In 2010, when Jonathan Franzen’s last book, Freedom, was published, Twitter was in its infancy, and so critical takes on his work were limited to newspaper think pieces.
How fortunate for us all that in 2015, tweeters can offer instant commentary when everyone’s favorite highbrow white guy says or does something controversial.
In an interview with The Guardian to promote his new book Purity, out September 1, Mr. Franzen admits that he considered adopting an Iraq war orphan so he could understand young people better. An enterprising editor, however, had Mr. Franzen meet with a group of recent college graduates, who helped him see “cynical” millennials in a new way.
“It cured me of my anger at young people,” Mr. Franzen said.
Not surprisingly, this anecdote and its whiff of white savior complex aroused a lot of anger on Twitter, with many commenters instantly labeling Mr. Franzen out of touch. Indeed, the name “Jonathan Franzen” was among the top 10 U.S. trends on Friday:
"Oh dear, why are Millennials so ANGRY?" -Jonathan Franzen after driving in the bike lane for 20 minutes
— Rob Tannenbaum (@tannenbaumr) August 21, 2015
Now, in addition to, you know, war, ISIS and poverty, Iraqi orphans have to worry that Jonathan Franzen is coming for them.
— Allison Winn Scotch (@aswinn) August 21, 2015
how do we know jonathan franzen isnt just a banksy installation?
— Rafi Schwartz (@TheJewishDream) August 21, 2015
https://twitter.com/Bro_Pair/status/634720216770080773
https://twitter.com/xmasape/status/634717843708342272
https://twitter.com/GMPaiella/status/634715753271459840
https://twitter.com/tehawesomersace/status/634715572111024128
How much do you think Jonathan Franzen's editor drinks? I mean, it has to be a lot, just for purposes of coping most days.
— Notorious PUG (@nicknewt) August 21, 2015
Hopefully Mr. Franzen makes a course correction in future promotional interviews.
