Synopsis
From the National Book Award-winning author of The Corrections, a collection of essays that reveal him to be one of our sharpest, toughest, and most entertaining social critics
While the essays in this collection range in subject matter from the sex-advice industry to the way a supermax prison works, each one wrestles with the essential themes of Franzen's writing: the erosion of civil life and private dignity; and the hidden persistence of loneliness in postmodern, imperial America. Reprinted here for the first time is Franzen's controversial l996 investigation of the fate of the American novel in what became known as "the Harper's essay," as well as his award-winning narrative of his father's struggle with Alzheimer's disease, and a rueful account of his brief tenure as an Oprah Winfrey author.
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About Jonathan Franzen
J
Jonathan Franzen
Born 1959
Jonathan Earl Franzen (born August 17, 1959) is an American novelist and essayist. His 2001 novel *The Corrections* drew widespread critical acclaim, earned Franzen a National Book Award, was a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction finalist, earned a James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and was shortlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award. His novel *Freedom* (2010) garnered similar praise and led to an appearance on the cover of *Time* magazine alongside the headline "Great American Novelist". Franzen has contributed to *The New Yorker* magazine since 1994. His 1996 Harper's essay *Perchance to Dream* bemoaned the state of contemporary literature. Oprah Winfrey's book club selection in 2001 of *The Corrections* led to a much publicized feud with the talk show host.
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