David Foster Wallace said that George Saunders was the most exciting writer in America. That kind of thing has been said a lot about George since then. For people who pay close attention to the state of American fiction, he has become a kind of superhero. The author of nine books, George has now produced his first novel Lincoln in the Bardo, an unforgettable story that uses as its touchstone the death of Abraham Lincoln's beloved 11-year-old son, Willie. In this podcast from the 2017 Festival, Michael Williams speaks to 'the writer for our time'.

<p>David Foster Wallace said that George Saunders was the most exciting writer in America. That kind of thing has been said a lot about George since then. For people who pay close attention to the state of American fiction, he has become a kind of superhero. The author of nine books, George has now produced his first novel <em>Lincoln in the Bardo</em>, an unforgettable story that uses as its touchstone the death of Abraham Lincoln's beloved 11-year-old son, Willie. In this podcast from the 2017&nbsp;Festival, Michael Williams speaks to 'the writer for our time'.</p>

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