Zero: The Climate Race George Saunders goes inside the mind of a climate denier: Imagine series
Jan 29, 2026
George Saunders, Booker Prize–winning novelist known for inventive, empathetic fiction. He talks about why he set a climate story at the heart of Vigil and how his research and past engineering work shaped an oil-industry protagonist. He discusses balancing humor with darkness, the challenges of telling climate stories, the risks AI poses to creativity, and writing exercises that unlock fresh voices.
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Climate As A Human Backdrop
- George Saunders chose climate as a big, difficult subject to put 'on the table' rather than to write a didactic climate novel.
- He used it to ask human questions about guilt, knowledge, and the end of life rather than to prove science.
Personal Oil Industry Origins
- Saunders draws on his engineering background and time in Sumatra and Texas oil fields to write convincingly about oil workers' mindset.
- He used those personal experiences as a 'way in' to inhabit an oil-executive perspective.
Stories Open Questions, Not Lectures
- Saunders argues novels shouldn't lecture; they work by opening questions and human specifics within big contexts like climate or the Holocaust.
- He suggests the successful climate book might not mention climate directly but explore denial or corporate power instead.
