CivilWarLand in Bad Decline

<p>Since its publication in 1996, George Saunders’s debut collection has grown in esteem from a cherished cult classic to a masterpiece of the form, inspiring an entire generation of writers along the way. In six stories and a novella, Saunders hatches an unforgettable cast of characters, each struggling to survive in an increasingly haywire world. With a new introduction by Joshua Ferris and a new author’s note by Saunders himself, this edition is essential reading for those seeking to discover or revisit a virtuosic, disturbingly prescient voice.<br>  <br> <b>Praise for George Saunders and <i>CivilWarLand in Bad Decline</i></b><br> <i> </i><br> “It’s no exaggeration to say that short story master George Saunders helped change the trajectory of American fiction.”<b>—<i>The Wall Street Journal</i></b><br> <i> </i><br> “Saunders’s satiric vision of America is dark and demented; it’s also ferocious and very funny.”<b>—Michiko Kakutani, <i>The New York Times</i></b><br>  <br> “George Saunders is a writer of arresting brilliance and originality, with a sure sense of his material and apparently inexhaustible resources of voice. [<i>CivilWarLand in Bad Decline</i>] is scary, hilarious, and unforgettable.”<b>—Tobias Wolff</b><br> <i> </i><br> “Saunders makes the all-but-impossible look effortless.”<b>—Jonathan Franzen</b><br>  <br> “Not since Twain has America produced a satirist this funny.”<b>—Zadie Smith</b><br>  <br> “An astoundingly tuned voice—graceful, dark, authentic, and funny—telling just the kinds of stories we need to get us through these times.”<b>—Thomas Pynchon</b></p>