@@NeilPasricha1 i just loved the questions! it was great to learn more about jonathan franzen; especialley since there are lot of interviews with him already on the internet and sometimes it gets repetitive a bit... but this interview really gave me NEW insights and brought out new topics he never publically spoke about before (the whole narnia section for example). I really apreciate that.
Just read The Corrections earlier this month. Loved it so much I basically inhaled it over a period of two days. Being a middle-aged man who's now in the unenviable position of taking care of my elderly parents I really felt like, for the first time in ages, an author was writing my life. It has that painful-but-powerful combination that happens when the ugly truth meets the poetically beautiful. Both of those elements are necessary in great literature; the former so that we feel that profound connection to life and people and don't fall into delusive perspectives, the latter so that we can find the strength to carry on. Looking forward to listening to this discussion, and to reading more Franzen.
Thanks for sharing, Jonathan! Wow, reading 'The Corrections' in two days is no small feat. Sending you energy as you take care of your parents and hope you like the chat. Lemme know what jumps out for you - good or bad. (Btw, if you haven't read 'Crossroads' yet I feel like it has that same magic you're talking about ... incredibly real and vivid characters that constantly reflect something back.)
Jonathan Franzen's novels are understandably polarizing, but any truly great novelist will always have their haters. You can't write truthful fiction without also being an agitator. Reading Franzen's novels has been excellent instruction for me as I write my own fiction, and listening to his opinions on writing is always fun, even on the occasions when our views don't wholly coalesce. Thank you for the video!
Hey everyone! I'm a TH-cam newb. Will aim to respond to all comments here and would love your feedback on how I can get better. Oh! And my most popular 3 Books podcast episodes on TH-cam are: Brené Brown th-cam.com/video/X5l-Auv7h8Y/w-d-xo.html Quentin Tarantino th-cam.com/video/VVFdvfiPB-w/w-d-xo.htmlsi=6lfs8lCTcib David Sedaris th-cam.com/video/wzz8tqnz1mI/w-d-xo.html
I liked it altough some of the reactions of the interviewer were a little bit too much (woooow!) for my taste. I learned interesting stories and things about Franzen's life and experiences. Worth the 2,5 hours!
@@NeilPasricha1 sorry, I didn't mean to offend you! I hope I didn't. the important thing is that it is so rare that I have the time to watch a 2,5 interview, and it was really amazing. thank you.
@@julcsiszigeti1243 Oh definitely not!! Read the comments on my Tarantino interview ... I got way thicker skin than that !! It took a few years to develop at the beginning. But now, like yesterday, when I got a personal email in all-caps telling me to GO FUCK MYSELF (and a lot more) I just smiled, replied, and the guy wrote back apologizing and saying he had a bad day. Which is what happens *literally every time* I do that. Not comparing, because in no way was your comment offensive at all. I just mean you're not even close to that .. :)
@@NeilPasricha1 Franzen’s Oprah snub put me off his work, even though I own 2 of his books, I haven’t read them. Now I will. It was your entire dialogue that I enjoyed because there was a very high level of respect and honesty between you. I always learn lots of small things from your probing questions, but it’s hard to be specific because I listened to your Tarratino interview right after and don’t want to confuse them. I listened to your podcast many years but then fell off exploring others and just found you again on TH-cam. Glad I did, you’re an outstanding interviewer. Thanks.
@@rosemarybanks7149 Thanks for the thoughtful reply Rosemary. I podcast surf the same way !! no podcast guilt, no podcast shame. Yeah, I dug deep on that "Oprah snub" when researching and there was just so much more to what happened ... including them reconciling and her making his next book another pick!! I also got the sense he was sick of talkinga bout it. Thanks for listening to this + Tarantino ... you might like Daniels / George Saunders as they're in similar veins. th-cam.com/video/jdcWw7c6Uxo/w-d-xo.html + th-cam.com/video/hd6YMMeQFyQ/w-d-xo.html
The sheer amount of pretension that comes from Franzen should be a scientific quantity. His "youthful arrogance" has just continued to "adult arrogance."
Aw, sorry David. Another friend texted me after listening to this chat saying something similar. I will say, from my end, I didn't perceive him that way at all.... In our chats leading up to the interview, and before and after the interview, my sense was he was incredibly kind, thoughtful, introspective, self-critical, self-wondering ... you know, basically a person just trying to show up and do their best, like any of us are.
Good interview 👍
great interview! Love it! :)
Thanks so much! Anything jump out for you - good or bad?
@@NeilPasricha1 i just loved the questions! it was great to learn more about jonathan franzen; especialley since there are lot of interviews with him already on the internet and sometimes it gets repetitive a bit... but this interview really gave me NEW insights and brought out new topics he never publically spoke about before (the whole narnia section for example). I really apreciate that.
@@julius_the_kessler Yeah, the Narnia chat blew me away .... and honestly so did the Kafka chat! Thanks so much for the detailed feedback!
Just read The Corrections earlier this month. Loved it so much I basically inhaled it over a period of two days. Being a middle-aged man who's now in the unenviable position of taking care of my elderly parents I really felt like, for the first time in ages, an author was writing my life. It has that painful-but-powerful combination that happens when the ugly truth meets the poetically beautiful. Both of those elements are necessary in great literature; the former so that we feel that profound connection to life and people and don't fall into delusive perspectives, the latter so that we can find the strength to carry on. Looking forward to listening to this discussion, and to reading more Franzen.
Thanks for sharing, Jonathan! Wow, reading 'The Corrections' in two days is no small feat. Sending you energy as you take care of your parents and hope you like the chat. Lemme know what jumps out for you - good or bad. (Btw, if you haven't read 'Crossroads' yet I feel like it has that same magic you're talking about ... incredibly real and vivid characters that constantly reflect something back.)
Jonathan Franzen's novels are understandably polarizing, but any truly great novelist will always have their haters. You can't write truthful fiction without also being an agitator.
Reading Franzen's novels has been excellent instruction for me as I write my own fiction, and listening to his opinions on writing is always fun, even on the occasions when our views don't wholly coalesce. Thank you for the video!
Great point - not everybody will like everything and the topics he touches on, so deeply, are likely to stir and agitate. Thanks for listening, Cease!
Hey everyone! I'm a TH-cam newb. Will aim to respond to all comments here and would love your feedback on how I can get better. Oh! And my most popular 3 Books podcast episodes on TH-cam are:
Brené Brown th-cam.com/video/X5l-Auv7h8Y/w-d-xo.html
Quentin Tarantino th-cam.com/video/VVFdvfiPB-w/w-d-xo.htmlsi=6lfs8lCTcib
David Sedaris th-cam.com/video/wzz8tqnz1mI/w-d-xo.html
I liked it altough some of the reactions of the interviewer were a little bit too much (woooow!) for my taste. I learned interesting stories and things about Franzen's life and experiences. Worth the 2,5 hours!
Worth the 2.5 hours is great compliment, Julci! Sorry for my hyperbolic reactions... :)
@@NeilPasricha1 sorry, I didn't mean to offend you! I hope I didn't. the important thing is that it is so rare that I have the time to watch a 2,5 interview, and it was really amazing. thank you.
@@julcsiszigeti1243 Oh definitely not!! Read the comments on my Tarantino interview ... I got way thicker skin than that !! It took a few years to develop at the beginning. But now, like yesterday, when I got a personal email in all-caps telling me to GO FUCK MYSELF (and a lot more) I just smiled, replied, and the guy wrote back apologizing and saying he had a bad day. Which is what happens *literally every time* I do that. Not comparing, because in no way was your comment offensive at all. I just mean you're not even close to that .. :)
This was priceless! Thank you.
Thanks for listening Rosemary! Anything jump out for you - good or bad?
@@NeilPasricha1 Franzen’s Oprah snub put me off his work, even though I own 2 of his books, I haven’t read them. Now I will.
It was your entire dialogue that I enjoyed because there was a very high level of respect and honesty between you. I always learn lots of small things from your probing questions, but it’s hard to be specific because I listened to your Tarratino interview right after and don’t want to confuse them.
I listened to your podcast many years but then fell off exploring others and just found you again on TH-cam. Glad I did, you’re an outstanding interviewer. Thanks.
@@rosemarybanks7149 Thanks for the thoughtful reply Rosemary. I podcast surf the same way !! no podcast guilt, no podcast shame. Yeah, I dug deep on that "Oprah snub" when researching and there was just so much more to what happened ... including them reconciling and her making his next book another pick!! I also got the sense he was sick of talkinga bout it. Thanks for listening to this + Tarantino ... you might like Daniels / George Saunders as they're in similar veins. th-cam.com/video/jdcWw7c6Uxo/w-d-xo.html + th-cam.com/video/hd6YMMeQFyQ/w-d-xo.html
you have a wonderful laugh. shalom from Ottawa
Aw, thank you, Judith. Shalom from Toronto
The sheer amount of pretension that comes from Franzen should be a scientific quantity. His "youthful arrogance" has just continued to "adult arrogance."
Aw, sorry David. Another friend texted me after listening to this chat saying something similar. I will say, from my end, I didn't perceive him that way at all.... In our chats leading up to the interview, and before and after the interview, my sense was he was incredibly kind, thoughtful, introspective, self-critical, self-wondering ... you know, basically a person just trying to show up and do their best, like any of us are.
@@NeilPasricha1Franzen has just been accused of allegedly sending inappropriate messages to underage girls. You shouldn't platform people like this.
@@Neighborcarl24that is just not true.
@@julcsiszigeti1243 it is true
@@Neighborcarl24 ok where does this coming from?