‘Vigil’ by acclaimed author George Saunders kicks off the new Campus Reading Program

The Litowitz Center for Enlightened Disagreement has selected “Vigil” by Booker Prize-winning author George Saunders for Northwestern’s newly revamped Campus Reading Program.

An acclaimed short story writer, novelist and teacher of creative writing, Saunders has three books on the New York Times Best Books of the 21st century list.

Carrying on the tradition of One Book One Northwestern, the Campus Reading Program will explore a range of topics with the additional purpose of spotlighting themes related to enlightened disagreement.

All Northwestern first-year and transfer students, and those enrolled in the Center’s residential certificate program during the 2026-2027 school year, will receive copies of “Vigil.”

Additionally, all students, faculty and staff are invited to participate in related programming throughout the year. In partnership with Northwestern Libraries, electronic and physical copies of the book will soon be available on reserve.

A keynote event with Saunders, open to the entire Northwestern community, will take place on Thursday, Nov. 19 at Cahn Auditorium on the Evanston campus.

“Vigil” tells the story of Jill “Doll” Blaine, a spirit sent to usher oil tycoon K.J. Boone into the afterlife. A parade of visitors — human and nonhuman, alive and dead — begins to arrive in his bedchamber, each clamoring for the dying man’s attention. But Boone insists he has no regrets for his bold, epic life and that the world is better off. Saunders’ supernatural tale tackles topics of greed, relationships, climate change and mortality with humor and compassion.

“Saunders surely didn't set out to write a book on enlightened disagreement, but the fact that he did shows how the Litowitz Center’s animating concerns are part of everyday life — and death,” said Eli Finkel, faculty co-director of the Litowitz Center.

“The Campus Reading Program offers the community an occasion to enjoy a good read, while exploring ubiquitous themes of enlightened disagreement. Sometimes they leap off the page, and other times they are lurking between the lines, which should make for great conversation.”

A keynote with George Saunders will take place on Nov. 19.

Saunders has written two novels, four collections of short stories, including “Liberation Day” and “Tenth of December,” a novella, a book of essays and an award-winning children’s book. His first novel, “Lincoln in the Bardo,” won the Man Booker Prize for fiction in 2017, and an opera adaptation will debut at New York’s Metropolitan Opera in October.

He has received the MacArthur Foundation’s “Genius” Award, the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction and the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.

An academic as well as an author, Saunders teaches creative writing at Syracuse University. His book of essays, “A Swim in a Pond in the Rain,” is based on a course he teaches on 19th-century Russian short stories. His commencement address to graduates at Syracuse University in 2013 was published in the book, “Congratulations, By the Way,” the same year he was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by TIME Magazine.

Visit the Campus Reading Program website to learn more about the program and follow related events and activities.