| George Saunders PHOTO BY MARION ETTLINGER/CORBIS |
Our Writer on Meeting his Hero of Fiction, George Saunders
When Greg Hudson makes a pilgrimage to his hero of fiction, all the turns in his own story start to make sense
Greg Hudson
George Saunders, author and MacArthur “Genius Grant” fellow, smiles politely when I show him a picture of my dog. He only looks mildly uncomfortable when I tell him that my dog’s name is Saunders. Named, of course, after him. I can imagine the discrete calculations he’s making in his head: total time he’s committed to this meeting, multiplied by his inherent generosity, divided (suddenly) by my uncomfortable hero worship. “Oh,” he says, “well, thank you.” It’s as if he’s never talked to someone who’s named their dog after him before.