“I used to think it was hard to write, and I still find the process more or less unpleasant, but if I know what I'm doing it rattles along, then the rewrite whips it into shape rather quickly.” IfsThinkingKnowsWritingStillsHardUsedProcessShapesWhipsWhip It Author:Jonathan Franzen
“Today's Baudelaires are hip-hop artists.” TodayArtistHip HopHipsHopsBaudelaireHip Hop Artist Book:How to Be Alone: Essays Source: How to Be Alone: Essays
“When I finally gave up any hope of doing anything representative of the American family, I actually seemed to have tapped into other people's weirdness in that way.” PeopleWayRepresentativesGave UpWeirdnessAmerican Family Author:Jonathan Franzen
“The Mekons were kind of like the background music of my life.” KindBackgroundsBackground Music Author:Jonathan Franzen
“It's very liberating for me to realize that I don't have to step up to the plate with a plot that involves the U.N. Security Council.” RealizingStepsSecurityPlotPlatesCouncilLiberatingStep UpSecurity Council Author:Jonathan Franzen
“It's not surprising to see in my own work, looking back, and in the work of some of my peers, an attention to family. It's nice to write a book that does tend toward significance and meaning, and where else are you sure of finding it?” WritingDoeBookMy OwnAttentionNiceFindingsSignificanceSurprisingLooking BackPeers Author:Jonathan Franzen
“If you're interested in how people behave, if you're interested in the way they talk about themselves, the way the conceive of themselves, it's very hard to ignore drugs nowadays, because that is so much part of the conversation.” PeopleIfsWayHardDrugConversationBehave Author:Jonathan Franzen
“I wrote two plotted books, got some of the fundamentals of storytelling down, then... it's sort of like taking the training wheels off, trying to write a book that's fun in the same way without relying on quite such mechanical or external beats.” WayWritingTryingTwoBookFunBeatsTrainingFundamentalsStorytellingWheelsTraining Wheels Author:Jonathan Franzen
“I was about 13, in some ways, when I wrote the first book. Approximately 18 when I wrote the second.” WayFirstsBook Author:Jonathan Franzen
“I really enjoy doing both, but I didn't write nonfiction until 1994.” WritingEnjoyNonfiction Author:Jonathan Franzen
“I look at my father, who was in many ways an unhappy person, but who, not long before he got sick, said that the greatest source of satisfaction in his life had been going to work in the company of other workers.” WayLooksPersonsLongSaidFatherCompanySourceSickWorkersSatisfactionUnhappyGoing To WorkHappy PersonUnhappy Person Author:Jonathan Franzen
“I feel as if I'm clearly part of a trend among writers who take themselves seriously - and I confess to taking myself as seriously as the next writer.” IfsFeelsNextTrends Author:Jonathan Franzen
“But as far as being popular, yeah, I think Dave Barry is really funny.” ThinkingYeahDaveBeing Popular Author:Jonathan Franzen
“And Silence of the Lambs is a really smart book.” BookSilenceSmartLambsReally Smart Author:Jonathan Franzen
