Jonathan Franzen Blasts Author Videos ... In His Own Author Video (VIDEO)

In the heavily-publicized lead up to his book's August 31st release, "Freedom" author Jonathan Franzen is promoting his book with a "little author video," but not before talking about how much he dislikes "little author videos."

"This might be a good place for me to register my profound discomfort at having to make videos like this," Franzen said. "To me, the point of a novel is to take you to a still place. You can multitask with a lot of things, but you can't really multitask reading a book. You're either reading a book or you're not. To me, the world of books is the quiet alternative, an ever more desperately needed alternative."

In the no-frills video, Franzen gives an early hint of one of the book's central conflicts: world overpopulation and how it conflicts with the meaning we place on raising children.

"Freedom" has already received a great deal of attention and early acclaim. He's the first living novelist to get the Time cover in a decade, and the book has garnered praise from The New York Times, Esquire, and NPR.

Despite all the positive press, when it comes to self-promotion, does Franzen get it right?

WATCH:

Comments

[DavidPalmer]

01:21 PM on 08/26/2010

Not a good self-promoter, which makes me like him even more. I'm looking forward to reading his new book. The first 3 were great.

[Budokan]

04:08 PM on 08/17/2010

Nice hypocrisy you got going there, somewhere on the scale between "Stupefying" and "Flabbergast."

Sure you're not a RepubliKan?

[uniskywriter]

01:38 PM on 08/17/2010

Overpopulation in the world is indeed a major issue that is the "white elephant" in the room that no one wants to discuss as the author points out. It seems increasingly clear major problems are ignored and are allowed to fester until disaster is upon us from overpopulation, government corruption including waste, fraud and abuse and passing bad laws for the people benefiting a few at the expense of the many. Preserving the natural environment is something that is paramount.

The challenges ahead are not being addressed directly or only in a small piecemeal fashion.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Political-Royalty-by-Henry-Pelifian-100803-6.html

[JohnEDPMalin]

03:43 PM on 08/17/2010

Uniskywriter! Kudos for you. Right on! Now how does one reduce population to 1.5 billion humans? What the Planet can actually accommodate.

[dsmith2010]

12:53 PM on 08/17/2010

He may be fighting a losing war, but give him credit for trying. Technology trumps all, but it isn't impossible to to find time to read if you value it.

[garyd63]

10:59 PM on 08/16/2010

" . . . you're either reading a book or you're not." Thank you Jonathan Franzen for stating what should be obvious to all. Unfortunately most people won't hear you on this--they'll be on their cells, or twittering, or searching youTube for unforgettable cuteness, grossness or themselves trying to dance or sing. Pulling people, even readers, back to books is nearly impossible in this circus of technology. When you really read a book, a print book, you have to be alone with yourself and the contents of the book. People today can't seem to handle it.

[tablesedge]

08:35 PM on 08/16/2010

Why does Franzen get such attention? Time is owned by...??!!! No other reason.

[llstudent]

04:38 PM on 08/16/2010

I still love reading in a paper book, not on a kindle or anything else. Good for Franzen, he is right.

[stringer]

04:30 PM on 08/16/2010

Yawn. What others have said. This is precisely what is so annoying about Franzen.

The guy is on the cover of Time Magazine and, at a time when the publishing industry is dying off, society puts less of a value on quality literature than ever and electronic publishing offers a last venue for many, what does Franzen do? Slam author videos. Brilliant, freaking, brilliant.

If there's ever been anyone who cares less about those coming behind him in his chosen profession I have yet to see who it is. The guy is beyond a smarmy, stuck-up a--hole.

[toocoldout]

10:18 PM on 08/16/2010

Kind of like how he slammed Oprah's book club, causing her to promote books less frequently.

[Beckinspate]

06:34 PM on 08/17/2010

Totally agree--his arrogance and self-involvement are incredible.

[Thomas Murphy]

04:03 PM on 08/16/2010

Right on, Franzen: employment, hunger, crime, frustration would all be lessened if there were less people on the planet. The earth is falling apart because too many of those in power are freaks: the less freaks, the more peace.

[Lev Raphael]

03:36 PM on 08/16/2010

"Profound discomfort" doesn't sound like "blasting."

That being said, it's amusing when a best-selling critic's darling condescends to other authors doing videos.

BTW, as a sales tool, this video gets a "D."

[Barrett Benton]

08:37 PM on 08/16/2010

A "D?" That's sort of Franzen's point.

[Lev Raphael]

11:28 PM on 08/17/2010

He didn't feel ironic to me. Or as if he were making a point by being dull.

Far better to not have done the video at all--he's successful enough to say no. Or to have done something clever and sophisticated. As it is, this is to much like many talking head author vids.

Unless dullness is the new irony.