--- title: Julianne Moore, Ben Stiller, Others Narrate George Saunders description: The author says the wide range of voices mirror "the feeling I tried to evoke in the book: a sort of American chorale" canonical: https://time.com/4631970/george-saunders-lincoln-in-the-bardo/ author: Sarah Begley article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-01-12T20:35:55.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-06-24T06:56:55.578Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Julianne Moore, Ben Stiller and 164 Other People Will Narrate George Saunders’ New Book og:description: The author says the wide range of voices are "a sort of American chorale" og:url: https://time.com/4631970/george-saunders-lincoln-in-the-bardo/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt58d93e76a76c3cc1/6988b5372dce01b1c59ebe46/lincoln-in-the-bardo-audio-cover.jpg?branch=production&width=1038&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1038 og:image:height: 584 og:image:alt: lincoln-in-the-bardo-audio-cover og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Julianne Moore, Ben Stiller and 164 Other People Will Narrate George Saunders’ New Book twitter:description: The author says the wide range of voices are "a sort of American chorale" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt58d93e76a76c3cc1/6988b5372dce01b1c59ebe46/lincoln-in-the-bardo-audio-cover.jpg?branch=production&width=1038&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Julianne Moore, Ben Stiller and 164 Other People Will Narrate George Saunders’ New Book > Sponsored content. 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The author says the wide range of voices evokes "the feeling I tried to evoke in the book: a sort of American chorale"_ by [Sarah Begley](https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Jan 12, 2017 8:35 PM UTC by [Sarah Begley](https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Jan 12, 2017 8:35 PM UTC Audiobooks have been called [the fastest-growing format in publishing](http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-fastest-growing-format-in-publishing-audiobooks-1469139910), and George Saunders’ [_Lincoln in the Bardo_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0812995341/?tag=timecom-20) seems to be the largest-growing novel among audiobooks: The acclaimed short story writer’s first full-length novel boasts a star-studded cast of 166 narrators. Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, Lena Dunham, Ben Stiller, Susan Sarandon, Megan Mullally and Don Cheadle are among the celebrities who have all lent their voices to narrate the story, about Abraham Lincoln mourning his son Willie in a graveyard full of ghosts. Penguin Random House Audio is applying for a Guinness World Record for most individuals’ voices on a single audiobook. “This was a really gratifying artistic venture — to have so many talented people give their time to my work like this,” Saunders emailed TIME. “I had approached Kelly Gildea, the producer, with high hopes but also (I can see in retrospect) with no idea of how much I was asking—the sheer amount of work and organization. But she agreed immediately and went to work on it: 166 different voices, one for every character in the book, no doubling, and the final cast included A-list Hollywood talent, amazing audiobook professionals, and (especially meaningful to me) a bunch of family members, close friends, and volunteers from Random House and ICM. I love the way that the variety of contemporary American voices mimics and underscores the feeling I tried to evoke in the book: a sort of American chorale.” Highlights from the star-studded cast are below. The novel and [audiobook](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N1NU4K2/?tag=timecom-20) will be available Feb. 14. **Nick Offerman** as HANS VOLLMAN **David Sedaris** as ROGER BEVINS III **Carrie Brownstein** as ISABELLE PERKINS **George Saunders** as THE REVEREND EVERLY THOMAS **Miranda July** as MRS. ELIZABETH CRAWFORD **Lena Dunham** as ELISE TRAYNOR **Ben Stiller** as JACK MANDERS **Julianne Moore** as JANE ELLIS **Susan Sarandon** as MRS. ABIGAIL BLASS **Bradley Whitford** as LT. CECIL STONE **Bill Hader** as EDDIE BARON **Megan Mullally** as BETSY BARON **Rainn Wilson** as PERCIVAL “DASH” COLLIER **Jeff Tweedy** as CAPTAIN WILLIAM PRINCE **Kat Dennings** as MISS TAMARA DOOLITTLE **Jeffrey Tambor** as PROFESSOR EDMUND BLOOMER **Mike O’Brien** as LAWRENCE T. DECROIX **Keegan-Michael Key** as ELSON FARWELL **Don Cheadle** as THOMAS HAVENS and **Patrick Wilson** as STANLEY “PERFESSER” LIPPERT with Kirby Heyborne as WILLIE LINCOLN, Mary Karr as MRS. 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