George Saunders is the author of twelve books. His debut novel Lincoln in the Bardo won the 2017 Booker Prize, the 2018 Premio Rezzori prize and was a No.1 New York Times bestseller. His collection Tenth of December was a finalist for the National Book Award and won the inaugural Folio Prize. A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, his bestselling exploration of the Russian short story, was published in 2020. His most recent book Liberation Day was chosen as one of President Barack Obama's favourite books of 2022. He has received MacArthur and Guggenheim Fellowships, the PEN/Malamud Prize for excellence in the short story, and the 2023 Library of Congress Prize. He has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

In 2013, he was named one of the world's 100 most influential people by Time magazine. He teaches in the creative writing program at Syracuse University.