Author speaks to capacity crowd about his life as a literary writer

By JEFF MAGGARD

Author Jonathan Franzen is known for numerous achievements.

He has received much recognition for his work, including being awarded the prestigious National Book Award in 2001 for his novel “The Corrections,” a tragic yet comedic story about a family breaking down in an age of easy fixes.

But when Franzen started writing, he wanted to have his parents know him as more than someone chasing a childish dream.

“I started writing novels to prove my parents wrong and to be rich and famous,” Franzen said with a chuckle to the capacity crowd at the Alice Peters Auditorium on Friday.

To inaugurate the San Joaquin Literary Association’s New Writing Series, the 42-year-old author gave a lecture at Fresno State, a way for him to express the value of literature in a university setting. The College of Arts and Humanities and Associated Students also sponsored the event, from which campus police had to turn away people 15 minutes before the lecture.

In the first hour, Franzen read four short stories to the audience, which consisted mostly of faculty and students equipped with notebooks and pens. He read them with a writer’s articulation.

“ I began writing about relationships in my short stories because of my best friend who really had a break up,” Franzen said about his readings. Each story brought out new characters and different dilemmas that people in relationships encounter.

In 2001, Franzen ran into a level of attention when he declined to accept Oprah Winfrey’s offer to have “The Corrections” as her book of the month selection. He said he declined because he wanted to be known as a literary writer, rather than a popular one.

He also wrote 1998’s “The Twenty-Seventh City” and 1992’s Strong Motion, but neither received the attention “The Corrections” did.

“As a student, who is also an aspiring writer, I really valued Mr. Franzen’s comments and absolutely loved listening to him read his short stories,” said English major Tara deBoer.

During the second half of the event, Franzen answered questions regarding upcoming novels he’s working on and gave the audience a chance to pick his brain.

He also let the audience in about plans for making “The Corrections” into a movie.