The eminent and hilarious short story writer George Saunders has a new novel coming out. Lincoln in the Bardo won’t be published until February, but Saunders announced on Facebook that the novel is now available for pre-order on Amazon. Khaled Hosseini, author of the mega smash The Kite Runner has said of Saunders that he “makes you feel as though you are reading fiction for the first time.” Saunders’ voice, which no less a literary eminence than Thomas Pynchon called “graceful, dark, authentic,” is also the “funniest America has produced since Mark Twain,” according to Zadie Smith.
Lincoln in the Bardo is Saunders’ first novel — coming after numerous novellas, books of stories, and essays. The tale takes place over the course of a single night in a graveyard in 1862, and is delivered by a “dazzling chorus of voices.” It’s already ranked #15 in the historical biography category at Amazon. The debut novelist and MacArthur “genius grant” recipient Saunders will be 58 years old in December.
