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Pastoralia
With this new collection, George Saunders takes us even further into the shocking, uproarious and oddly familiar landscape of his imagination.
The stories in Pastoralia are set in a slightly skewed version of America, where elements of contemporary life have been merged, twisted, and amplified, casting their absurdity—and our humanity—in a startling new light. Whether he writes a gothic morality tale in which a male exotic dancer is haunted by his maiden aunt from beyond the grave, or about a self-help guru who tells his followers his mission is to discover who's been "crapping in your oatmeal," Saunders's stories are both indelibly strange and vividly real.
The stories in Pastoralia are set in a slightly skewed version of America, where elements of contemporary life have been merged, twisted, and amplified, casting their absurdity—and our humanity—in a startling new light. Whether he writes a gothic morality tale in which a male exotic dancer is haunted by his maiden aunt from beyond the grave, or about a self-help guru who tells his followers his mission is to discover who's been "crapping in your oatmeal," Saunders's stories are both indelibly strange and vividly real.
188 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2000
1,021 people are currently reading
31.4k people want to read
About the author
George Saunders
109books9,886followersGeorge Saunders was born December 2, 1958 and raised on the south side of Chicago. In 1981 he received a B.S. in Geophysical Engineering from Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado. He worked at Radian International, an environmental engineering firm in Rochester, NY as a technical writer and geophysical engineer from 1989 to 1996. He has also worked in Sumatra on an oil exploration geophysics crew, as a doorman in Beverly Hills, a roofer in Chicago, a convenience store clerk, a guitarist in a Texas country-and-western band, and a knuckle-puller in a West Texas slaughterhouse.
After reading in People magazine about the Master's program at Syracuse University, he applied. Mr. Saunders received an MA with an emphasis in creative writing in 1988. His thesis advisor was Doug Unger.
He has been an Assistant Professor, Syracuse University Creative Writing Program since 1997. He has also been a Visiting Writer at Vermont Studio Center, University of Georgia MayMester Program, University of Denver, University of Texas at Austin, St. Petersburg Literary Seminar (St. Petersburg, Russia, Summer 2000), Brown University, Dickinson College, Hobart & William Smith Colleges.
He conducted a Guest Workshop at the Eastman School of Music, Fall 1995, and was an Adjunct Professor at Saint John Fisher College, Rochester, New York, 1990-1995; and Adjunct Professor at Siena College, Loudonville, New York in Fall 1989.
He is married and has two children.
His favorite charity is a project to educate Tibetan refugee children in Nepal. Information on this can be found at
After reading in People magazine about the Master's program at Syracuse University, he applied. Mr. Saunders received an MA with an emphasis in creative writing in 1988. His thesis advisor was Doug Unger.
He has been an Assistant Professor, Syracuse University Creative Writing Program since 1997. He has also been a Visiting Writer at Vermont Studio Center, University of Georgia MayMester Program, University of Denver, University of Texas at Austin, St. Petersburg Literary Seminar (St. Petersburg, Russia, Summer 2000), Brown University, Dickinson College, Hobart & William Smith Colleges.
He conducted a Guest Workshop at the Eastman School of Music, Fall 1995, and was an Adjunct Professor at Saint John Fisher College, Rochester, New York, 1990-1995; and Adjunct Professor at Siena College, Loudonville, New York in Fall 1989.
He is married and has two children.
His favorite charity is a project to educate Tibetan refugee children in Nepal. Information on this can be found at
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,303 reviews
March 14, 2023
Imagine for a moment that you go into the up-scale liquor store around the block that is celebrated city-wide for its fabulous wine selection. You're a bit of a novice when it comes to wine and are a little embarrassed to be here because your wallet is that ballistic nylon stuff and not something truly exotic like alligator skin and with that in mind you decide not to ask the sommelier for any help. You browse around the store looking for a bottle of something called David Foster Wallace that was recommended to you by your friend with the alligator skin wallet. You manage to find the bottle of DFW and admire the fancy bottle with its fancy label and its curlicues and footnotes and excellent leading. The bottle seems really heavy and big and everyone has told you how excellent it is. So you decide to try it but when you actually get to the counter you discover that you've picked up a bottle of something called George Saunders by mistake. The George Saunders bottle isn't as big or as fancy as the DFW and in fact it looks a little bit like a down-market or off-label knock-off of the vintage DFW but at the same time you believe that there is maybe something authentic and distinct about it anyway. The sommelier gives you a funny look as he rings you up but you don't say anything because you don't want to look stupid in front of him and anyway you're probably just being self-conscious about the whole thing like the time you had a glass of Pynchon at your friend's house and you said that it was a good Vonnegut and everyone laughed and your friend explained that the Vonnegut has a much sharper finish and you'll notice how the Pynchon seems to hang around in your mouth so much longer but he could see how you might make that mistake. And you try to think about that night on your drive home because it's that same friend with the alligator skin wallet that is coming over for dinner tonight with his wife and you remember how he plays golf with your boss and this is an important event to get right. So that night before the main course you pour everyone's glass in the kitchen so that no one will see the bottle and the secret will be safe with you. And your wife brings out the entree and you bring out the wine and everyone digs in and finds it delicious. Your friend with the alligator skin wallet remarks on how delicious the wine is and did you have any trouble finding the David Foster Wallace at the store? And was the sommelier there helpful? And what year did he recommend because this is really really quite good? And you smile and try to decide whether or not to say anything because you know that you'll need to say something but how are you going to make up something plausible on the spot. But then your wife blurts out that it's really a George Saunders and don't you just love it? Because she slurped down her glass of George Saunders and it was her third of the night anyway because she and your friend's wife managed to down a whole bottle of David Sedaris as a warm-up but they both agreed it was too dry for them even though you and your friend think that it's the perfect middle-of-the-week wine. For a moment you're paralyzed with fear because this was your shot, your chance to show off and really shine and display your competence and you blew it because you were too chicken shit to tell the sommelier at the counter that you picked up the wrong bottle by mistake. But instead your friend raises an eyebrow and says that it's wonderful, just delightful, and he'd never tried it before and though maybe it's not as dry as the DFW, does it ever have a great finish and it's just perfect for a dinner party, isn't it?
August 4, 2023
“Bread and circuses,� ancients used to say� And George Saunders smartly turns the art of modern entertainment into an effervescent absurdist comedy.
Pastoralia is some sort of luna park or freak show established to educate and amuse the public. The protagonist works there impersonating a caveman.
And the ways the society is being entertained tell everything about society as such too�
Winky is an acrid fable of religion and hatred�
Sea Oak is a blasphemously weird tale of an unholy resurrection.
The Barber’s Unhappiness is a story of a dork dreaming to have a kiss of his life�
Misfits and losers � they have a special niche reserved for them in this world.
Pastoralia is some sort of luna park or freak show established to educate and amuse the public. The protagonist works there impersonating a caveman.
And the ways the society is being entertained tell everything about society as such too�
“Remember I told you about Chief Joseph, who never stopped walking? You’re like him. My brave little warrior. Bibby, give him a juice box. Also he’s got some goo-goo coming out of his nosehole.�
“Jesus Christ,� Janet mumbles.
I give her my sternest look.
“What was that?� says the dad. “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you. What did you just say?�
“Nothing,� Janet says. “I didn’t say nothing.�
“I heard you very clearly,� says the dad. “You said Jesus Christ. You said Jesus Christ because of what I said about the goo-goo in my son’s nosehole. Well, first of all, I’m sorry if you find a little boy’s nosehole goo-goo sickening, it’s perfectly normal, if you had a kid of your own you’d know that, and second of all, since when do cavepeople speak English and know who Jesus Christ is? Didn’t the cavepeople predate Christ, if I’m not mistaken?�
“Of course they did,� the mom says from outside. “We just came from Christ. Days of Christ. And we’re going backwards. Towards the exit.�
“Look, pal, I got a kid,� says Janet. “I seen plenty of snot. I just never called it goo-goo. That’s all I’m saying.�
“Bibby, get this,� the dad says. “Parenting advice from the cavelady. The cavelady apparently has some strong opinions on booger nomenclature. For this I paid eighty bucks? If I want somebody badly dressed to give me a bunch of lip I can go to your mother’s house.�
“Very funny,� says the mom.
“I meant it funny,� says the dad.
“I was a good mom,� Janet says. “My kid is as good as anybody’s kid.�
“Hey, share it with us,� says the dad.
“Even if he is in jail,� says Janet.
“Bibby, get this,� says the dad. “The cavelady’s kid is in jail.�
“Don’t you even make fun of my kid, you little suckass,� says Janet.
“The cavelady just called you a suckass,� says the mom.
Winky is an acrid fable of religion and hatred�
From out of his suit he pulled a bowl and a box of oatmeal, and filled the bowl with the oatmeal and held the bowl up.
“Simple, nourishing, inexpensive,� he said. “This represents your soul in its pure state. Your soul on the day you were born. You were perfect. You were happy. You were good.
Sea Oak is a blasphemously weird tale of an unholy resurrection.
The Barber’s Unhappiness is a story of a dork dreaming to have a kiss of his life�
In the mirror was a skeletal mask of blue and purple and pink that the barber knew was his face but couldn’t quite believe was his face, because in the past his face had always risen to the occasion. In the past his face could always be counted on to amount to more than the sum of its parts when he smiled winningly, but now when he smiled winningly he looked like a corpse trying to appear cheerful in a wind tunnel. His eyes bulged, his lips were thin, his forehead wrinkles were deep as sticklines in mud.
Misfits and losers � they have a special niche reserved for them in this world.
August 3, 2024
‘We pretend to catch and eat more pretend bugs than could ever actually live in one cave. The number of pretend bugs we pretend to catch and eat would in reality basically fill a cave the size of our cave.�
Pastoralia by George Saunders is a delightfully strange ride through the absurdities of modern life. This collection of short stories will have you chuckling, cringing, and maybe even tearing up, all within a few pages.
The title story plunges you into a wacky theme park where employees pretend to be cavemen. Imagine trying to keep a straight face and stay in character while dealing with emails and demanding bosses, utterly bizarre yet eerily relatable.
Each story is a little gem of satire, poking fun at the ridiculousness of corporate culture and the often absurd lengths we go to for survival. But Saunders isn't just about laughs; his stories are filled with heart and a deep understanding of human struggle.
‘Sea Oak� is a wild ride with a zombie grandma, while ‘The Barber's Unhappiness� takes a more grounded, yet equally hilarious look at the insecurities and dreams of an ordinary man.
If you're in the mood for something that's both deeply insightful and laugh out loud funny, "Pastoralia" is a perfect pick. George Saunders' sharp wit and empathetic storytelling made buddy reading this fabulous collection with the wonderful Sarah an absolute joy.
My first Saunders, but it won’t be my last.
I Highly Recommend.
4.5
Pastoralia by George Saunders is a delightfully strange ride through the absurdities of modern life. This collection of short stories will have you chuckling, cringing, and maybe even tearing up, all within a few pages.
The title story plunges you into a wacky theme park where employees pretend to be cavemen. Imagine trying to keep a straight face and stay in character while dealing with emails and demanding bosses, utterly bizarre yet eerily relatable.
Each story is a little gem of satire, poking fun at the ridiculousness of corporate culture and the often absurd lengths we go to for survival. But Saunders isn't just about laughs; his stories are filled with heart and a deep understanding of human struggle.
‘Sea Oak� is a wild ride with a zombie grandma, while ‘The Barber's Unhappiness� takes a more grounded, yet equally hilarious look at the insecurities and dreams of an ordinary man.
If you're in the mood for something that's both deeply insightful and laugh out loud funny, "Pastoralia" is a perfect pick. George Saunders' sharp wit and empathetic storytelling made buddy reading this fabulous collection with the wonderful Sarah an absolute joy.
My first Saunders, but it won’t be my last.
I Highly Recommend.
4.5
February 13, 2021
Grandísima lectura. Un magnífico puñado de buenos cuentos que me han gustado incluso más que ese otro gran puñado que se recogían en “Diez de diciembre�, en los que Saunders mostraba una mayor tendencia a la respuesta explícita a las distopías que en ellos planteaba. Aquí los finales son más abiertos o menos categóricos, con un resultado, para mí, mucho más amargo y efectivo.
De Saunders, me fascina su estilo naiff tan cargado de mala leche, como plasma con una sencillez extraordinaria, con una engañosa inocencia, el lugar al que nos dirigimos (o peor aun, el lugar donde ya estamos sin darnos cuenta) en cuanto a relaciones laborales, sociales o familiares, consiguiendo que te conmuevas ante los patéticos hechos y los grotescos personajes que pueblan sus mundos y que, al mismo tiempo, te indignes ante lo que son, lo que suponen y la verdad que encierran.
En la gran literatura la línea recta no tiene por qué ser el camino más corto ni el más interesante de recorrer. En los cuentos de Saunders, la narración es exagerada, los paisajes distorsionados, los personajes se mueven en ese estado de infantilismo que parece imponerse más cada día en una parte cada vez más importante de la sociedad, en el que predomina esa crueldad básica de los niños que exigen la satisfacción inmediata y fácil de sus deseos más primarios; esos sin-clase que ya han bajado los brazos ante lo que les han convencido que es irremediable, que se dejan ir y conducir y son tratados por jefes, vecinos, clientes, y, lo que es más grave, por ellos mismos, como lo que son, elementos sociales, laborales o políticos totalmente prescindibles e intercambiables. Las derrotas íntimas, las miserias y mezquindades cotidianas, los comportamientos cobardes, los autoengaños, las fantasías consoladoras, estrategias en las que todos caemos con mayor o menor insistencia, son narradas en fantásticos diálogos interiores, mostrándonos unos cuantos motivos de nuestra congénita falta de felicidad, imposible de alcanzar e incluso de perseguir.
December 8, 2019
DECEMBER EDIT: So when this title popped up as someone 'liked' it, I thought, "wow, I am truly losing my mind. I don't recognize that title. And that cover? That looks COMPLETELY unlike my taste." When I investigated further, I discovered it was a collection, not the short story I originally reviewed. Yet another stand-alone story originally rated and reviewed that was smashed into a new title. I officially Wish a Thousand Female Mosquitoes Upon Each of the Librarians that condone this shit.
Meanwhile, back at the review for "Sea Oak "
"Matt Merton comes back [on the reality show] and explains that last week's show on suicide, in which the parents watched a reenactment of their son's suicide, was a healing process for the parents, then shows a video of the parents admitting it was a healing process."
Saunders manages a truly amazing tone, so dry that it burns, and yet there manages to be a little bit of humor in it, and even compassion. Eventually it starts to wear thin, as his ability to create the feel of desperation becomes overwhelming--sure it's funny and a little crazy, but its quite, quite real--but that's when he changes it up. The optimist in the family returns in a whole new role.
"What a nice day we've had," Aunt Bernie says once we've got the babies in bed.
"Man, what an optometrist," says Jade.
Fiona's review: /review/show...
The story:
Meanwhile, back at the review for "Sea Oak "
"Matt Merton comes back [on the reality show] and explains that last week's show on suicide, in which the parents watched a reenactment of their son's suicide, was a healing process for the parents, then shows a video of the parents admitting it was a healing process."
Saunders manages a truly amazing tone, so dry that it burns, and yet there manages to be a little bit of humor in it, and even compassion. Eventually it starts to wear thin, as his ability to create the feel of desperation becomes overwhelming--sure it's funny and a little crazy, but its quite, quite real--but that's when he changes it up. The optimist in the family returns in a whole new role.
"What a nice day we've had," Aunt Bernie says once we've got the babies in bed.
"Man, what an optometrist," says Jade.
Fiona's review: /review/show...
The story:
July 15, 2024
From birth to age 21, my big brother Josh was my greatest teacher of music, art, food, subculture, and of course� books!
He introduced me to David Sedaris and his hilarious sister Amy, who’ve frequently made me laugh so hard I’ve squirted from both ends.
I’m telling you this so you understand my surprise at Josh’s review of George Saunders� Pastoralia:
Man! I only wish I’d read it sooner.
From the very first offering � on a living cave-couple exhibit at a floundering amusement park � I was hooked.
Becca: What did you think of the story?
Me: What heartbreak and sweetness, at the very same time.
And it’s true. This collection is dark, stark, and replete with snark. But it’s also vulnerable and awkwardly tender and surprisingly often, it’s kind.
Want examples?
Well, there’s a literally decomposing auntie who fights her way back from the dead to give her beloved, underachieving family a financial kick-in-the-pants. And an over-thinking, passive-aggressive middle-aged man I wanted to noogie right up to the moment he goes soft and confesses how much he, “…loved his children� loved the face [his wife] made when he entered her� (p.157).
There’s also a big ole' loser who spends a whole day pumping himself up to kick his socially awkward sister out of the house, until the sight of the woman, “…wet-eyed in the doorway, rubbing her bald spot,� weakens his resolve (p.81).
OK, last one: there’s this greasy barber living with his mother, who objectifies women and wanks off to them on a milk stool in the pantry, who nonetheless delivers his own brand of assholic complexity when he walks through his mother’s garden and, “� using the hand with which he’d been about to pluck the rose, he flicked the rose, then in his mind apologized to the rose for ripping its skin� (p.148). Great sentence, right? So much happening there.
And that’s my general feeling about this book. There’s a lot happening here: humor, layered and believable characters, sociological explorations surrounding economic/racial/gender status, innovative dialogue, surprising twists and turns and imaginative, courageous storytelling.
Is it a perfect book? No. But are you a perfect person, or am I?
Five stars for the first collection in a long while to completely take me by surprise. Way to go, Josh. You sure knew how to pick ‘em.
Book/Song Pairing :
**Growing up, my family loved this musician, but I had a very evangelical childhood so take him with a grain of salt. I still love me some Randy, but I'm only responsible for timestamp 0:54 on!!🤷♀�**
He introduced me to David Sedaris and his hilarious sister Amy, who’ve frequently made me laugh so hard I’ve squirted from both ends.
I’m telling you this so you understand my surprise at Josh’s review of George Saunders� Pastoralia:
Some of the wittiest, most intelligent, and most dryly hilarious short fiction I’ve read in ages. A new favorite... he may even have bumped Sedaris in my (imaginary) best-loved order.Resistant to the idea of anyone supplanting my beloved Sedaris kin (I swear they’re blood on my mother’s side), it’s taken me a decade to pick up this collection. But a recent “what should we read next� situation with my literary co-conspirator, Radiant Rebecca, got me thinking it might be time to trust my big brother’s recommendation.
Man! I only wish I’d read it sooner.
From the very first offering � on a living cave-couple exhibit at a floundering amusement park � I was hooked.
Becca: What did you think of the story?
Me: What heartbreak and sweetness, at the very same time.
And it’s true. This collection is dark, stark, and replete with snark. But it’s also vulnerable and awkwardly tender and surprisingly often, it’s kind.
Want examples?
Well, there’s a literally decomposing auntie who fights her way back from the dead to give her beloved, underachieving family a financial kick-in-the-pants. And an over-thinking, passive-aggressive middle-aged man I wanted to noogie right up to the moment he goes soft and confesses how much he, “…loved his children� loved the face [his wife] made when he entered her� (p.157).
There’s also a big ole' loser who spends a whole day pumping himself up to kick his socially awkward sister out of the house, until the sight of the woman, “…wet-eyed in the doorway, rubbing her bald spot,� weakens his resolve (p.81).
OK, last one: there’s this greasy barber living with his mother, who objectifies women and wanks off to them on a milk stool in the pantry, who nonetheless delivers his own brand of assholic complexity when he walks through his mother’s garden and, “� using the hand with which he’d been about to pluck the rose, he flicked the rose, then in his mind apologized to the rose for ripping its skin� (p.148). Great sentence, right? So much happening there.
And that’s my general feeling about this book. There’s a lot happening here: humor, layered and believable characters, sociological explorations surrounding economic/racial/gender status, innovative dialogue, surprising twists and turns and imaginative, courageous storytelling.
Is it a perfect book? No. But are you a perfect person, or am I?
Five stars for the first collection in a long while to completely take me by surprise. Way to go, Josh. You sure knew how to pick ‘em.
Book/Song Pairing :
**Growing up, my family loved this musician, but I had a very evangelical childhood so take him with a grain of salt. I still love me some Randy, but I'm only responsible for timestamp 0:54 on!!🤷♀�**
March 11, 2022
At a glance I see that some ŷ readers do not like these celebrated stories as much as some of his more recent work, such as in The Tenth of December, which I loved. And I know awards and prestigious publication sites are no guarantee of quality, but hey, every one of these stories was published in The New Yorker and four of the six were awarded the highest honor in short story writing, O. Henry Awards, from 1997-2001. And sure, regardless of what others think of them, since that is one point of ŷ, “people’s choice,� this person thinks they are great, but I also think the awards are an important accomplishment and sign of recognition. So there.
True, there is the potential to offend here and there in these stories. A couple people mention Vonnegut in their reviews and this seems fair; as strange and whimsical as Kurt Vonnegut, but a little cruder and darker in his sardonic critiques of American life. Maybe I'll even call it dystopian, but for every detail here, we can find insane details from real life to match them in the past five years. But Saunders is no less humane than Vonnegut, ultimately. He believes in laughter, and love, and that we were meant in this life to "fart around," as Vonnegut puts it.
We have six stories, “Pastoralia,� “Winky,� “Sea Oak,� “The Barber’s Unhappiness,� "The Falls,� and “The End of FIRPO in the World,� and I like them all. You have your male stripper working to support his ungrateful family, who spend their day watching reality TV shows such as How My Child Died Violently and The Worst That Could Happen, a show of computer-generated tragedies. Is this funny? It feels like the worst of current American culture, black comedy. Wincingly true.
A man attends a New Age seminar, where he is told to repeat the mantra "Now Is the Time for Me to Win!" and to remove his mentally ill sister from his home in order to achieve his goals.
Here’s an excerpt from another story, just to get the flavor:
“And in terms of mass firings, relax, none are forthcoming, truly, and furthermore, if they were, what you’d want to ask yourself is: Am I Thinking Positive/Saying Positive? Am I giving it all I’ve got? Am I doing even the slightest thing wrong? But not to worry. Those of you who have no need to be worried should not in the least be worried. As for those who should be worried, it’s a little late to start worrying now, you should have started months ago, when it could’ve done you some good, because at this point, what’s decided is decided, or would have been decided, if those false rumors we are denying, the rumors about the firings which would be starting this week if they were slated to begin, were true, which we have just told you, they aren’t.�
What is this? Saunders worked for many years in places like this; he has a Dilbert-like despair at corporate American capitalism. What does he want from life? More kindness, more sanity, as he says in his famous graduation address. So yeah, he’s Vonnegut for a new generation, drawing as Vonnegut does from midwest cadences and culture, though Saunders is definitely south side white bread Chicago.
I love his stuff. I'm sure it is a little too dark and crude--okay, the sad middle-aged barber still living with his mother, judging women that he thinks might not be good enough for him, when he's clearly no catch at all, he may be really off-putting--for some people, though.
Here’s one you can read, “Sea Oak�:
True, there is the potential to offend here and there in these stories. A couple people mention Vonnegut in their reviews and this seems fair; as strange and whimsical as Kurt Vonnegut, but a little cruder and darker in his sardonic critiques of American life. Maybe I'll even call it dystopian, but for every detail here, we can find insane details from real life to match them in the past five years. But Saunders is no less humane than Vonnegut, ultimately. He believes in laughter, and love, and that we were meant in this life to "fart around," as Vonnegut puts it.
We have six stories, “Pastoralia,� “Winky,� “Sea Oak,� “The Barber’s Unhappiness,� "The Falls,� and “The End of FIRPO in the World,� and I like them all. You have your male stripper working to support his ungrateful family, who spend their day watching reality TV shows such as How My Child Died Violently and The Worst That Could Happen, a show of computer-generated tragedies. Is this funny? It feels like the worst of current American culture, black comedy. Wincingly true.
A man attends a New Age seminar, where he is told to repeat the mantra "Now Is the Time for Me to Win!" and to remove his mentally ill sister from his home in order to achieve his goals.
Here’s an excerpt from another story, just to get the flavor:
“And in terms of mass firings, relax, none are forthcoming, truly, and furthermore, if they were, what you’d want to ask yourself is: Am I Thinking Positive/Saying Positive? Am I giving it all I’ve got? Am I doing even the slightest thing wrong? But not to worry. Those of you who have no need to be worried should not in the least be worried. As for those who should be worried, it’s a little late to start worrying now, you should have started months ago, when it could’ve done you some good, because at this point, what’s decided is decided, or would have been decided, if those false rumors we are denying, the rumors about the firings which would be starting this week if they were slated to begin, were true, which we have just told you, they aren’t.�
What is this? Saunders worked for many years in places like this; he has a Dilbert-like despair at corporate American capitalism. What does he want from life? More kindness, more sanity, as he says in his famous graduation address. So yeah, he’s Vonnegut for a new generation, drawing as Vonnegut does from midwest cadences and culture, though Saunders is definitely south side white bread Chicago.
I love his stuff. I'm sure it is a little too dark and crude--okay, the sad middle-aged barber still living with his mother, judging women that he thinks might not be good enough for him, when he's clearly no catch at all, he may be really off-putting--for some people, though.
Here’s one you can read, “Sea Oak�:
April 18, 2013
Based on the opinions of people with excellent taste in books, I knew I was in for something good when I grabbed Pastoralia from the shelf the other day. I didn't know what to expect beyond that but it sure wasn't the sardonic giggles this collection gave me. Does everyone find their first foray into Saunders's mind this darkly endearing? 'Cause.... lemme tell you, you all led me somewhere I can't wait to revisit.
There is something off about the worlds Saunders creates. Not off-the-charts unbelievably weird but there's this vertiginous element to them that makes being jarred from such a mercilessly absorbing reading experience by, say, the unwelcome intrusion of your job (whyyyyyyy do you people keep assuming I'm here to proofread your ineptitude when I'm so clearly lost in something that is infinitely more rewarding than your refusals to grasp the nuances of proper comma usage and pica distances WHYYYY?) a little disorienting upon reentry. I encountered a thing that doesn't happen often enough while reading this short-story collection: I forgot I was reading because I was so engrossed in the tales Saunders was weaving. Picturing the story that was taking shape right in front of me was equal parts riveting and really quite disturbing. Kind of like the clown car on fire that you'll snap photos of as you pass the gruesome scene but fuck no you're not stopping to help because it's a car full of clowns and everyone knows that clowns are evil but then the sadness of the whole thing hits you when you post the picture (along with an appropriately glib comment) on Twitter later but you're still snickering about the image for days.
And then there is something distinctly, deliciously Vonnegut-flavored here, too, but Saunders even makes that all his own. While Vonnegut's humor seemed like that of a cranky but avuncular relative whose lessons seem harsh at the time but are driven by an overriding love and a desire to emphasize the necessity of self-improvement, who softens the blow of reality with a satirical wit, Saunders seems more interested in pointing out the flaws so they can be turned into a long-running joke that derives its comedy from the dichotomy between a thing's inherent potential for dark humor and the deadpan subtlety in observing it from such an angle. It's realizing the hopelessness of a situation and having a good laugh at its expense because, otherwise, the void wins and everything is rendered too meaningless to face just one more insignificant day.
Pastoralia, ultimately, is a collection of stories that proves if you're taking life too seriously, you're doing it all wrong. Tragedy is just comedy that tests your resolve to arrive at the punchline.
There is something off about the worlds Saunders creates. Not off-the-charts unbelievably weird but there's this vertiginous element to them that makes being jarred from such a mercilessly absorbing reading experience by, say, the unwelcome intrusion of your job (whyyyyyyy do you people keep assuming I'm here to proofread your ineptitude when I'm so clearly lost in something that is infinitely more rewarding than your refusals to grasp the nuances of proper comma usage and pica distances WHYYYY?) a little disorienting upon reentry. I encountered a thing that doesn't happen often enough while reading this short-story collection: I forgot I was reading because I was so engrossed in the tales Saunders was weaving. Picturing the story that was taking shape right in front of me was equal parts riveting and really quite disturbing. Kind of like the clown car on fire that you'll snap photos of as you pass the gruesome scene but fuck no you're not stopping to help because it's a car full of clowns and everyone knows that clowns are evil but then the sadness of the whole thing hits you when you post the picture (along with an appropriately glib comment) on Twitter later but you're still snickering about the image for days.
And then there is something distinctly, deliciously Vonnegut-flavored here, too, but Saunders even makes that all his own. While Vonnegut's humor seemed like that of a cranky but avuncular relative whose lessons seem harsh at the time but are driven by an overriding love and a desire to emphasize the necessity of self-improvement, who softens the blow of reality with a satirical wit, Saunders seems more interested in pointing out the flaws so they can be turned into a long-running joke that derives its comedy from the dichotomy between a thing's inherent potential for dark humor and the deadpan subtlety in observing it from such an angle. It's realizing the hopelessness of a situation and having a good laugh at its expense because, otherwise, the void wins and everything is rendered too meaningless to face just one more insignificant day.
Pastoralia, ultimately, is a collection of stories that proves if you're taking life too seriously, you're doing it all wrong. Tragedy is just comedy that tests your resolve to arrive at the punchline.
November 17, 2019
Almost two decades before George Saunders published the everybody's-talking-about-it book, Lincoln in the Bardo, he published Pastoralia.
Pastoralia is a collection of six short stories, and they are some of the weirdest, bleakest, and most well-written ones I've ever encountered.
As I worked through (struggled through) each one of them, I kept asking myself, Are these dystopian? I tend to think of "dystopian" as futuristic, or containing more futuristic elements, of government-imposed rations, restrictions, etc, and these stories are not like that. However, when I looked up the actual definition of the adjective "dystopian," this is what I found: "relating to or denoting an imagined place or state in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmentally degraded one."
Okay. So, yes, they're dystopian. And more.
The first one, "Pastoralia," the lead story of the collection, is the longest and the weirdest. I think his editor made a mistake placing this in the first position. I found the story beyond quirky and unrelatable, and I would have been done with the entire collection after this weird tale, had I not told my sister I would read this book.
The second, third and fourth stories were so dark and depressing, I wished I'd had a cup of Kool-Aid and a cyanide capsule to go along with the book. Reading about the people in these stories is like having a nightmare in which a former reality-tv host is the president of the most powerful country in the world, and waking up to discover it's true.
In the fifth and sixth stories, I finally got to sit back a little and think, "Damn, Mr. Saunders, when you're not depressing the hell out of me, you can be funny and a little bit romantic, too. It made me hopeful to read Lincoln in the Bardo.
But, of course, the last sentence of the collection left me sucker-punched in the gut. Who is this guy?
I'm hesitant to recommend this, unless you're a reader who likes to smack your shoulders up against the edge, or if good writing supersedes all else for you.
Four stars for excellent writing, originality and memorable, though disturbing perspectives on humanity. . . that I hope, despite our current despair, are not true.
Pastoralia is a collection of six short stories, and they are some of the weirdest, bleakest, and most well-written ones I've ever encountered.
As I worked through (struggled through) each one of them, I kept asking myself, Are these dystopian? I tend to think of "dystopian" as futuristic, or containing more futuristic elements, of government-imposed rations, restrictions, etc, and these stories are not like that. However, when I looked up the actual definition of the adjective "dystopian," this is what I found: "relating to or denoting an imagined place or state in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmentally degraded one."
Okay. So, yes, they're dystopian. And more.
The first one, "Pastoralia," the lead story of the collection, is the longest and the weirdest. I think his editor made a mistake placing this in the first position. I found the story beyond quirky and unrelatable, and I would have been done with the entire collection after this weird tale, had I not told my sister I would read this book.
The second, third and fourth stories were so dark and depressing, I wished I'd had a cup of Kool-Aid and a cyanide capsule to go along with the book. Reading about the people in these stories is like having a nightmare in which a former reality-tv host is the president of the most powerful country in the world, and waking up to discover it's true.
In the fifth and sixth stories, I finally got to sit back a little and think, "Damn, Mr. Saunders, when you're not depressing the hell out of me, you can be funny and a little bit romantic, too. It made me hopeful to read Lincoln in the Bardo.
But, of course, the last sentence of the collection left me sucker-punched in the gut. Who is this guy?
I'm hesitant to recommend this, unless you're a reader who likes to smack your shoulders up against the edge, or if good writing supersedes all else for you.
Four stars for excellent writing, originality and memorable, though disturbing perspectives on humanity. . . that I hope, despite our current despair, are not true.
August 2, 2020
5 estrelas porque não há 6! O livro é maravilhoso, o autor é maravilhoso! É assertivamente desconcertante e deliciosamente mordaz. Por favor, leiam! Ninguém deverá sair daqui incólume.
(Até o prefácio, da autoria do tradutor, é um mimo)
(Até o prefácio, da autoria do tradutor, é um mimo)
December 21, 2017
Na vida raramente há cabrito no "Tabuleiro Grande" e quase sempre papas de aveia no "Tabuleiro Pequeno". E mesmo assim... "na vida real há pessoas a chegar ao pé de nós e a cagar nas nossas papas de aveia a toda a hora."
Entre as Lengalengas da Auto-Ajuda, os Comprimidos para a Tristeza, as Lamúrias, e outras panaceias, o melhor é optar por RIR... lendo, por exemplo, George Saunders...
Entre as Lengalengas da Auto-Ajuda, os Comprimidos para a Tristeza, as Lamúrias, e outras panaceias, o melhor é optar por RIR... lendo, por exemplo, George Saunders...
October 21, 2022
An uncanny, forbidding and thought-provoking collection of short stories
March 16, 2008
Any person who does not deeply love George Saunders is not allowed to be my friend. Even a little bit.
September 20, 2024
3.8 stars
short review for busy readers: The second short story collection by George Saunders, author of Booker winner . Genuinely hilarious for the most part, often dealing with men's (inaccurate) view of themselves. Excellent bold narrative voice that convinces -- but since all the stories have it, it grows a bit old towards the end, even if enjoyable. This seems to be Saunder's normal style.
in detail:
Individual breakdown of the stories:
� PASTORALIA � (4.5 stars) A fabulous story about taking your job and co-workers seriously featuring two actors who play cave people at a cut-rate amusement park, now under new management. Very funny!
� WINKY � (3 stars) Spoof on self-help gurus and how our nearest and dearest can irritate the bejeezus out of us. Starts well but the too abrupt end ruins it.
� SEA OAK � (5 stars) Best of show! A funny horror story of the meek failing to inherit the earth and coming back as a vengeful fury. It's not auntie who's the horror show, it's the family and they're going to change pronto if dead auntie has anything to do with it!
� The End of FIRPO IN THE WORLD �(4 stars) Does God really love screw ups? Hopefully, because this boy's parents sure don't. A boy falsely estimates himself and is falsely estimated by others.
� The BARBER’S UNHAPPINESS � (2.5) Way too long and again with the guy who thinks he's great and isn't. Ha. Ha. Worst of show.
� THE FALLS � (4 stars) Two very different men struggle with their view of greatness. Only one of them really is -- and he's the guy who doubts he ever could be. An odd choice in the pairing but effective.
short review for busy readers: The second short story collection by George Saunders, author of Booker winner . Genuinely hilarious for the most part, often dealing with men's (inaccurate) view of themselves. Excellent bold narrative voice that convinces -- but since all the stories have it, it grows a bit old towards the end, even if enjoyable. This seems to be Saunder's normal style.
in detail:
Individual breakdown of the stories:
� PASTORALIA � (4.5 stars) A fabulous story about taking your job and co-workers seriously featuring two actors who play cave people at a cut-rate amusement park, now under new management. Very funny!
� WINKY � (3 stars) Spoof on self-help gurus and how our nearest and dearest can irritate the bejeezus out of us. Starts well but the too abrupt end ruins it.
� SEA OAK � (5 stars) Best of show! A funny horror story of the meek failing to inherit the earth and coming back as a vengeful fury. It's not auntie who's the horror show, it's the family and they're going to change pronto if dead auntie has anything to do with it!
� The End of FIRPO IN THE WORLD �(4 stars) Does God really love screw ups? Hopefully, because this boy's parents sure don't. A boy falsely estimates himself and is falsely estimated by others.
� The BARBER’S UNHAPPINESS � (2.5) Way too long and again with the guy who thinks he's great and isn't. Ha. Ha. Worst of show.
� THE FALLS � (4 stars) Two very different men struggle with their view of greatness. Only one of them really is -- and he's the guy who doubts he ever could be. An odd choice in the pairing but effective.
July 1, 2024
Revisited. Having long become a frantic pompom-waver for the magnificence of Saunders, it was time to reread this collection a mere fourteen years after a dismal first reading. Unsurprisingly, my appreciation for these stories has deepened, no longer impatient at the delightful absurdist tendencies of ‘Sea Oak� or the charming shagginess of ‘The Barber’s Unhappiness�, and once more beaming with lust for the title piece and the heartbreaking awkwardness of ‘Winky�. My apologies to George for the fourteen years of my humiliating and unworthy two-star rating.
OLD REVIEW:
‘Pastoralia� (the opening story) shows what Saunders can do. How his prose can be funny and surreal and warm and satirical and touching. Unfortunately, having done this, the other stories in this collection seem like shticky filler. ‘Winky� was another strong piece, but I found myself snoozing through ‘Sea Oak� which does a surrealist dance in a ra-ra skirt, and getting annoyed by his rhythms in ‘The Barber’s Unhappiness.� His repetition, his rambling passages of superfluous detail, how he goes on so long you have forgotten the characters� names, but that doesn’t matter, as they are barely rendered anyway, and so on . . . cruel and wrong of me? Most likely. My take on Saunders over two years later .
OLD REVIEW:
September 1, 2016
Like other folks I know and respect on ŷ, I loved the opening, titular story but found the rest of the book to be middling. Like, disappointingly, forgettably, middling. I know the stories were kinda weird and stuff but for the life of me I can barely even remember what they were about or even distinguish them from each other. I don't think I've ever felt so uneven about a short story collection. It's so strange that it makes me curious enough to give them a reread at some point, despite the less than flattering description I've just given. I feel like I must have read them incorrectly somehow, since the opening story was so engaging and fun, which is where the four three stars come from.
I love books and films that utilize facades and museum-like tableaux and the story "Pastoralia" does this with great effect. This quality plus the cover image of my copy of this book has established itself so firmly in my mind that when I see things like fake trees indoors or big landscape/nature murals (think of the paintings placed around City Hall on the TV show Parks and Recreation) that I think of them as being "Saunders-like" in the instant-association segment of my brain. I haven't yet totally over-analyzed what my attraction to certain uses of facades and replicas is all about yet () but I guess it might just have something to do with fond childhood memories of visiting museums and being enthralled by the displays of animals and humans, made to be lifelike but frozen into place behind glass. I still experience a powerful mix of sentimentality with a healthy dose of Ineffability when I revisit the Milwaukee Public Museum, a place I've wandered around many times over the years, each time worrying that I'll drain the magic of the childhood memories on this visit, but each time managing to still feel wrapped in an almost mystical euphoria and nostalgia.
Saunders tale is surreal and dark and playful and some of its main devices called this feeling up from the inner depths.
This is still the only Saunders I've read. I assumed his work would be so up my alley that I ordered three of his short story collections last year, had my weirdly uneven experience with this one and haven't exactly felt compelled to make the others a priority yet. I still have a sense that I'll like more of his work, but this experience was just such a strange disappointment in a way I can't really explain at all. At least I have a case to solve now, so I'll be back to Saundersville to snoop around for clues and answers later.
I love books and films that utilize facades and museum-like tableaux and the story "Pastoralia" does this with great effect. This quality plus the cover image of my copy of this book has established itself so firmly in my mind that when I see things like fake trees indoors or big landscape/nature murals (think of the paintings placed around City Hall on the TV show Parks and Recreation) that I think of them as being "Saunders-like" in the instant-association segment of my brain. I haven't yet totally over-analyzed what my attraction to certain uses of facades and replicas is all about yet () but I guess it might just have something to do with fond childhood memories of visiting museums and being enthralled by the displays of animals and humans, made to be lifelike but frozen into place behind glass. I still experience a powerful mix of sentimentality with a healthy dose of Ineffability when I revisit the Milwaukee Public Museum, a place I've wandered around many times over the years, each time worrying that I'll drain the magic of the childhood memories on this visit, but each time managing to still feel wrapped in an almost mystical euphoria and nostalgia.
Saunders tale is surreal and dark and playful and some of its main devices called this feeling up from the inner depths.
This is still the only Saunders I've read. I assumed his work would be so up my alley that I ordered three of his short story collections last year, had my weirdly uneven experience with this one and haven't exactly felt compelled to make the others a priority yet. I still have a sense that I'll like more of his work, but this experience was just such a strange disappointment in a way I can't really explain at all. At least I have a case to solve now, so I'll be back to Saundersville to snoop around for clues and answers later.
February 21, 2019
En Lincoln en el Bardo, que no me pareció una obra tan redonda como estos cuentos, se puede apreciar que George Saunders tiene talento para el relato corto, las pequeñas historias de los personajes fueron para mí lo más atractivo de la novela.
Con Pastoralia he disfrutado de cada página, de cada diálogo, de cada sonrisa amarga, de cada patada en el estómago que me ha llevado a la carcajada, de cada situación surrealista, de cada uno de sus personajes fracasados, atrapados y humillados, irritantes, reales y que a pesar de todo (o quizás debido a todo esto) me han llegado a producir ternura.
La realidad, nuestra realidad, se nos presenta aquí a través de situaciones delirantes, en el marco de una ciencia ficción distópica que el autor utiliza como recurso para mostrarnos nuestra propia vida de una manera impactante. Todo un acierto: situaciones absurdas y trágicas para retratar una realidad igual de absurda y trágica. No es difícil reconocer la sociedad en la que vivimos, incluso reconocernos a veces a nosotros mismos en esos personajes conformistas, tanto en sus relaciones personales como laborales (No es que me queje. Al menos trabajo).
En cuanto a los peces gordos de los que me cuentas, ¡que los zurzan! Pero haz lo que te pidan. En tu interior, piensa lo que quieras, pero haz lo que te pidan, para caerles bien. Y de esta forma tendrás éxito.
Con Pastoralia he disfrutado de cada página, de cada diálogo, de cada sonrisa amarga, de cada patada en el estómago que me ha llevado a la carcajada, de cada situación surrealista, de cada uno de sus personajes fracasados, atrapados y humillados, irritantes, reales y que a pesar de todo (o quizás debido a todo esto) me han llegado a producir ternura.
La realidad, nuestra realidad, se nos presenta aquí a través de situaciones delirantes, en el marco de una ciencia ficción distópica que el autor utiliza como recurso para mostrarnos nuestra propia vida de una manera impactante. Todo un acierto: situaciones absurdas y trágicas para retratar una realidad igual de absurda y trágica. No es difícil reconocer la sociedad en la que vivimos, incluso reconocernos a veces a nosotros mismos en esos personajes conformistas, tanto en sus relaciones personales como laborales (No es que me queje. Al menos trabajo).
En cuanto a los peces gordos de los que me cuentas, ¡que los zurzan! Pero haz lo que te pidan. En tu interior, piensa lo que quieras, pero haz lo que te pidan, para caerles bien. Y de esta forma tendrás éxito.
December 9, 2016
''His childhood dreams had been so bright, he had hoped for so much, it couldn't be true that he was a nobody.''
These stories, wacky as they may be, don't paint a very flattering portrait of modern life. A father takes a job as a grunting caveman at a run-down theme park in order to pay his son's exorbitant medical bills. A male stripper earns a meagre wage to support his ungrateful family, who spend their day watching reality TV like How My Child Died Violently and The Worst That Could Happen, a show of computer-generated tragedies. A desperate coward attends a New Age seminar, where is told to repeat the mantra "Now Is the Time for Me to Win!" and to remove his mentally ill sister from his home in order to achieve his goals.
The American Dream hasn't really happened for these characters. They're all a bunch of sad-sacks and nobodies who fantasise about the life they might have had. Any flicker of hope exists only inside their own heads and they're either delusional or too afraid to do anything about it. Saunders has a knack of pointing out the absurdities of modern existence. He sets up these surreal scenarios which initially sound unlikely, but the more you think about them, the more you realise they are not that far removed from life today. Though I personally preferred his collection, Pastoralia is a book of twisted, grimly funny satire from a visionary writer.
These stories, wacky as they may be, don't paint a very flattering portrait of modern life. A father takes a job as a grunting caveman at a run-down theme park in order to pay his son's exorbitant medical bills. A male stripper earns a meagre wage to support his ungrateful family, who spend their day watching reality TV like How My Child Died Violently and The Worst That Could Happen, a show of computer-generated tragedies. A desperate coward attends a New Age seminar, where is told to repeat the mantra "Now Is the Time for Me to Win!" and to remove his mentally ill sister from his home in order to achieve his goals.
The American Dream hasn't really happened for these characters. They're all a bunch of sad-sacks and nobodies who fantasise about the life they might have had. Any flicker of hope exists only inside their own heads and they're either delusional or too afraid to do anything about it. Saunders has a knack of pointing out the absurdities of modern existence. He sets up these surreal scenarios which initially sound unlikely, but the more you think about them, the more you realise they are not that far removed from life today. Though I personally preferred his collection, Pastoralia is a book of twisted, grimly funny satire from a visionary writer.
September 2, 2021
Creo que lo primero que me viene a la cabeza al pensar en estos relatos de George Saunders � de la misma manera que en su obra Lincoln en el Bardo � es la palabra ‘originalidad�. Son originales sus planteamientos, sus personajes � mayormente marginales � y también la forma de narrar � aunque esto último pueda suponer a veces un reto lector.
Me han gustado especialmente Pastoralia y El final de Firpo en el mundo.
Me han gustado especialmente Pastoralia y El final de Firpo en el mundo.
March 21, 2017
”Pٴǰ� reúne seis contos de George Saunders (n. 1958): Pastoralia, Winky, Carvalho do Mar, O Fim de Firpo Neste Mundo, A Infelicidade do Barbeiro e As Cataratas; todos publicados originalmente na revista norte-americana New Yorker .
Os seis contos de George Saunders são histórias de homens e mulheres que têm comportamentos estranhos, exibindo uma excentricidade e uma singularidade incomum, por vezes, bizarra e esquisita, para os padrões de conduta “normais� e que acabam por agir e reagir mostrando os medos e os receios que os apoquentam, as vergonhas que os fragilizam e as necessidades decorrentes de um dia-a-dia quase sempre frenético e neurótico. Todos eles, cada um à sua maneira, tentam ser felizes, mas acabam por tornar-se, quase sempre invariavelmente perdedores, ficando na expectativa de poderem ser castigados pelos “crimes� e pelas imperfeições dos seus desempenhos.
A escrita de George Saunders é extremamente criativa e original; as histórias são irónicas, sombrias e melancólicas e reflectem as contradições implacáveis entre o amor, a família e o trabalho, numa América dominada pelo pessimismo e pela distopia.
Destaco dois contos : Pastoralia, um narrador do sexo masculino não identificado e uma mulher, Janet, estão preocupados porque podem perder o emprego num parque temático pré-histórico decrépito; uma dupla que não tem permissão para falar em inglês e que tem que agir como os homens e as mulheres das cavernas�;
”Uma coisa é mais do que certa, ficar a matutar nos problemas não os resolve. Embora, por outro lado, pensar de forma positiva sobre os problemas também não os resolva. Mas pelo menos somos positivos, e isso dá-nos, ou pelo menos devia dar-nos, alguma força, estão a ver? E é bom sentir força. A força é uma coisa necessária nestas alturas.� (Pág. 50);
e Carvalho do Mar, O narrador é um stripper masculino no Joysticks.
Vive na urbanização Carvalho do Mar - mas não há carvalhos nem há mar, só uma centena de apartamentos sociais.
A tia Bernie é uma paz de alma. Não gosta de confusão.
A tia Bernie morre... e ressuscita... regressa ao apartamento, amarga e profana...
”Se calhar há mortos zangados em toda a parte, escondidos dentro de casas, tapados com cobertores, a dar ordens aos seus parentes assustados e envergonhados. (�)
Se ela agiu mal ao regressar, por favor perdoe-a ela nunca teve nada de jeito na vida, e além do mais estava a tentar ajudar-nos. (�) Mas por favor não a deixe regressar outra vez.� (P. 147)"
January 10, 2019
The stories in Pastoralia were pretty great. Saunders definitely has a schtick here � sad-sack characters worn down by the unfairness of life in (mostly) comedic situations � but as there’s just six stories, it doesn’t get a chance to wear thin. The satire is goofy yet melancholic and it never feels mean. Such a short book though, reading it all in one go means it’s over too soon.
March 8, 2024
Re-reading these stories ten years after my first encounter with them has led me to remove Pastoralia from my favorites shelf. Back in 2013 I read almost exclusively prizey literary fiction, and Sea Oak in particular stood out as exciting and inventive against the background of other style-heavy, hard-to-read masterworks of contemporary literature. Now that I'm happily unshackled from romanticizing critical acclaim, the cardboard quality of Saunders's characters and dialogue amaze me. It's condescending. Seriously, man? This reads like Saunders goes through life judging humans as stupid versus educated - already a questionable way to interact with the world. Then he tops that judgement off with making "stupid" characters incapable of personal growth. This isn't Humor. I'm petitioning Senate to institute a Sad category for books so that Pastoralia can be shelved properly.
January 5, 2018
çok iyi karamizah örneği öykülerden oluşan kitapta yeralan öyküler günümüz insanının trajikomik halini inanılmaz bir dille anlatıyor. kurgu, yaratılan atmosfer mekan ve kişiler harika bir zeka ürünü. belki biraz amerikan ama modern insanın hezimetine güsel eğlenceli bir ağıt.
March 9, 2021
So funny and so so so bleak. Wow.
May 28, 2008
I finished this last night when I couldn't sleep ... I adore George Saunders in small doses, he is so very funny and has such an ear for the pathos of our sad American industrial poverty.
But there's a kind of story that he writes over and over again ... not exactly the same story but the same kind of story. A story about a hilariously awful job, a hilariously difficult life and a sad, pathetic person stuck within. I don't even object to the repetition, but when I read it all back to back the relentless pessimism and bitterness overtook the comedy and I found myself just plain depressed.
Is that so bad? Is that my fault or his? Should I give more stars to a happier book? Are they Prozac stars? I don't know, stars are stupid. Short stories are not at their best compressed into collections. Any of these stories is great on its own. (Though I preferred the shorter version of "Pastoralia" printed in the New Yorker to the extended-play version here.) So maybe you should get this book and schedule it out, maybe read one story a month over the next summer. But not all at once.
But there's a kind of story that he writes over and over again ... not exactly the same story but the same kind of story. A story about a hilariously awful job, a hilariously difficult life and a sad, pathetic person stuck within. I don't even object to the repetition, but when I read it all back to back the relentless pessimism and bitterness overtook the comedy and I found myself just plain depressed.
Is that so bad? Is that my fault or his? Should I give more stars to a happier book? Are they Prozac stars? I don't know, stars are stupid. Short stories are not at their best compressed into collections. Any of these stories is great on its own. (Though I preferred the shorter version of "Pastoralia" printed in the New Yorker to the extended-play version here.) So maybe you should get this book and schedule it out, maybe read one story a month over the next summer. But not all at once.
December 19, 2017
...
Okurken fena şekilde etkilendiğim bir kitabı öylece bırakıp yeni bir kitapla yelken açamıyorum okuma denizinde. Pastoralya da bu kitaplardan biri. Hem George Saunders öykücülüğüne giriş yaptığım kitap hem de absürt hikayeleri bu dozda okuduğum ilk kitap. Etgar Keret’i çok severim. Türkçede bu tarz hikayelerde iyi olarak gördüğüm İsahag Uygar Eskiciyan ‘ın kitaplarıyla tanıştığımdan beri Türk Edebiyatı’nda hikaye anlatımında çeşitlilik ve yeniliğin uzun zamandır beklediğim bir okuma deneyimi olduğunu anladım. Ömür İklim Demir’in hikayelerini de belki bu kategoriye koyabilirim. Gerçekler üzerine kurulu edebiyatın yeri ayrı. Ama biraz fantastik ögeler öyküleri dinamik yapmakla kalmıyor okuyucuyu da farklı dünyalarda gezintiye çıkararak, pasif olarak gerçekleştirilen okuma eylemini eğlenceli ve maceralı kılıyor. Her okur bu tarzı sevmiyor.
𱹲ı:
Okurken fena şekilde etkilendiğim bir kitabı öylece bırakıp yeni bir kitapla yelken açamıyorum okuma denizinde. Pastoralya da bu kitaplardan biri. Hem George Saunders öykücülüğüne giriş yaptığım kitap hem de absürt hikayeleri bu dozda okuduğum ilk kitap. Etgar Keret’i çok severim. Türkçede bu tarz hikayelerde iyi olarak gördüğüm İsahag Uygar Eskiciyan ‘ın kitaplarıyla tanıştığımdan beri Türk Edebiyatı’nda hikaye anlatımında çeşitlilik ve yeniliğin uzun zamandır beklediğim bir okuma deneyimi olduğunu anladım. Ömür İklim Demir’in hikayelerini de belki bu kategoriye koyabilirim. Gerçekler üzerine kurulu edebiyatın yeri ayrı. Ama biraz fantastik ögeler öyküleri dinamik yapmakla kalmıyor okuyucuyu da farklı dünyalarda gezintiye çıkararak, pasif olarak gerçekleştirilen okuma eylemini eğlenceli ve maceralı kılıyor. Her okur bu tarzı sevmiyor.
𱹲ı:
June 23, 2022
Short story collections are always a little hit or miss, but "Sea Oaks" and "The Falls" are absolute standouts in this collection, and either of them on their own are worth the price of admission. Absolutely killer stories.
"Pastoralia" is also solid. The rest are all pretty good 3 star stories.
"Pastoralia" is also solid. The rest are all pretty good 3 star stories.
October 21, 2018
Bernie Kowalski is one of life's helpers. Quiet and shy, she's been given the wrong end of every deal, but she just keeps on finding the bright side and helping those she can. So when she dies, alone and terrified in a shitty flat, you could forgive her nephew for finding that unfair.
If I had my way I'd move everybody up to Canada. It's nice there. Very polite. We went for a weekend last fall and got a flat tire and these two farmers with bright-red faces insisted on fixing it, then springing for dinner, then starting a college fund for the babies. They sent us the stock certificates a week later, along with a photo of all of us eating cobbler at a diner.
George Saunders, as usual, takes us for a walk on the weirder side. Poverty and the disdain it's met with, along with the strange pride that disdain often provokes, are portrayed unflinchingly, and this might be a surreal dystopia but it's ringing with authenticity. I also highly recommend the pilot that Amazon created before passing on making a full show - everyone deserves to see Glenn Close deliver that monologue.
This story appears in Pastoralia, but is also available to read online here:
If I had my way I'd move everybody up to Canada. It's nice there. Very polite. We went for a weekend last fall and got a flat tire and these two farmers with bright-red faces insisted on fixing it, then springing for dinner, then starting a college fund for the babies. They sent us the stock certificates a week later, along with a photo of all of us eating cobbler at a diner.
George Saunders, as usual, takes us for a walk on the weirder side. Poverty and the disdain it's met with, along with the strange pride that disdain often provokes, are portrayed unflinchingly, and this might be a surreal dystopia but it's ringing with authenticity. I also highly recommend the pilot that Amazon created before passing on making a full show - everyone deserves to see Glenn Close deliver that monologue.
This story appears in Pastoralia, but is also available to read online here:
October 1, 2016
Adeta bir Kaybedenler Kulübü'nün absürt uyarlaması bu kitap. Saunders'tan Türkçe olarak okuduğum 4. kitap ve Saunders kitapları arasında favorilerime girmiş bulunuyor.
Bu kitapta kara mizah var, taşlama var, sizi tam güldürürken tokat atan bir yapı da var.
Hayatın gidişatına, düzene ve tüketim toplumuna bir türlü ayak uyduramamış "ezikler"in hikayelerinden derlenen bir kitap bu. Günümüz toplumsal düzeninin damgaladığı insanların trajikomik maceraları. Geniş bir aralıkta yer alan bu insanların her biri düzene ayak uyduramamış kaybedenlerdenbaşkası değil.
İkna Ulusu ve Phil'in Dehşet Verici Kısa Saltanatı ile birlikte favori Saunders kitaplarım arasına girdi. Yazarın ödül aldığı Aralığın Onu ise maalesef bu 4 kitap arasında en sonuncu olmaya devam ediyor.
Dilerim daha nice George Saunders kitabı okuruz.
Bu kitapta kara mizah var, taşlama var, sizi tam güldürürken tokat atan bir yapı da var.
Hayatın gidişatına, düzene ve tüketim toplumuna bir türlü ayak uyduramamış "ezikler"in hikayelerinden derlenen bir kitap bu. Günümüz toplumsal düzeninin damgaladığı insanların trajikomik maceraları. Geniş bir aralıkta yer alan bu insanların her biri düzene ayak uyduramamış kaybedenlerdenbaşkası değil.
İkna Ulusu ve Phil'in Dehşet Verici Kısa Saltanatı ile birlikte favori Saunders kitaplarım arasına girdi. Yazarın ödül aldığı Aralığın Onu ise maalesef bu 4 kitap arasında en sonuncu olmaya devam ediyor.
Dilerim daha nice George Saunders kitabı okuruz.
January 25, 2021
Immagini da una realtà ingannevole
Molto divertente questa raccolta di racconti di George Saunders che si può accomunare a “Il declino delle guerre civili americane� sia perché vicina cronologicamente nell’ambito della quasi trentennale carriera dello scrittore texano, sia soprattutto perché anche qui Saunders attinge parte dell’ispirazione dal mondo dei “parchi tematici�, che ben si presta al mix di umorismo e assurdità che caratterizza il suo stile.
Ad esempio il racconto principale, che fornisce anche il titolo all’opera, ci catapulta (senza preamboli, come sempre nelle storie di Saunders...) in un ambiente dove il protagonista e i suoi “colleghi�, mentre affrontano problemi sindacali, di rapporti con gli invisibili datori di lavoro o semplicemente fanno una pausa pranzo, allorchési rimettono al lavoro afferrano una clava o una selce ed emettono suoni gutturali impersonando selvaggi trogloditi per il divertimento del pubblico pagante.
Un pubblico che li osserva come in uno zoo additandoli ai bambini, ma sempre più scarso, a significare la crisi e il declino dei parchi a tema, come fin dal titolo accadeva nella precedente raccolta (dove i figuranti interpretavano unionisti e confederati�) con le conseguenti minacce di tagli al personale e disoccupazione incombente. L’assurdità delle professioni dei personaggi di Saunders ricorre anche negli altri racconti di “Pٴǰ�, dallo spogliarellista all’assemblatore di triangolini metallici nell’interrato di casa propria, così come si ripropone il carattere dei protagonisti, quasi sempre maschi adulti, timidi e immaturi, privi di un sano rapporto con l’altro sesso e frustrati dal dominio da parte di una personalità superiore, sia essa la madre o il capoufficio.
Il tono in apparenza scanzonato rende molto diversa questa raccolta dai più ambiziosi racconti che (12 anni dopo) compongono “Dieci dicembre� dove il “sense of humour� lascia il posto a un’angoscia esistenziale che pervade i personaggi e le situazioni descritte. Ma anche qui, in “Pٴǰ�, sotto la patina di comicità e divertimento si percepisce un disagio che affiora nei soliloqui dei personaggi, intenti a rimuginare una realtà ingannevole ben diversa dalle fantasie, erotiche o eroiche, su cui è fragilmente costruita la loro personalità.
Molto divertente questa raccolta di racconti di George Saunders che si può accomunare a “Il declino delle guerre civili americane� sia perché vicina cronologicamente nell’ambito della quasi trentennale carriera dello scrittore texano, sia soprattutto perché anche qui Saunders attinge parte dell’ispirazione dal mondo dei “parchi tematici�, che ben si presta al mix di umorismo e assurdità che caratterizza il suo stile.
Ad esempio il racconto principale, che fornisce anche il titolo all’opera, ci catapulta (senza preamboli, come sempre nelle storie di Saunders...) in un ambiente dove il protagonista e i suoi “colleghi�, mentre affrontano problemi sindacali, di rapporti con gli invisibili datori di lavoro o semplicemente fanno una pausa pranzo, allorchési rimettono al lavoro afferrano una clava o una selce ed emettono suoni gutturali impersonando selvaggi trogloditi per il divertimento del pubblico pagante.
Un pubblico che li osserva come in uno zoo additandoli ai bambini, ma sempre più scarso, a significare la crisi e il declino dei parchi a tema, come fin dal titolo accadeva nella precedente raccolta (dove i figuranti interpretavano unionisti e confederati�) con le conseguenti minacce di tagli al personale e disoccupazione incombente. L’assurdità delle professioni dei personaggi di Saunders ricorre anche negli altri racconti di “Pٴǰ�, dallo spogliarellista all’assemblatore di triangolini metallici nell’interrato di casa propria, così come si ripropone il carattere dei protagonisti, quasi sempre maschi adulti, timidi e immaturi, privi di un sano rapporto con l’altro sesso e frustrati dal dominio da parte di una personalità superiore, sia essa la madre o il capoufficio.
Il tono in apparenza scanzonato rende molto diversa questa raccolta dai più ambiziosi racconti che (12 anni dopo) compongono “Dieci dicembre� dove il “sense of humour� lascia il posto a un’angoscia esistenziale che pervade i personaggi e le situazioni descritte. Ma anche qui, in “Pٴǰ�, sotto la patina di comicità e divertimento si percepisce un disagio che affiora nei soliloqui dei personaggi, intenti a rimuginare una realtà ingannevole ben diversa dalle fantasie, erotiche o eroiche, su cui è fragilmente costruita la loro personalità.
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