A Swim in a Pond in the Rain:
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- Create Date：2022-06-14 09:51:37
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：George Saunders
- ISBN：1526624249
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Summary
For the last twenty years， George Saunders has been teaching a class on the Russian short story to his MFA students at Syracuse University。 In A 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 it's more relevant than ever in these turbulent times。
In his introduction， Saunders writes， "We're going to enter seven fastidiously constructed scale models of the world， made for a specific purpose that our time maybe doesn't fully endorse but that these writers accepted implicitly as the aim of art—namely， to ask the big questions， questions like， How are we supposed to be living down here？ What were we put here to accomplish？ What should we value？ What is truth， anyway， and how might we recognize it？" 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 Rain is 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。
In his introduction， Saunders writes， "We're going to enter seven fastidiously constructed scale models of the world， made for a specific purpose that our time maybe doesn't fully endorse but that these writers accepted implicitly as the aim of art—namely， to ask the big questions， questions like， How are we supposed to be living down here？ What were we put here to accomplish？ What should we value？ What is truth， anyway， and how might we recognize it？" 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 Rain is 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。
Reviews
Gabrielle Jarrett
，
George Saunders's course in writing and reading short stories is very good。 I wish I had taken it in person。 His excellence， wit， and self-abasing honesty however， do come across。 I did tire a bit of the Russians， surprisingly， because I do like Russian literature。 "Fiction helps us change our minds and remember that everything remains to be seen。" His insights into intuition and how we need to trust are most valuable。 "To infiltrate the physical world with metaphysical mystery" he urges。 Like a George Saunders's course in writing and reading short stories is very good。 I wish I had taken it in person。 His excellence， wit， and self-abasing honesty however， do come across。 I did tire a bit of the Russians， surprisingly， because I do like Russian literature。 "Fiction helps us change our minds and remember that everything remains to be seen。" His insights into intuition and how we need to trust are most valuable。 "To infiltrate the physical world with metaphysical mystery" he urges。 Like any college course， Saunders's course requires time and perseverance。 His book requires the same。 。。。more
Anne
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I loved this so much :（"That's a pretty hopeful model of human interaction: two people， mutually respectful， leaning in， one speaking so as to compel， the other listening， willing to be charmed。That， a person can work with。" I loved this so much :（"That's a pretty hopeful model of human interaction: two people， mutually respectful， leaning in， one speaking so as to compel， the other listening， willing to be charmed。That， a person can work with。" 。。。more
Jill Lucht
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This was a long， slow slog for me。 I didn’t care for the stories and all their anti-peasant rhetoric and/or dismissiveness and/or ignorance （I。e。 peasants were ignored or the authors considered them ignorant）。 Feels a little too close to intellectual elite attitudes toward rural people in our time and place。 I did appreciate Saunders’s commentary and learned a lot about the craft of short-story writing。 But I certainly didn’t feel the adoration of these particular stories that he did。 And I wond This was a long， slow slog for me。 I didn’t care for the stories and all their anti-peasant rhetoric and/or dismissiveness and/or ignorance （I。e。 peasants were ignored or the authors considered them ignorant）。 Feels a little too close to intellectual elite attitudes toward rural people in our time and place。 I did appreciate Saunders’s commentary and learned a lot about the craft of short-story writing。 But I certainly didn’t feel the adoration of these particular stories that he did。 And I wonder if there are better stories to pick？ 。。。more
Brenda DeMartini- Squires
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I love Saunders' quirky ways of looking at what we are doing when we make fiction。 I gradually realized as I was reading the stories and his commentaries on them， that many of his own stories are heavily influenced by these masters， and in some cases are in a direct conversation with them。 The one that struck me most was the ways in which a story like "Sea Oak" is his answer to "Alyosha the Pot。" I also like the exercises he closes with and intend to try them out on my creative writing class in I love Saunders' quirky ways of looking at what we are doing when we make fiction。 I gradually realized as I was reading the stories and his commentaries on them， that many of his own stories are heavily influenced by these masters， and in some cases are in a direct conversation with them。 The one that struck me most was the ways in which a story like "Sea Oak" is his answer to "Alyosha the Pot。" I also like the exercises he closes with and intend to try them out on my creative writing class in the fall。 。。。more
Ben Goldfarb
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Indispensable for anyone who teaches writing， or attempts to write themselves。
Casey Coughlin
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Wow。 Not only does Saunders expertly unpack these short stories for us， he also delightfully muses on the power of fiction and on why we read and write。 I underlined so much of this book。 Such a fun read。 Took a break on this for about a year and when I picked it back up I was immediately enchanted again。 Definitely has turned me on to go read Saunder’s fiction work！！
Linda
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Learned so much about old Russian stories， writers and fiction in general。 I loved how Saunders pulled the story a part and analyzed it。 I was never a fan of short stories but now I might have a better understanding。 Now I’m off to read more Tolstoy。
Cat R
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this book made me cry。"there are many versions of you， in you。 to which one am I speaking， when i write？ the best one。 the one most like my best one 。。。 that's a pretty hopeful model of human interaction: two people， mutually respectful， leaning in， one speaking so as to compel， the other listening， willing to be charmed。that， a person can work with。"i've never seen someone talk about writing in a way that's made me feel so seen， in a way that makes me love the work and the craft - and really th this book made me cry。"there are many versions of you， in you。 to which one am I speaking， when i write？ the best one。 the one most like my best one 。。。 that's a pretty hopeful model of human interaction: two people， mutually respectful， leaning in， one speaking so as to compel， the other listening， willing to be charmed。that， a person can work with。"i've never seen someone talk about writing in a way that's made me feel so seen， in a way that makes me love the work and the craft - and really the world， and people - with such。。。 sincerity。 sincerity i already had， but now uncovered and amplified。 i think i'll be carrying a lot of this book with me going forward。 thank you， saunders。 you've made me think better of everything。 。。。more
Nick Barth
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yes pleasant， selection of stories was excellent。
Gord
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Oh man。 Mr Saunders！ Total Dead Poet's Society experience。 Except it's about actual writing， and without all the maudlin crap。 I read this one twice。 It wasn't quite as fluid as my other multiple reads， because， as my wife said， it's， you know， a class。 But what a good class！ Man， he dives right into those seemingly simple Russian stories and they just flower out with meaning。 He really appreciates the writing， and celebrates it。 And with each analysis， he provides super useful and valuable advi Oh man。 Mr Saunders！ Total Dead Poet's Society experience。 Except it's about actual writing， and without all the maudlin crap。 I read this one twice。 It wasn't quite as fluid as my other multiple reads， because， as my wife said， it's， you know， a class。 But what a good class！ Man， he dives right into those seemingly simple Russian stories and they just flower out with meaning。 He really appreciates the writing， and celebrates it。 And with each analysis， he provides super useful and valuable advice to use when writing yourself。 Or。。。 you know， when you're writing。 You write with his advice in mind， is what I'm saying。 One does。 Or at least I do。 （okay this joke is getting a little old） Anyway， if you're an aspiring writer， or aspiring reader， get in there and give it a read or two！Yours，Gord 。。。more
Hazel
，
I wish there was a service called “George Saunders looks at a short story you’ve written and dissects it as he does these Russian masterpieces”。
Udisha Jain （bookstacks_literature）
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Tell me， if you take an online writing masterclass subscription it will burn a whole in your pocket， it will basically be very very expensive。 I have the perfect solution for you my dear friend that is A Swim in a Pond in the Rain is a thorough explanation 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。 The book breaks down the short stories for you， about literally every single line。 Asks Tell me， if you take an online writing masterclass subscription it will burn a whole in your pocket， it will basically be very very expensive。 I have the perfect solution for you my dear friend that is A Swim in a Pond in the Rain is a thorough explanation 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。 The book breaks down the short stories for you， about literally every single line。 Asks you questions that makes you think critically and analytically about the story。 It makes you think about the how and why of the plot。 The book doesn't need pacing， the author can legitimately read your mind。 If you are a writer this book is specifically for you as it makes you analyse and THINK what you are inserting in a story and what is the logic behind it。 If you are a reader this book is also for you because it makes you the detective it makes you the writer in a way。 A perfect #udishasaysread 。。。more
Moin Uddin
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It is tricky to pick up and finish a book about literary criticism。 That too on classic Russian literature。 One hardly finds literary criticism with such interesting prose。 George Saunders gives reasons for our emotional roller coaster ride while reading the short stories。 Written in a conversational style， the author picks 7 short stories from 19th-century Russian playwrights。 The book juxtaposes the different styles adopted by maestros， often giving a sneak peek into the lives of these writers It is tricky to pick up and finish a book about literary criticism。 That too on classic Russian literature。 One hardly finds literary criticism with such interesting prose。 George Saunders gives reasons for our emotional roller coaster ride while reading the short stories。 Written in a conversational style， the author picks 7 short stories from 19th-century Russian playwrights。 The book juxtaposes the different styles adopted by maestros， often giving a sneak peek into the lives of these writers。 Often， one finds a stark contrast between the lives of the writers and the type of prose that they wrote。 Tolstoy’s writing about emotions and love and his being apathetic toward his wife。 An ardent advocate of celibacy， yet kept impregnating his wife。 The literary rise of Gogol with his human infallibility。 The book all along provides tips on efficient writing。 In the author’s own words， “The writer and the reader stand at either end of a pond。 The writer drops a pebble in and the ripples reach the reader。 The writer stands there， imagining the way the reader is receiving those ripples， by way of deciding which pebble to drop in next。 Meanwhile， the reader receives those ripples， and somehow， they speak to her。 In other words， they’re in connection。” A recommended read for folks interested in classical Russian prose and general writing buffs。 。。。more
Stephen Barker
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A bit too ponderous to read purely for enjoyment。
Emma
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A must-read for anyone who enjoys Russian literature， short stories， fiction， reading， or living （hopefully everyone）。 George Saunder's analyses are lucid and enlightening， and his afterthoughts are wonderful。 I could not recommend this lovely gem enough。 A must-read for anyone who enjoys Russian literature， short stories， fiction， reading， or living （hopefully everyone）。 George Saunder's analyses are lucid and enlightening， and his afterthoughts are wonderful。 I could not recommend this lovely gem enough。 。。。more
Pat
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Saunders makes you see what is there but missed。 These great Russian writers are saying quite a bit more than is obvious by making structural decisions about how their stories unfold。 Saunder's passion and admiration for the craft is contagious in the end。 I keep thinking about Chekhov and Tolstoy going for a swim and how this interaction provided that spark that ignited the namesake story within。 Saunders makes you see what is there but missed。 These great Russian writers are saying quite a bit more than is obvious by making structural decisions about how their stories unfold。 Saunder's passion and admiration for the craft is contagious in the end。 I keep thinking about Chekhov and Tolstoy going for a swim and how this interaction provided that spark that ignited the namesake story within。 。。。more
Tom
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Gives one insight into the experience of being in an MFA classroom with one of the more pragmatic instructors in American letters。 This is absolutely not a book of criticism， more akin to a book of celebration with a bit of compassionate guidance for neophyte writers。 Saunders' reverence for the Russian masters he covers in the book is clear and persuasive， and his advice towards how one may go about beginning to write stories similar to these is， in my estimation， hit-or-miss， which he recogniz Gives one insight into the experience of being in an MFA classroom with one of the more pragmatic instructors in American letters。 This is absolutely not a book of criticism， more akin to a book of celebration with a bit of compassionate guidance for neophyte writers。 Saunders' reverence for the Russian masters he covers in the book is clear and persuasive， and his advice towards how one may go about beginning to write stories similar to these is， in my estimation， hit-or-miss， which he recognizes and encourages （i。e， he says take the parts of my advice that resonate with you and use them， and discard the ones that， once you've entertained them， no longer resonate。） 。。。more
Ericka Clou
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I would read a million books of George Saunders explaining literature or anything to me。
Melissa
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I enjoyed the reading process， discovering these authors and learning new ways to approach reading and analyzing short stories。 However， I think the assumption that we can read these translated stories as if they were originally written in English is incredibly flawed。
Joan
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What makes a story good？ Why do you read fiction？ What is it about an author’s voice that makes reading so addictive？I’ve always been fascinated about what makes me love reading。 And I’ve always wondered what the “it” factor is that unites all my favorite books across genres。 In A Swim in a Pond in the Rain， author George Saunders uses seven classic short stories from Russian masters （Chekhov， Tolstoy， Turgenev， and Gogol） to delve into that million-dollar question: What Makes a Story Good？ At f What makes a story good？ Why do you read fiction？ What is it about an author’s voice that makes reading so addictive？I’ve always been fascinated about what makes me love reading。 And I’ve always wondered what the “it” factor is that unites all my favorite books across genres。 In A Swim in a Pond in the Rain， author George Saunders uses seven classic short stories from Russian masters （Chekhov， Tolstoy， Turgenev， and Gogol） to delve into that million-dollar question: What Makes a Story Good？ At first glance， this may sound like an English lit class （ok， it literally is an excerpt from Saunders’ master class on creative writing; but bear with me – It Is Good！）。 Saunders presents each story， and then his analysis on what works， and what doesn’t （hey， not even Tolstoy is perfect）。 As someone who struggles with “classic” literature I was worried I’d be bored by the short stories。 But they are finely selected and stand on their own。 The real delight， however， is Saunders， because he is （a） hilarious （b） loves the craft and （c） pretty damn insightful。 His notes will be legitimately helpful to the aspiring writer。 But this is also a book dedicated to the devoted reader。 Saunders really gets to the heart of what makes a story tick， what keeps us moving from one sentence to the next， why fiction lifts us and why voices speak to us。 If you think about it， a book is just one shared hallucination between writer and reader。 An author makes up a story and then shares that story across time and space to you， Dear Reader。 Saunders， through his own unique， thoughtful， and funny voice， will tell you what makes those hallucinations so awesome。 。。。more
James Folan
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Am not as taken with this as I expected， mainly because I am not its target audience， ie a writer。 The glowing tributes on the back cover do not explicitly relate to the contents， so I wonder if they relate to GS’s other books， which is misleading。
Matthew Oglesby
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As stellar as I hoped it would be。
Meredith Metzler
，
Made me nostalgic for those wonderful， rich literature seminars in college。 Only wish I had either had more time to listen to it continuously or read it so I could return to different passages。
Elizabeth Green
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3。5I would highly recommend getting the physical book and not the audio book as you will get more out of the reading experience。 I plan to re-read this book later in physical form。 The book is essential creative writing class in book form。 I love how the author went from story， questions， to discussion。 Its a good read for any bookworm regardless of weather you have any writing aspirations。
Ajax Minor
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Mandatory reading for any young writer （or OLD new writer）。 Brilliant and detailed analysis of great Russian stories。 And a few real Gems of advice。
Merel
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Echt héél leuk， grappig en leerzaam
Evelyn Wong 18
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Like taking a masterclass with the superstar professor in the Literature department， but not having to do any of the homework if you don't want to！ Through his careful attention and humanity， Saunders breathes life into the short story， a genre that I've never been a great fan of。 Along the way he has a habit of asking， and giving his own take on the big questions， as all good professors do。 If I take one thing away， it is Always Be Escalating。 Like taking a masterclass with the superstar professor in the Literature department， but not having to do any of the homework if you don't want to！ Through his careful attention and humanity， Saunders breathes life into the short story， a genre that I've never been a great fan of。 Along the way he has a habit of asking， and giving his own take on the big questions， as all good professors do。 If I take one thing away， it is Always Be Escalating。 。。。more
Mike Warner
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Saunders is a master and we are invited into his analysis of the craft of writing in both casual observing and academic precision。The dynamics of our desire are triangular， loving what those we respect or love， love。 And so in this manner， I love these stories Saunders shares with us。Chekhov "Art does not need to solve the problem， but to frame the problem correctly。"Saunders offers delightful analogies at every turn bringing the reader into writing in an intimate and illuminating way。These Russ Saunders is a master and we are invited into his analysis of the craft of writing in both casual observing and academic precision。The dynamics of our desire are triangular， loving what those we respect or love， love。 And so in this manner， I love these stories Saunders shares with us。Chekhov "Art does not need to solve the problem， but to frame the problem correctly。"Saunders offers delightful analogies at every turn bringing the reader into writing in an intimate and illuminating way。These Russian authors are intense and intensely comedic， complex， in need of a guide， and worthy of a masterclass。What can seem like the strong assertions of a sage toward his pupils， gradually over time， appears as an invitation into one's own experience and motivation of writing based off the only thing one author has to offer another， their experience。 。。。more
Elise Rose
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Loved this book — George Saunders is so personable and fun to read。
Bob
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