Watching this video I come to think of David Foster Wallace and how happy he probably would have been to see his good friend, Johnathan Franzen, have a conversation with the great writer and mentor, Don DeLillo.
This isn’t pretentious... but Franzen is obviously trying to impress DeLillo and he’s trying too hard. Notice the language. ( this is one of many examples and a fairly simple one but), Franzen keeps saying things like: ‘It may come later, it may arise later...’ leading up to a question. He’s purposely editing his sentences out loud, adjusting his vocabulary from simple to unnecessarily complex, probably because he’s nervous. DeLillo never brings this up but notice That it takes quite a while to understand where Franzen is going in his questioning and then notice that DeLillo responds mostly using language that a five year old could understand...
Franzen is not being pretentious lol. Contrived to a degree? Sure. But who wouldn’t be? You’re talking to a stupendous author in front of a crowd. It’s the inner-author in Franzen that desires to keep the conversation light and the audience halfway entertained. What would be pretentious is if Franzen asked some super nuanced questions. If you think these are questions that Franzen would ask in private, then you’re underestimating the intelligence of these two men. These are extremely open-ended questions with the intent of engaging Delillo and the crowd together, not just Delillo himself. Franzen is certainly not challenging him.
DeLillo drops little asides in his prose that pierce to the heart. From 'Players' about terrorists killing a target on the golf course, this: 'Golf, that anal round of scrupulous caution and petty griefs.'
Watching this video I come to think of David Foster Wallace and how happy he probably would have been to see his good friend, Johnathan Franzen, have a conversation with the great writer and mentor, Don DeLillo.
This isn’t pretentious... but Franzen is obviously trying to impress DeLillo and he’s trying too hard. Notice the language. ( this is one of many examples and a fairly simple one but), Franzen keeps saying things like: ‘It may come later, it may arise later...’ leading up to a question. He’s purposely editing his sentences out loud, adjusting his vocabulary from simple to unnecessarily complex, probably because he’s nervous. DeLillo never brings this up but notice That it takes quite a while to understand where Franzen is going in his questioning and then notice that DeLillo responds mostly using language that a five year old could understand...
DeLillo is brilliant and his spoken words are heartfelt runs on his life and art.
There's nothing more annoying than a TH-cam video with NO VIDEO.
Franzen is not being pretentious lol. Contrived to a degree? Sure. But who wouldn’t be? You’re talking to a stupendous author in front of a crowd. It’s the inner-author in Franzen that desires to keep the conversation light and the audience halfway entertained. What would be pretentious is if Franzen asked some super nuanced questions. If you think these are questions that Franzen would ask in private, then you’re underestimating the intelligence of these two men. These are extremely open-ended questions with the intent of engaging Delillo and the crowd together, not just Delillo himself. Franzen is certainly not challenging him.
I love that our mystical writer still writes all his mystical prophesies on an old manual typewriter he bought in 1975.
Franzen is a little arrogant and subtly envious.
Bronx boy wondering why he is here
Really nice !
Franzen is such an awkward egg
The Angel Esmeralda is one of the best short stories I have ever read.
I didn’t find this conversation pretentious at all. It was actually quite humorous at times. I enjoyed this.
A discussion between writers for writers. Wonderful.
DeLillo drops little asides in his prose that pierce to the heart. From 'Players' about terrorists killing a target on the golf course, this: 'Golf, that anal round of scrupulous caution and petty griefs.'
I don't think people in this comment section understand the definition of the word "pretentious".
Its really great
DeLillo sounds so much like older Paul Newman, it’s crazy.
4:13
Love Don Delillo. The real deal.
"A well-choreographed exchange of insight and dimensional perspectives." (RAS IV)