An Evening with George Saunders
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We are delighted to be welcoming George Saunders to Edinburgh for the Scottish launch of his latest novel, Vigil. This highly-anticipated return from the Booker Prize-winning author of Lincoln in the Bardo is a playful, wise, electric novel taking place at the bedside of an oil company CEO, in the twilight hours of his life, as he is ferried from this world into the next
Doors due to open at 6.15pm. Books for Book & Ticket options will be available to collect at the venue on the night. This event will take place at the Gordon Aikman Lecture Theatre, 32 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9LH. There will be a book signing for attendees after the event.
About Vigil:
What a lovely home I found myself plummeting toward. . .
Not for the first time – in fact, for the 343rd time – Jill 'Doll' Blaine finds herself crashing down to earth, head-first, rear-up, to accompany her latest charge into the afterlife. She soon realises however that this man is not quite like the others.
For powerful oil tycoon K.J. Boone will not be consoled, because he has nothing to regret. He lived a big, bold life, and the world is better for it… isn't it?
As death approaches, a cast of worldly and otherworldly visitors arrive. Crowds of people and animals – alive and dead – materialise, birds swarm the dying man's room, and associates from decades past show up, all clamouring for a reckoning.
In this electric novel brimming with explosive imagination, George Saunders confronts the biggest issues of our time with his trademark humour and warmth, spinning a tale that encompasses life and death, good and evil, and the inevitable question: who else could we be but exactly who we are?
Please note: Tickets for our events are non-refundable. Professional photography and videography may take place during this event. Thank you for your understanding.
Participants:
George Saunders Author
George Saunders is the author of thirteen books, including the novel Lincoln in the Bardo, which won the Booker Prize in 2017, and five collections of stories including Tenth of December, which was a finalist for the National Book Award, and the recent collection Liberation Day (selected by former President Obama has one of his ten favourite books of 2021). Three of Saunders’ books – Pastoralia, Tenth of December, and Lincoln in the Bardo – were chosen for the New York Times’ list of the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. Saunders hosts the popular Story Club on Substack, which grew out of his book on the Russian short story, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain. In 2013, he was named one of the world's 100 Most Influential People by Time magazine. He teaches in the creative writing program at Syracuse University.
The venue
Gordon Aikman Lecture Theatre
32 George Square
Edinburgh EH8 9LH
Telephone: 0131 651 2189
Website: www.uoecollection.com/conferences-events/venue-hubs/old-town-campus/gordon-aikman-lecture-theatre/