George Saunders is one of literary fiction's most acclaimed living writers. Along with his many collections of short stories, he also published the Booker Prize-winning novel Lincoln in the Bardo. This week, Michael chats with him about his life and career, and George reveals the three words that made him a writer. Reading list: CivilWarLand in Bad Decline, George Saunders,1996 Pastoralia, George Saunders, 2000 In Persuasion Nation, George Saunders, 2006 Tenth of December: Stories, George Saunders, 2013 Lincoln in the Bardo, George Saunders, 2017 A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life, George Saunders, 2021 Liberation Day: Stories, George Saunders, 2022 A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, James Joyce, 1916 To Have and Have Not, Ernest Hemingway, 1937 The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway, 1952 The Little Disturbances of Man, Grace Paley, 1959 Ordinary Gods and Monsters, Chris Womersley, 2023 You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. Or if you want to listen to them as audiobooks, you can head to the Read This reading room on Apple Books. Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram and Twitter Guest: George Saunders