With my congratulations

The realism of harsh everyday life shakes hands with dystopian science fiction, but always, in the darkness, a small light shines—a candle. Saunders places his crumpled optimism in the cracks, in the overgrown chasms, in the intervals where the blade of hope can shine. The stories in The Tenth of December are black-and-white photographs, printed on aluminium; they are monophonic recordings that seek not so much to warn as to suggest that love remains paramount, that tenderness is neither outdated nor anachronistic. Amidst the darkness there are glimmers of light; a small candle offers warmth; a single phrase and a smile can turn things around.

Three months after George Saunders delivered this speech at the Syracuse University graduation ceremony and it was published on the New York Times website, the text was shared and reposted across the internet over a million times. This is because Saunders’ words tap into the desire we all have within us for kindness and fulfilment in our lives. A powerful, funny and wise text, which inspires through its simplicity.

How do we live and how do we love, when we know that everything we care about will one day cease to exist? February 1862. The American Civil War is raging, whilst President Lincoln’s beloved eleven-year-old son is seriously ill and, despite predictions of recovery, eventually dies. On 22 February 1862, two days after his death, Willie Lincoln was buried in a marble crypt in Georgetown Cemetery. That evening, Abraham Lincoln arrives alone at the cemetery, wishing to spend time with his son’s lifeless body. Throughout the night, the ghosts of those who have recently passed away and those who have been dead for some time coexist; a monumental battle takes place for the soul of little Willie. Using this historical event as a catalyst, George Saunders tells an unforgettable, kaleidoscopic story of family love, loss, and the forces of good and evil.

Nine stories. Stories of people. Daughters, mothers, grandchildren, teenagers, the elderly; characters who are at times dystopian and distant, and at others all too familiar, draw us into their lives—both small and grand—which are sometimes crushed by despair, oppression and brutal realism, and at other times overflowing with joy, generosity and hope. Having garnered rave reviews, a Booker Prize and a place on the New York Times bestseller lists, the master of the short story, George Saunders, presents us with a subversive collection of undeniable mastery that explores themes of power, morality and justice, and examines the essence of human (co)existence with poignant depth. A penetrating glimpse into the abyss of the American psyche. A courageous study of the multifaceted nature of human experience. [Read what Giorgos-Ikaros Babasakis wrote on our blog about the translation of the book.](https://ikarosbooks.gr/blog/giorgos-ikaros-bampasakis-metafrazontas-ti-mera-apeleftherosis-tou-george-saunders)