A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Cla

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A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and LifeAuthor: Saunders, GeorgePublication Date: 04\/12\/2022Format: Paperback\nFor the last twenty years, George Saunders has been teaching a class on the Russian short story to his MFA students at Syracuse University. InA Swim in a Pond in the Rain, he shares a version of that class with us, offering some of what he and his students have discovered together over the years. Paired with iconic short stories by Chekhov, Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Gogol, the seven essays in this book are intended for anyone interested in how fiction works and why its more relevant than ever in these turbulent times.He approaches the stories technically yet accessibly, and through them explains how narrative functions; why we stay immersed in a story and why we resist it; and the bedrock virtues a writer must foster. The process of writing, Saunders reminds us, is a technical craft, but also a way of training oneself to see the world with new openness and curiosity.A Swim in a Pond in the Rainis a deep exploration not just of how great writing works but of how the mind itself works while reading, and of how the reading and writing of stories make genuine connection possible.