likes it this way better than that way. Almost sounds childish but it makes a lot of sense to me.
"A story is an organic whole, and when we say a story is good, we're saying that it responds alertly to itself." p. 29
"We're always rationally explaining and articulating things. But we're at our most intelligent in the moment just before we start to explain or articulate. Great art occurs - or doesn't - in that instant. What we turn to art for is precisely this moment, when we 'know' something (we feel it) but can't articulate it because it's too complex and multiple." p. 102 Feeling like something in a story "matters"
"A story is a frank, intimate conversation between equals." p. 117
"Chekhov will set some feature of the world in the middle of a room and invite us to walk around it, looking at it from different angles... This puts us in an interesting state of mind. We don't exactly know what to think of Olenka. Or, feeling so multiply about her, we don't know how to judge her. The story seems to be asking, 'Is this trait of hers good or bad?'
Chekhov answers: 'Yes.'" p. 157
"What is it, exactly, that fiction does?
Well, that's the question we've been asking all along, as we've been watching our minds read these Russian stories. We've been comparing the pre-reading state of our minds to the post-reading state. and that's what fiction does: it causes an incremental change in the state of a mind. That's it. But, you know - it really does it. That change is finite but real. And that's not nothing. It's not everything, but it's not nothing." p. 383
"It remains to be seen. Everything remains to be seen. Fiction helps us remember that everything remains to be seen. It's a sacrament dedicated to this end. We can't always feel as open to the world as we feel at the end of a beautiful story, but feeling that way even briefly reminds us that such a state exists and creates the aspiration in us to strive to be in that state more often." p. 388
"[The Russian characters] started out as notions in the minds of another person, became words, then became notions in our minds, and now they'll always be with us, part of our moral armament, as we approach the beautiful, difficult, precious days ahead." p. 388
"A story is an organic whole, and when we say a story is good, we're saying that it responds alertly to itself." p. 29
"We're always rationally explaining and articulating things. But we're at our most intelligent in the moment just before we start to explain or articulate. Great art occurs - or doesn't - in that instant. What we turn to art for is precisely this moment, when we 'know' something (we feel it) but can't articulate it because it's too complex and multiple." p. 102 Feeling like something in a story "matters"
"A story is a frank, intimate conversation between equals." p. 117
"Chekhov will set some feature of the world in the middle of a room and invite us to walk around it, looking at it from different angles... This puts us in an interesting state of mind. We don't exactly know what to think of Olenka. Or, feeling so multiply about her, we don't know how to judge her. The story seems to be asking, 'Is this trait of hers good or bad?'
Chekhov answers: 'Yes.'" p. 157
"What is it, exactly, that fiction does?
Well, that's the question we've been asking all along, as we've been watching our minds read these Russian stories. We've been comparing the pre-reading state of our minds to the post-reading state. and that's what fiction does: it causes an incremental change in the state of a mind. That's it. But, you know - it really does it. That change is finite but real. And that's not nothing. It's not everything, but it's not nothing." p. 383
"It remains to be seen. Everything remains to be seen. Fiction helps us remember that everything remains to be seen. It's a sacrament dedicated to this end. We can't always feel as open to the world as we feel at the end of a beautiful story, but feeling that way even briefly reminds us that such a state exists and creates the aspiration in us to strive to be in that state more often." p. 388
"[The Russian characters] started out as notions in the minds of another person, became words, then became notions in our minds, and now they'll always be with us, part of our moral armament, as we approach the beautiful, difficult, precious days ahead." p. 388
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
This is an absolutely wonderful book. The Russian short stories are really enjoyable and worthwhile in themselves. Then Saunders’ commentary on them is brilliant. He doesn’t just pick apart what the writers do in the stories, or how they do it, or impose some lesson on how we can do the same. He is charming and humble and erudite and not didactic or judgemental. What I have come away with from this book is far more nuanced than I expected. There is guided reading, certainly, which has helped me to get more out of the stories than I would have done otherwise. And there are important lessons on what to think about in my own writing. But Saunders guides rather than directs, he leads us towards what is unique in ourselves. Which is really quite something.
the best book about writing ever made by a centrist
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Ty George Saunders
informative
This is one of the most inspiring craft books I've read. Saunders presents seven Russian stories, and then breaks each one down. Makes me look at my own writing with new eyes.
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
“The Russians, when I found them a few years later, worked on me in the same way. They seemed to regard fiction not as something decorative but as a vital moral-ethical tool. They changed you when you read them, made the world seem to be telling a different, more interesting story, a story in which you might play a meaningful part, and in which you had responsibilities.”
I love George Saunders. That’s the easiest way to say it. He’s one of the inspirations for why I want to be a writer, and this book is the next best thing to taking one of his classes. Really, it is a class and we have the greatest teachers ever in Chekhov, Turgenev, Tolstoy and Gogol.
First, I would say this book taught me how to be a better reader, showing us why these writers did what they did, which in turn, leads you to absorb the techniques displayed. My mind raced with ideas for stories while reading. What I appreciate most is that Saunders encourages you to throw it all out, and understands that the role of the teacher here is the hope that the student takes away something, and if not, that’s okay.
I love and appreciate this book, and will probably reread it once a year from here on out.
My ranking for the stories in here:
1. “Master and Man” by Tolstoy
2. “The Singers” by Turgenev
3. “The Nose” by Gogol
4. “Gooseberries” by Chekhov
5. “The Darling” by Chekhov
6. “In the Cart” by Chekhov
7. “Alyosha the Pot” by Tolstoy
I love George Saunders. That’s the easiest way to say it. He’s one of the inspirations for why I want to be a writer, and this book is the next best thing to taking one of his classes. Really, it is a class and we have the greatest teachers ever in Chekhov, Turgenev, Tolstoy and Gogol.
First, I would say this book taught me how to be a better reader, showing us why these writers did what they did, which in turn, leads you to absorb the techniques displayed. My mind raced with ideas for stories while reading. What I appreciate most is that Saunders encourages you to throw it all out, and understands that the role of the teacher here is the hope that the student takes away something, and if not, that’s okay.
I love and appreciate this book, and will probably reread it once a year from here on out.
My ranking for the stories in here:
1. “Master and Man” by Tolstoy
2. “The Singers” by Turgenev
3. “The Nose” by Gogol
4. “Gooseberries” by Chekhov
5. “The Darling” by Chekhov
6. “In the Cart” by Chekhov
7. “Alyosha the Pot” by Tolstoy
This affectionate, thoughtful, quirky analysis of seven classic Russian short stories (Chekhov, Turgenev, Tolstoy, Gogol) is absolutely a must-read for anyone interested in books about the craft of fiction. Saunders approaches these stories with tenderness and humor and even a bit of humility, which is impressive when you consider Saunders’s own credentials and accomplishments. He is a fresh-voiced and explosively creative author; this book shows that he is also a compassionate and dedicated teacher.
The stories themselves are not the best part; you may or may not love them as much as Saunders does. And even if you don’t completely agree with his analysis of what makes them great, you will come away with insights into the options you have when you construct a short story. As a relatively inexperienced author of fiction, I am sometimes overwhelmed by the number of levers I have to pull; not only is every element of the universe under my complete control but also how much about each element I say. Saunders examines those levers carefully and shows how stories change when this one or that one is pulled with more or less force. It’s inspiring food for thought.
The stories themselves are not the best part; you may or may not love them as much as Saunders does. And even if you don’t completely agree with his analysis of what makes them great, you will come away with insights into the options you have when you construct a short story. As a relatively inexperienced author of fiction, I am sometimes overwhelmed by the number of levers I have to pull; not only is every element of the universe under my complete control but also how much about each element I say. Saunders examines those levers carefully and shows how stories change when this one or that one is pulled with more or less force. It’s inspiring food for thought.