Jonathan Franzen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Jonathan Franzen | |
|---|---|
 Franzen at the 2008 Brooklyn Book Festival. |
|
| Born | August 17, 1959 Chicago, Illinois |
| Occupation | Novelist, essayist |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Writing period | 1988 - present |
| Genres | Literary fiction |
| Literary movement | Hysterical realism |
| Official website | |
Jonathan Franzen (born August 17, 1959) is an award-winning American novelist and essayist.
Contents |
[edit] Early life and education
Franzen was born in Chicago, Illinois, raised in Webster Groves, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri, and educated at Swarthmore College. He also studied on a Fulbright Scholarship in Germany. He lives on the Upper East Side of New York City, and writes for The New Yorker magazine.
[edit] The Corrections
Franzen's The Corrections, a novel of social criticism, garnered considerable critical acclaim in the United States.
In September 2001, The Corrections was selected for Oprah Winfrey's book club. Franzen was, at the time, willing to participate in the selection, appearing in B-roll footage in his hometown of St. Louis (described in an essay in How To Be Alone entitled "Meet Me In St. Louis") and sitting down for a lengthy interview with Oprah. In October 2001, however, The Oregonian printed an article in which Franzen made remarks expressing unease with the selection. He expressed his dissatisfaction with the Oprah insignia being printed on his book by saying, "I see this as my book, my creation, and I didn't want that logo of corporate ownership on it." Soon afterward, Franzen's invitation to appear on Oprah's show was rescinded,[1] with his "seemingly uncomfortable"[2] attitude being cited as the reason.
Although the controversy arguably caused damage to Franzen's reputation, it had little effect on the sales of The Corrections, which became one of the best-selling works of literary fiction of the 21st century so far and won both the 2001 National Book Award for Fiction and the 2002 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction. At the NBA ceremony Franzen thanked Oprah in his brief acceptance speech: "I'd also like to thank Oprah Winfrey for her enthusiasm and advocacy on behalf of The Corrections."[3]
[edit] TV appearances
- Franzen guest starred alongside Michael Chabon, Tom Wolfe, and Gore Vidal in the Simpsons episode "Moe'N'a Lisa", which originally aired 19 November 2006. In the episode, he got into a fistfight with his real-life friend Chabon.[4] Franzen, Chabon, and Wolfe were originally supposed to be killed by a giant boulder, but that ending was cut.
[edit] Works
[edit] Novels
- 1988 The Twenty-Seventh City
- 1992 Strong Motion
- 2001 The Corrections
[edit] Non-fiction
- 2002 How to Be Alone (essays)
- 2006 The Discomfort Zone (memoir)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ ""You go, girl . . . and she went"". The Age (2006-01-21). Retrieved on 2007-04-04.
- ^ "Oprah's Book Club user communication, October 22, 2001".
- ^ ""National Book Awards Acceptance Speeches: Jonathan Franzen"". National Book Foundation (2001). Retrieved on 2007-04-04.
- ^ "" High culture in Springfield" by Steven Barrie-Anthony". Los Angeles Times archived at North Jersey Media Group (2006-01-03). Retrieved on 2007-04-04.
[edit] External links
- Jonathan Franzen's website
- National Book Award acceptance speech
- Essay by Franzen's girlfriend, Kathryn Chetkovich, about living with a writer from Granta
[edit] Interviews
- An interview with Donald Antrim from Bomb Magazine
- An interview with Laura Miller from Salon.com, September 7, 2001
- An interview with Dave Weich from Powells.com, October 4, 2001
- An Interview with Todd Leopold from CNN.com, October 18, 2001
- An interview with Bernadette Conrad from Die Zeit, at sightandsign.com, August 4, 2005
- Answering Viewers' Questions at Big Think from April 14, 2008
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Franzen, Jonathan |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Novelist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 17, 1959 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Chicago, Illinois |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
