A event on Wednesday 18th February. The event starts at 18:30.
THIS EVENT HAS NOW SOLD OUT. For early ticket access to Storysmith events, subscribe to our newsletter: https://storysmithbooks.com/mailing-list/
George Saunders: Vigil
Date & Time: Wednesday 18th February 2026, 6:30 pm
Venue: 1532 Performing Arts Centre, Elton Rd, Bristol BS8 1SJ (click for a map)
Can’t quite believe we’re allowed to type this, but George Saunders is coming to Bristol. We’ll be welcoming him to the 1532 Performing Arts Centre to discuss his new novel, Vigil, with fellow paragon of humane creativity Max Porter.
Not only is George Saunders the author of the Booker Prize-winning novel Lincoln In The Bardo, he’s also one of the most significant writers of short stories in history: dozens of them appear in the pages of The New Yorker, and of course in five towering collections. Alongside his work at Syracuse University convening one of the most sought-after creative writing courses in the world, he has famously become a beloved and trusted teacher to hundreds of thousands of devotees across the world who soak up his expertise via Substack.
Vigil promises to push his work into ever-deepening examinations of human nature, and we cannot wait to hear more about the oil tycoon K.J. Boone. It’s our huge honour to be hosting one of just three UK events with George this year, and to be able to pair two of our favourite authors of all time in one conversation.
Pre-order your copy of Vigil (rrp £18.99) for a special discounted price with your ticket, then collect on the night!
About Vigil
The latest book from the Booker Prize–winning author of Lincoln in the Bardo – a playful, wise, electric novel taking place at the bedside of an oil company CEO, in the twilight hours of his life, as he is ferried from this world into the next
‘He will be read long after these times have passed.’ – Zadie Smith
What a lovely home I found myself plummeting toward…
Not for the first time – in fact, for the 343rd time – Jill ‘Doll’ Blaine finds herself crashing down to earth, head-first, rear-up, to accompany her latest charge into the afterlife. She soon realises however that this man is not quite like the others. For powerful oil tycoon K.J. Boone will not be consoled, because he has nothing to regret. He lived a big, bold life, and the world is better for it… isn’t it? As death approaches, a cast of worldly and otherworldly visitors arrive. Crowds of people and animals – alive and dead – materialise, birds swarm the dying man’s room, and associates from decades past show up, all clamouring for a reckoning.
In this electric novel brimming with explosive imagination, George Saunders confronts the biggest issues of our time with his trademark humour and warmth, spinning a tale that encompasses life and death, good and evil, and the inevitable question: who else could we be but exactly who we are?
‘A ghost attempts to guide an unrepentant oil executive toward redemption and the afterlife in the staggering latest from Saunders…the novel barrels into gleefully absurd territory while posing weighty questions about salvation and justice and whether they’re even feasible. Saunders has outdone himself with this endlessly irreverent work of art.” – Publishers Weekly
About Max Porter
Max Porter’s first novel, Grief Is the Thing with Feathers, won the Sunday Times/Peters, Fraser + Dunlop Young Writer of the Year Award and the International Dylan Thomas Prize, among others, as well as being shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award and the Goldsmiths Prize. Lanny was longlisted for the Booker Prize and was a Sunday Times bestseller and Shy was an instant number one bestseller. Porter has written the adapted screenplay of Shy, filmed by Netflix in 2024. He has also written The Death of Francis Bacon, The Hill, the short film All of this Unreal Time and the pamphlet It’s Going to Be a Bright New Day. His original drama series The Photographer was broadcast on BBC Radio 4. His work has been translated into 33 languages.
He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and is a frequent collaborator with, and mentor to, musicians, artists, theatre makers and arts and literacy charities. He was previously Editorial Director at Granta Books, where he published The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton, which won the Booker Prize 2013, and The Vegetarian by Han Kang, winner of the International Booker Prize 2016. He was the Chair of judges for the International Booker Prize 2025.
Two movie adaptations of his novels were released in 2025: Steve (adapted by Max from Shy, starring Cilian Murphy), and The Thing With Feathers (adapted from Grief Is The Thing With Feathers and directed by Dylan Southern, starring Benedict Cumberbatch).
‘Max Porter is one of my favourite writers in the world. Why? Because he’s always asking the most important questions and then finding answers – through innovative structures and that inimitable voice – of answering those questions soulfully, with his full attention, in ways that make the world seem stranger and more dear (or more dear because stranger). He gives his readers bursts of a new vision.’ – George Saunders
Photo credit: Betty Bhandari
For venue access info, click here.
Entry requirements: no age restrictions
George Saunders: Vigil
Date & Time: Wednesday 18th February 2026, 6:30 pm
Venue: 1532 Performing Arts Centre, Elton Rd, Bristol BS8 1SJ (click for a map)
Can’t quite believe we’re allowed to type this, but George Saunders is coming to Bristol. We’ll be welcoming him to the 1532 Performing Arts Centre to discuss his new novel, Vigil, with fellow paragon of humane creativity Max Porter.
Not only is George Saunders the author of the Booker Prize-winning novel Lincoln In The Bardo, he’s also one of the most significant writers of short stories in history: dozens of them appear in the pages of The New Yorker, and of course in five towering collections. Alongside his work at Syracuse University convening one of the most sought-after creative writing courses in the world, he has famously become a beloved and trusted teacher to hundreds of thousands of devotees across the world who soak up his expertise via Substack.
Vigil promises to push his work into ever-deepening examinations of human nature, and we cannot wait to hear more about the oil tycoon K.J. Boone. It’s our huge honour to be hosting one of just three UK events with George this year, and to be able to pair two of our favourite authors of all time in one conversation.
Pre-order your copy of Vigil (rrp £18.99) for a special discounted price with your ticket, then collect on the night!
About Vigil
The latest book from the Booker Prize–winning author of Lincoln in the Bardo – a playful, wise, electric novel taking place at the bedside of an oil company CEO, in the twilight hours of his life, as he is ferried from this world into the next
‘He will be read long after these times have passed.’ – Zadie Smith
What a lovely home I found myself plummeting toward…
Not for the first time – in fact, for the 343rd time – Jill ‘Doll’ Blaine finds herself crashing down to earth, head-first, rear-up, to accompany her latest charge into the afterlife. She soon realises however that this man is not quite like the others. For powerful oil tycoon K.J. Boone will not be consoled, because he has nothing to regret. He lived a big, bold life, and the world is better for it… isn’t it? As death approaches, a cast of worldly and otherworldly visitors arrive. Crowds of people and animals – alive and dead – materialise, birds swarm the dying man’s room, and associates from decades past show up, all clamouring for a reckoning.
In this electric novel brimming with explosive imagination, George Saunders confronts the biggest issues of our time with his trademark humour and warmth, spinning a tale that encompasses life and death, good and evil, and the inevitable question: who else could we be but exactly who we are?
‘A ghost attempts to guide an unrepentant oil executive toward redemption and the afterlife in the staggering latest from Saunders…the novel barrels into gleefully absurd territory while posing weighty questions about salvation and justice and whether they’re even feasible. Saunders has outdone himself with this endlessly irreverent work of art.” – Publishers Weekly
About Max Porter
Max Porter’s first novel, Grief Is the Thing with Feathers, won the Sunday Times/Peters, Fraser + Dunlop Young Writer of the Year Award and the International Dylan Thomas Prize, among others, as well as being shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award and the Goldsmiths Prize. Lanny was longlisted for the Booker Prize and was a Sunday Times bestseller and Shy was an instant number one bestseller. Porter has written the adapted screenplay of Shy, filmed by Netflix in 2024. He has also written The Death of Francis Bacon, The Hill, the short film All of this Unreal Time and the pamphlet It’s Going to Be a Bright New Day. His original drama series The Photographer was broadcast on BBC Radio 4. His work has been translated into 33 languages.
He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and is a frequent collaborator with, and mentor to, musicians, artists, theatre makers and arts and literacy charities. He was previously Editorial Director at Granta Books, where he published The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton, which won the Booker Prize 2013, and The Vegetarian by Han Kang, winner of the International Booker Prize 2016. He was the Chair of judges for the International Booker Prize 2025.
Two movie adaptations of his novels were released in 2025: Steve (adapted by Max from Shy, starring Cilian Murphy), and The Thing With Feathers (adapted from Grief Is The Thing With Feathers and directed by Dylan Southern, starring Benedict Cumberbatch).
‘Max Porter is one of my favourite writers in the world. Why? Because he’s always asking the most important questions and then finding answers – through innovative structures and that inimitable voice – of answering those questions soulfully, with his full attention, in ways that make the world seem stranger and more dear (or more dear because stranger). He gives his readers bursts of a new vision.’ – George Saunders
Photo credit: Betty Bhandari
For venue access info, click here.
Entry requirements: no age restrictions
Tickets for similar Bristol events.
— The Trinity Centre
singer-songwriter
a cappella
experimental pop
spoken word
yoga
