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.
0
As a fan of Franzen's fiction, I was allured by the prospect of familiarizing myself with his writing in nonfiction as well. Despite a publication date nearly 13 years ago, the essays that this book contains retain their relevance thematically. Franzen is apt, funny and poetic in his nonfiction; often striking the healthy balance between pedantic and plain that some of his earlier books have a hard time achieving. Franzen is at his best when reconciling his past and present (See "My Father's Brain" and "Meet Me In St. Louis"). Here, his writing is moving and graceful.
HPB Staff Review