Thursday, September 6, 2007

Jonathan Franzen vs. the World

Wondering if novelist Jonathan Franzen has mellowed much since his infamous spat with Oprah Winfrey six years ago? Considering that he's now dusting it up with the Broadway musical Spring Awakening, I'd say the answer is "no." It seems, to paraphrase Norma Desmond, that he's still a big jerk; it's the opponents that got smaller.



While I'm on the subject of Mr. Franzen, I should mention that one of my favorite Matt Taibbi put-downs (and there are many from which to choose) is this: "If there is a worse way to spend a day than being locked in Abu Ghraib prison reading Jonathan Franzen, I'm not aware of it."

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