Beyond the Page with Jonathan Franzen

Jonathan Franzen is a novelist and essayist whose sprawling multilayered novels about contemporary America have elicited critical acclaim. His novels combine brilliant storytelling while exploring the intimate connections of family relations.

Franzen's 2001 novel, "The Corrections," won the National Book Award and the
James Trait Black Memorial Prize and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Since then, he has written four more novels, including "Crossroads," a national bestseller named one of the New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2021. It was also cited by Barack Obama, Financial Times, Good Housekeeping, Oprah Daily, Newsweek, NPR, Publishers Weekly, TIME, USA Today, Vogue, The Washington Post and many more.

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[Nandor]

I like that he's just as stressed at having to produce a piece of writing even though he's been doing it for years

[fabrislemos]

So nice to see him in a Zoom interview, since he's known for being so internet-averse

[TheNewYorker]

When Norman Mailer was asked his opinion of Jonathan Franzen, he said, "Well, I've read him, and I'll tell you, I got exactly the same impression from his writing as I did from reading Thomas Pynchon. And that is: he is either a great writer, or he has perpetrated one of the greatest literary frauds in history. That's how I feel about him. As I said, I felt the same way when reading Pynchon. And I admit it: I can't tell whether it's great writing or he's an absolute literary fraud. I would lean toward the latter explanation. But I just don't know."

[electrodynamicorb]

Nobody knows how to interview this guy

[Ron_Boy]

Good grief, couldn't they edit out the fund raising pitch?

[literaticrux]

Bro, just have a question and not a novel of nothingness and blunting interruptions. Stop! I can tell JF was super frustrated.

[milesknightestrada]

That cancerous growth gracing his forehead is maddeningly distracting.

[jbnycyoutub]

He lost me at "he or she or they".