Homepage

Back

Archives

The sixth annual Literary Festival showcased one of the most prominent names in contemporary American fiction on Mar. 30, when critically acclaimed author Jonathan Franzen read excerpts from recent writings. Franzen, winner of the National Book Award for the Corrections, also authored The Twenty-Seventh City, Strong Motion and a collection of essays titled How to be Alone.

Franzen read two short pieces, one a non-fiction piece soon to be published in the New Yorker, which discussed growing up in St. Louis in the early ‘70s. Franzen also read a fictional account of relationship break-ups in contemporary society.

“Fiction is the great enticing challenge because it’s so much more of an adventure,” he said, describing the differences between writing fiction and non-fiction.

Following his reading, Franzen answered questions from the audience, many of whom inquired about the lifestyle of a writer. “[Writing] never gets easy…it seems to get harder in most ways,” Franzen said. “I’m not sure I do it because I like it. I do it because it’s probably what I’m meant to do.”

The Corrections, a novel largely concerned with documenting the breakdown of the American family in the modern world, was published in 2001 to immediate critical acclaim. Shortly after the publishing, Franzen made national headlines by publicly expressing reluctance to take part in Oprah Winfrey’s book club. He jokingly referred to that instance during his talk, attributing it to a younger and less mature self. “I didn’t think [television] was the right medium for conveying my thoughts,” he said. “It’s a totally different language and the way you communicate is totally different…Now, my favorite type of interview is a live interview.”

Franzen began writing The Corrections with the intent of creating an important novel about Philadelphia. Though he modified his original ideas about the plot, much of the novel is set in Philadelphia, or the surrounding suburbs.

Franzen was introduced by Dr. Lucy McDiarmid, professor of English, of whom he is a former student. McDiarmid taught Franzen in a Shakespeare Seminar when he attended Swarthmore College 23 years ago.