But then there’s the kindness stuff. In 2013, Saunders gave a convocation speech to Syracuse graduates in which he extolled the life-altering virtue of practicing kindness. That speech went viral and was then repackaged as a book titled “Congratulations, by the Way,” which also became a best seller. The success of that speech wound up thrusting Saunders, who won the 2017 Booker Prize for his novel “Lincoln in the Bardo,” into a public role as something close to a guru of goodness. Which is frankly a little strange, given the razor-sharp satirical bite and morally complex themes of his fiction, and also just an odd thing for someone to have to live with. As he explained in our conversation, he’s as flawed a human being as anyone else, one who’s still wrestling with questions about how best to move through life with a modicum of grace and compassion.