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‘Actually Really Sacred’: A George Saunders Reading List

Nine essays and interviews from literature’s favorite laureate of compassion.

by Brendan Fitzgerald

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The writer George Saunders stands in the center of a frame, wearing a tuxedo, backed by a hand-painted red circle. Around Saunders are statues of angels, Abraham Lincoln, and the Buddha.

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New Longreads Essays and Features

By All Measures

By All Measures

Our problems are too vast, our distance from them too great. How do we navigate our derangement of scale?

January 13, 2026January 13, 2026

30 Years Later: Phyllis Hyman, “I Refuse to Be Lonely”

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The singer’s first posthumous album deserves to be remembered as the bravest of her career.

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Anatomy of Absolute Power

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The people of Wilcox County, Alabama, remember a longtime sheriff as a god or a monster—it just depends on who you ask.

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Recent Editors’ Picks

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Weekly Top 5

The Top 5 Longreads of the Week

The Top 5 Longreads of the Week

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The Top 5 Longreads of the Week

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Recommending notable stories by Jonah Lemm, Melissa L. Sevigny, Christian Elliott, Kim Cross, and adam amir.

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The Top 5 Longreads of the Week

The Top 5 Longreads of the Week

Starting 2026 with stories from Jamie Thompson, Kiese Laymon, Marcus Wicker, Katherine Cusumano, and Emma Freud.

January 9, 2026

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Longreads Reading Lists

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Hushed halls can speak loud truths.

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Seven stories celebrating the kingdom of funga’s beauty and power.

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