This. This right here is why Colbert is leagues above other late night TV. This is an interview from a bygone era; when we didn’t shy away from some true intelligent discussion. Instead we reduced ourselves to pseudo reality tv. Thank you Colbert!

Due to seeing author George Saunders on your show, I've now enrolled in a George Saunders Literature class as part of my MFA degree coursework. Thanks for the inspiration!

I was just behind George Saunders in earning our Bachelor of Science degrees in engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. He’s one of those relatively rare engineers who has a facility for words that even exceeds his command of numbers. Great guy!

What an amazing discussion about the writing process...

I like what he said about have a plan and not being attached to it. Organic development after you step off into the creative process is the best.

I think this is my favorite interaction from 50 years of seeing the Late SHow .

That was much too short of an interview. Brilliant people talking.

Wow, so admire George Saunders and now admire Stephen Colbert even more.

I have never heard of this man, as a songwriter I can relate to a lot of this, and so glad that I have.

More from this dude pls, great interview, thanks for once again introducing me to a fascinating person

I just started writing a story and this interview couldn't have come at a better time. Thank you for this conversation.

I just went to symphonyspace and watched this reading. He's right. It is stunningly beautiful.

Stephen has earned my respect time and again because of these interviews. You asked all the right and natural questions. These were all the questions I wanted to ask George. Youre an exceptional host because you adapt as per your guests. God bless. Love from Pakistan 🇵🇰

Interviews like this are 100x better than interviews with most movie and tv stars

my daughter turned me onto him, love his work, yhanks for hosting him!

I already like that Interview before watching it, because I LOOOOOOOOVE George Saunders' "The Very Persistant Gappers of Frip' with Lane Smiths sweet Illustrations OMG! And I love short stories, and now that I know he writes short stories to I will definetely go buy more of him.

I love these intelligent conversations. I come to expect them from Stephen and find I Wade through the Hollywood star interviews (which on occasion can surprise me but usually are more shallow) to wait for one of these gems

Man, I needed this.

Short stories are magical. So well done. I avoid reading them because they’re so great I don’t want them to end.

My favorite part of doing improv is when you work off the other person. When you don't have a plan and you are unprepared, you can the the most genius and funniest stuff just from flying blind. Man plans, God laughs. Having a plan, ruins any chance for a belly laugh or tears running down an upturned cheek from the laugh. My funniest moments are when I've worked with someone that can listen and think on the fly.

When I was in the Army, we had a training exercise: "Imagine your mission is to drive 5 trucks from A to B. Now imagine that X happens at this point on the map. Now what do you do now?" We spent 8 grueling hours going over every conceivable 'X' that could happen to 5 trucks driving 3 miles down a lonely road. Conclusion: Your carefully laid plans will evaporate like Summer rain, be ready to think fast! Clinging to plans and schemes whose time has past is a sign of childish thinking. "Stay the course!"

Ah what a lovely interview this was! He is so articulate and eloquent with his way of explaining things. Thank you for introducing me to him.

This was such a beautiful interview that went beyond platitudes and crowd pleasing. Rare to see those nowadays

I wasn't interested in this guest. But then Stephen said "one of my favorite authors", and i trust his taste. So I watched and was amazed and wish they'd do an hour together.

Saunders, what a genius.

As a huge fan of Mr. Saunders, I want to thank you Mr. Colbert for having him on YOUR show!!!

I loved, loved , loved " Lincoln in the Bardo"! Please read if you have not.

This was another great interview. Colbert brings such interesting people on and has a great way of getting them to open up .

Saw the interview. Bought the book. Just read the story. Absolutely amazing! It’s been frightening and surreal to watch the situation unfold these past few years from my expat home in Kyoto, Japan. This story made it even more so. Thank you for this important book recommendation and a great interview with an incredible writer.

Visual artists too are about letting the process determine the outcome.

That Stephen King short story about the siblings and the ladder keeps coming up.

make the plan, execute the plan, expect the plan to go off the rails, throw away the plan. -Leonard Snart

A lovely, lovely human being… 🥂

Great lecture!

Please interview more authors of this caliber

Great explanations of discovery!

Brilliant author.

George is the best!!!

Wow, this man is amazing! Pick whichever person you think I'm talking about and I guarantee you'll be correct.

This interview was just a wonderful break from political mess and even big celebrities. It's just an honest intelligent conversation where the author is treated respectfully and allowed to do most of the talking with prompts to explore another thought once he's done with the story he's telling at any moment... I'd love more of these. I also really like that tie Saunders is wearing for some reason. It just looks so... HIM. It's like someone took his lovely brain and scribbled its essence onto the tie, a pretty bit of chaos that has adjacent thoughts/similar shapes and such but doesn't just repeat the same old same old circular story over and over. It matches him (and I've always thought he's a rare one whose face truly suits his facial hair, not that it matters... just makes him super-pleasant to watch chatting w/Stephen, that and the warm dad vibe in his eyes when he grins). I'd love him to be part of #P4A or just partner somehow with John Green. They're both incredibly thoughtful, sentimental people I like a lot, even more as people than authors though they're both great at their craft, different as their works are (and for different audiences overall).

Excellent ethos.

Everyone, check out "MY FLAMBOYANT GRANDSON" by him and performed by Harris Yulin.

Ah, that's what's wrong with me. I have Life-block... stupidly high expectations of life.

"Getting to that place where your mind has quieter, all your usual easy opinions get. You get into a Holy state of not knowing anything." That sounds pretty Zen to me.

This guy looks like one of Castle's writing buddies in the TV show.

Awesome Thank You!!!

Good questions.

Love the book cover!

The ending is usually something writers have in mind even if the story shifts on the way. "Beautiful border guards?"

This was my process when making jewelry too: I know what I want to make; I take it apart at LEAST 3 times; NOW I'm happy with what I made. Every time! 👍

Brilliant Interview. I’m currently reading Tenth of December and it’s fantastic. He has become one of my favourite authors.

Fox 8 is such a wonderful book. 🦊

Amazing insights and interview

When do you find yourself on KZfaq taking away life lessons, getting schooled in writing and feeling still for the kindness you just watched? Only with Colbert baby, only with Colbert.

Great interview!

at 1:32, Kimmel or Fallon would've made some joke that would've derailed Saunders's whole train of thought. The conversation would have gotten lost in the laughter, never to return with the same passion. You can criticize Colbert for a lot, but I love that he knows when to shut the fuck up and let his guest finish their thought.

OK well now I know why Saunders is my writing god.

Can anyone share a link to the short story reading that Steven did they were talking about in the segment or is it behind a paywall?

I was not able to get Symphony Space to give up the reading. I would love to have a link to it.

Hershel Walker has the same philosophy about kids.

What an engaging guest! Dang this interview was way too short.

manage your ego, don't let your ego manage you. you are not your ego.

they are going to be playing "so what" as they fly toward Jupiter

🙏💜✌

I’m a conservative who loves George Saunders’s fiction. Brilliant, funny writer.

"Have a plan and be willing to abandon it" someone tell Musk? :D

John larch talk about Jamie dornan

Great guest ...but I guess no one around here proofreads the Closed Captions before publication.... they were dreadful. eg: To me, that's Chicago in a shutshell.

A good gambler has gotta know when to hold'em and know when to fold'em.

I watch Rachel, I buy a book, I watch Stephen, I buy a book 😊

Loved Fox 8 - although it also crushed me...

dibs on 2nd

If you haven't read anything by Saunders, do yourself a favor and check out one of his short story collections.

Kim told me Bob Saggat lived there

Kim used to tell me Britney Spears hung out at Starbucks there.

Way to go uncle george, not my real uncle.

4:28 I’m so glad from the results of this midterm election we can see that the majority of Americans is still nice and have basic decency and common sense. It’s heartwarming to see Democrats AND lots of Republicans come together and say Trump is toxic, egoistic, and just a mean bully, and say enough is enough. I’m so glad from the results of this midterm election we can see that the majority of Americans is still nice and have basic decency and common sense. It’s heartwarming to seen Democrats AND lots of Republicans come together and say Trump is toxic, egoistic, and just a mean bully, and enough is enough. We don’t have to keep going backwards! Faith in America is restored! There is hope!

America was not built by mutual consensus.

I like fun but I prefer to do a lot or work too

> 😏 Maybe We're The 1st Spiritist* Pop-Metal Or Rock Band In This World... But Don't Pay Much Attention To Our Neanderthal English, HaHa ❤ HaHa *NOTE: > Spiritist is who professes Spiritism, the Gospel continuation It has began with the books by Allan Kardec and continued in the books by Francisco C. Xavier, the greatest and more important medium/prophet of spirits of the last centuries...

Just under 2 yrs to get out the vote.

*Only two people talk about wisdom* *one who is older and* *The other one who has stumbled a lot at a young age*

Imagine a time when people, even brilliant people, sincerely believed Joe Biden would save America, The same people who prayed to the great Savior Obama.

Cool. I am 50 and…never heard of him? Read anything? Well i love audi books and of course best list/short list stuff. Must take a look at his work. Maybe i am wrong.

His jeans are the exact same color as the chair he's sitting on. I can't tell where the jeans stop and the sofa starts.