Reading & Book Signing

Presented by Chicago Humanities Festival

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One of the masters of short fiction, MacArthur Fellow George Saunders comes to CHF to discuss his long-awaited first novel, Lincoln in the Bardo. Narrated by a dazzling chorus of voices, this book reimagines the death of Abraham Lincoln’s eleven-year-old son, Willie, at the dawn of the Civil War. Inspiring in its ambition and formal innovation, it may be Saunders’ most original and moving book yet. DePaul University Humanities Director Peter Steeves joins Saunders in conversation.

Charter Humanists receive Red Badge access. No RSVP is necessary.

Ticket purchase includes a copy of Lincoln at the Bardo. An option for 1 book + 2 tickets is available through the box office at (312) 494-9509.

A book signing will follow this program.

George Saunders is the author of eight books, including the story collections Pastoralia and Tenth of December, which was a finalist for the National Book Award. In 2006 he was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, and in 2013 he was awarded the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in Short Fiction and was included in Time’s list of the one hundred most influential people in the world.

Peter Steeves is Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Humanities Center at DePaul University. He was educated at Manchester University and Indiana University. He has also taught at Universidad del Zulia, Venezuela.

Author photo by David Crosby