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Jonathan Franzen

File:Jonathan_Franzen_2011_Shankbone_2.JPG · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Jonathan Franzen

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Also known as Jonathan Earl Franzen

American writer

OverviewAI-generated

Jonathan Franzen is an American novelist, writer, essayist, and opinion journalist who has worked in New York City since 1988. Born in Western Springs on August 17, 1959, he holds United States citizenship and writes in English. His notable works include *The Corrections* and *Freedom*. Franzen has received several awards, including the National Book Award, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and an honorary degree. He has written for *The New Yorker* and is a member of the Academy of Arts, Berlin, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Franzen was educated at Swarthmore College and Freie Universität Berlin. He speaks both German and English. His literary influences include Henrik Ibsen, Philip Roth, Don DeLillo, and Alice Munro. He has also mentored students such as Rachel Kushner.

Synthesized by Vinony from 39 facts across 9 sources: Wikidata, Crossref, MusicBrainz, Last.fm, TMDb, Wikiquote, Open Library, Vinony collections, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Person · Open Library

Born
August 17, 1959
Works
127

Top works

  • The Peanuts Papers
  • The Twenty-Seventh City (Bestselling Backlist)
  • How to Be Alone
  • אזור אי־הנוחות
  • Corrections Reading Group Guide

via Open Library + Wikidata

Film & TV

Known for

  • Watching People Watching Birds — Himself2026
  • Le cri du rhinocéros — Self2018
  • Ferrante Fever2017
  • Sjöwall & Wahlöö - Berättelsen om ett brott — Self2016
  • The Late Show with Stephen Colbert — Self2015
  • Philip Roth: Unmasked — Himself2013
  • Revenge of the Mekons — Self2013
  • Birders: The Central Park Effect — Himself2012
  • Skavlan — Self - Guest2009
  • maybrit illner — Self1999

via TMDB

Key facts

Born
Jonathan Earl Franzen , ( 1959-08-17 ) August 17, 1959 (age 66) , Western Springs, Illinois , U.S.
Occupation
Novelist, essayist
Education
Swarthmore College ( BA )
Genre
Literary fiction
Literary movement
Social realism , New Sincerity
Notable works
The Corrections (2001), Freedom (2010), Crossroads (2021)
Notable awards
National Book Award , 2001 , James Tait Black Memorial Prize , 2002
Spouse
Valerie Cornell ​ ( divorced ) ​
Partner
Kathy Chetkovich

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Instance of
human
Given name
Jonathan
Gender
male
Citizenship
United States
Place of birth
Western Springs
Languages spoken
English language
Notable work
Freedom
Field of work
opinion journalism
Official website
jonathanfranzen.com
Image
Jonathan Franzen 2011 Shankbone 2.JPG
Work location
New York City
Show 9 more facts
Commons category
Jonathan Franzen
date of birth
1959-08-17
influenced by
F. Scott Fitzgerald
start of work period
1988-00-00
writing language
English language
has written for
The New Yorker
name in native language
Jonathan Earl Franzen
Sources (15)

via Wikidata · CC0

~30 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Jonathan Earl Franzen (born August 17, 1959) is an American novelist and essayist. His 2001 novel The Corrections drew widespread critical acclaim, earned Franzen a National Book Award, was a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction finalist, earned a James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and was shortlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award. His novel Freedom (2010) garnered similar praise and led to an appearance on the cover of Time magazine alongside the headline "Great American Novelist". Franzen's latest novel Crossroads was published in 2021, and is the first in a projected trilogy.

Franzen has contributed to The New Yorker magazine since 1994. His 1996 Harper's essay "Perchance to Dream" bemoaned the state of contemporary literature. Oprah Winfrey's book club selection in 2001 of The Corrections led to a much publicized feud with the talk show host.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Jonathan Franzen” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (5)