Jonathan Franzen

Jonathan Franzen is the author of six novels, most recently Crossroads and Purity , and five works of nonfiction, including The Discomfort Zone , Farther Away , and The End of the End of the Earth . Among his honors are the National Book Award, the James Tait Black Memorial Award, the Heartland Prize, Die Welt Literature Prize, the Budapest Grand Prize, and the first Carlos Fuentes Medal awarded at the Guadalajara International Book Fair. Franzen is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Chapter 1 of The Great Gatsby introduces readers to narrator Nick Carraway, his cousin Daisy Fay Buchanan, her belligerent husband Tom, the reckless golfer Jordan Baker, and, most importantly, to the mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby whose West Egg mansion looks upon a shimmering green light across the wealthiest, most exclusive harbor on Long Island Sound.

In this bonus episode, MSNBC's Ari Melber sits down with Novelist Jonathan Franzen at the 2024 Rancho Mirage Writers Festival. To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jonathan Franzen’s sixth novel, “Crossroads,” is set in 1971, and the title is firmly on the nose: the Hildebrand family is at a crossroads itself, just as the America of that moment seemed poised to come apart. In the course of his career, Franzen has evolved away from an early postmodernist sensibility that highlighted “bravura” writing, and “with this book I threw away all the po-mo hijinks and the grand plot elements,” he tells David Remnick. “It’s really only in the course of writing ‘Crossroads’ that I have said to myself, What I am is a novelist of character and psychology. . . . It’s not about formal experimentation and it’s certainly not about changing the world through my social commentary.” Franzen also discusses the complex ethics behind writing a character of another race, and takes issue with the belief of some in the academy (and much of the political right) that leftist sensibilities are stifling free expression; he declined to sign the “ Harper’s Letter ” last year. Despite political polarization, Franzen says, “It’s a much better time to be an American writer than I would have guessed twenty-five years ago.”

Han er en af USA’s væsentligste forfattere, og han skriver tykke romaner. Men Jonathan Franzen fandt først sin stemme efter at have læst en kort, intens roman om et ægteskab i opløsning. Dette er det fjerde interview i serien ’Bogen der ændrede mit liv’. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.