This is the New Yorker Fiction Podcast from the New Yorker magazine.

I'm Deborah Treesman, Fiction Editor at The New Yorker.

Each month, we invite a writer to choose a story from the magazine's archives to read and discuss.

This month, we're going to hear a story from 2004 called Addams by George Saunders.

All day that look was in my mind, that look of hate.

And I thought, if that was me, if I had that hate level, what would I do?

Addams was chosen by Joshua Ferris, author of the novel, then we came to the end.

Two of his stories have appeared in the New Yorker, and one of them, the dinner party,

was nominated for a National Magazine Award last year.

Hi, Josh.

Hi.

So George Saunders has published about 18 stories, well, not about.

Exactly 18 stories in the magazine since 1992.

When we first talked about it, you mentioned wanting to do a story of his called Com Com from 2005, which was great,

but too long for this purpose.

What was it about Addams that made you choose it next?

I think that it's a deceptively complex story, and that there's a lot of things that are going on in a short amount of time.

How did you first start reading, George?

Did you find him in the magazine or somewhere else?

No, I found him at a Barnes & Noble after I don't know what exactly prompted it,

but some incredibly glowing review that made it clear that this guy was really writing wonderful fiction.

And I picked up Civil War Land and Bad Decline, and knew right away that he was an original voice because I didn't want to read him.

...