A Swim in a Pond in the Rain

Essential for anyone who cares about what makes good writing.

George Saunders teaches Russian short stories in what has become my favorite book on the craft of fiction writing. He encourages writers to focus on the line-by-line energy of their work, using revision as a process to make the story more authentically itself. His analysis of Tolstoy’s “Master and Man” demonstrates how a skilled writer can guide a repugnant character through a truly transformative journey.

Shows the hidden writing techniques of well-known Russian authors and their placement of subtle clues—how they speak to the reader as a conversational equal.

In this way the reader feels welcomed, or initiated, into the creative process of different great writers such as Turgenev, Chekhov, and Tolstoy. This approach enhances the reader’s appreciation and understanding of six Russian classics that the book includes. As a writer myself, though not of fiction, this book had great educational value.

Whether you’re a writer or just curious to understand what makes a short story great, this is the book for you.

Saunders deftly illuminates what makes powerful writing by deconstructing short stories by four masters of Russian literature: Tolstoy, Turgenev, Gogol, and Chekhov. Each story is read in its entirety by a different, excellent narrator, and then Saunders guides you in exploring why the author chose his choices in tone, setting, dialogue, tempo, and, of course, metaphor and plot.

His careful analysis is astute, and his style is conversational. With his guidance, you gradually understand the genius of each writer… show more.