George Saunders, a celebrated short story writer, offers a literary master class based on his twenty years teaching Russian fiction at Syracuse University. The book examines seven stories by Chekhov, Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Gogol, with Saunders reading closely—sometimes line by line—to show how great writers achieve their effects. His method combines detailed attention to craft with larger questions about what fiction is for. How do stories create meaning? How do writers earn readers' attention and trust? What makes an ending satisfying? Saunders is particularly good on revision, showing how writers discover what their stories are about through the process of writing them. The book includes the stories themselves, so readers can engage directly with the texts under discussion. Saunders writes with generosity and humor, treating readers as fellow aspirants in the effort to write well and live meaningfully. For aspiring writers seeking craft guidance or anyone curious about how fiction works, this book provides both instruction and delight.