From Lincoln’s grief to our fictional future: Prize-winning author to speak at Ky Theatre

What does a geophysical prospector in Indonesia, a roofer in Chicago, a doorman in Beverly Hills and a writer in New York have in common?

They’re all the same person. I’m referring to celebrated contemporary fiction writer, George Saunders, who will be coming to the historic Kentucky Theatre on Oct. 19 thanks to the University of Kentucky Gaines Center for the Humanities.

Saunders will be the first to admit his career trajectory has been less than ordinary. In a CBS Sunday Morning interview from 2015 he describes his first corporate job as a technical writer, where he would work on his fiction during breaks. After finishing what he felt was the next “great American novel,” his wife told him it was nearly unintelligible. Thankfully he soon began to find his stride and has since cemented his reputation as one of the most celebrated authors of contemporary fiction today. Saunders has received both the MacArthur and Guggenheim Fellowships, the PEN/Malamud Prize for excellence in Short Stories, and was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2013. He is the author of 12 books including “Lincoln in the Bardo,” the winner of the 2019 Man Booker Prize for fiction. His latest publication, “Liberation Day,” was listed as one of the best books of the year by The New York Times, The New Yorker, NPR, Time and others. It even landed on former President Barack Obama’s favorite books of 2022.

In addition to his many accolades, Saunders’ stories have earned recognition through their eerily prophetic nature. Take Saunders’ short story from 2012, “The Semplica Girl Diaries.” In this work of speculative fiction, readers find themselves in a world where young, migrant women are used as lawn ornamentation—a crass “keeping up with the Jones” concept. The narrator’s youngest daughter Eva, expresses anxiety about the welfare of the Girls, crying “I don’t like it. It’s not nice.” The adults, in an attempt to comfort her, offer the following reassurances: “Where they’re from, the opportunities are not so good.” And “It helps them take care of the people they love.” Though Saunders is exploring an imagined future, these feeble attempts at justification have endless parallels in today’s society.

In another story from 2010, Saunders takes us to a Spiderhead, where prisoners are being used to test pharmaceutical drugs. Similar to Semplica Girl Diaries, the real power of the story is in the blasé tone of the facilitator, Abnesti. After one of the subjects dies a horrific death due to the effects of the drug they administer, he says “Look, Jeff, these things happen. This is science. In science we explore the unknown. It was unknown what five minutes on Darkenfloxx™ would do to Heather. Now we know.” This story had such a profound impact on readers that in 2022 it was made into a film for Netflix starring Chris Hemsworth.

His novel “Lincoln in the Bardo” has particular relevance for Kentuckians. Not only does Saunders attempt to capture one of the most fraught times in the life of our former president, the illness and subsequent death of his young son Willie, he also plays with the idea of history and memory. Saunders includes actual historical records throughout his novel, highlighting the wide range of recollections from the evening of Willie’s death and its aftermath. Through this novel, Saunders brings us a fresh perspective on Lincoln (not an easy feat). We see Lincoln as a father so torn apart by the loss of his son that he returns to the family crypt to hold his body several times before he can bear to walk away (a fact verified by several newspapers published at the time).

Saunders visit to Lexington is an opportunity to hear from one of the most influential voices in the publishing world today, but beyond that, a comprehensive engagement of Saunders’ work can help tremendously in prompting us to consider directions in our own community. We hope you can join us at on Oct 19 at 6 p.m. at the Kentucky Theatre where Saunders will participate in a moderated Q & A, followed by a book signing. Like all Gaines Center events, tickets are free, but registration is required. For more information and to reserve your seat, follow the link below.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/an-evening-with-george-saunders-tickets-691716200777?aff=oddtdtcreator

Chelsea Brislin is Associate Director of the UK Gaines Center for the Humanities and affiliate faculty in Appalachian Studies and the Lewis Honors College.