Jonathan Franzen, author of FREEDOM and THE CORRECTIONS was on the cover of Time Magazine last week, and I copied out this quote: “ . . . I came to realize that because my purpose on earth seems to be to write novels, I am actually freer when I’m chained to a project: freer from guilt, anxiety, boredom, anger, purposelessness.”
He works in the sparest office: A small desk, a laptop, no pictures on the wall, no distractions, not even the internet.
This is the same guy who Oprah chose for her bookclub a few years ago and then uninvited him because he said she’d made some “schmaltzy choices” in the past.
Now that I’ve given up television and replaced it with heavy reading, Oprah doesn’t loom as large in my life as she once did, but Jonathan Franzen has my complete attention.
I loved The Corrections. He has mine, too.
ReplyDeleteAre you sure Louise, you do realize this is her last season?!
ReplyDelete-Kahalia
Even Oprah can't be Oprah forever.
ReplyDeleteI've missed you sooooo much.
ReplyDeleteLove the new site. The colors are great, very peppy. So....are you going to finish your latest novel and become more super duper famous than you already are? If that's the case, I'd watch you on Oprah anytime.
ReplyDeleteThe Corrections made me curious about how Franzen was able to get depressed people exactly right.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see the new blog.
Love this, Louise.
ReplyDeleteYou've really given up TV completely? Or just seriously pared down?
ReplyDeleteI'm reading The Tin Drum for the first time.
ReplyDeleteFranzen probably lived with depressed people. Who DOESN'T know depressed people?
ReplyDeleteI don't have a cable connection, so no TV. BUT, I do have Hulu and Channel 131 streaming to my internet, so I get pretty much what I want when I want it. And I subscribe to Netflix. Right now I'm running through the Inspector Lewis series, which I love. Although, I miss Morse.