A SWIM IN A POND IN THE RAIN

IN WHICH FOUR RUSSIANS GIVE A MASTER CLASS ON WRITING, READING, AND LIFE

by George Saunders ; read by George Saunders , Phylicia Rashad , Nick Offerman , Glenn Close , Keith David , Rainn Wilson , B.D. Wong & Renée Elise Goldsberry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 12, 2021

It is not often that the listener is asked to multitask, but here we are invited to be audience, critic, and student all at once. With a voice that expresses academic passion and easy humor, Syracuse University creative writing professor George Saunders takes us on a deep dive into the literary craft, psychology, and historic background of seven superb nineteenth-century Russian short story classics by four authors: Chekhov, Tolstoy, Turgenev, and Gogol. There is so much to glean from Saunders's musings, but the real stars, of course, are the stories themselves, read by a host of absolute first-rate name talents. Extra kudos go to narrator Nick Offerman for accentuating the natural humor in Turgenev's "The Singers" and to Keith David for his finely honed ear for detail and pace in reading Tolstoy's towering "Master and Man."

Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021

Duration: 14 hrs, 45 mins

DD ISBN: 9780593394021

Publisher: Random House Audio

Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION | HISTORICAL & MILITARY