George Saunders, the Booker Prize-winning author of Lincoln in the Bardo, returns with a new metaphysical novel, Vigil. The story follows an oil tycoon who spent his life covering up climate change evidence, visited on his deathbed by spirits who force him to confront his legacy. Saunders explains his fascination with ghosts: 'If I allowed a ghost in from the 1940s, I might be more interested in it. It might be because they are in fact here.' He adds that ghost stories can feel more 'truthful' by broadening the perspective beyond the present moment.
Saunders, now 67, says death has become a 'preoccupation' as he ages. He recalls a terrifying flight 25 years ago when his plane hit geese shortly after takeoff from Chicago. The cabin filled with black smoke, passengers screamed, and Saunders believed he would die. Despite being a devout Tibetan Buddhist at the time, he experienced pure terror. 'It was like all the elements of my identity got rolled back,' he says. The plane landed safely, and for a week afterward he felt euphoric—a feeling he now chases in his writing.
Saunders sees writing as a 'sacramental act' that can make people better by fostering empathy. His work often uses humour to temper moral seriousness, as in the story of the flight, where he reassured a panicked teenage boy with bravado. He believes literature requires both writer and reader to transcend their coarser instincts, much like meditation generates compassion.
