Jonathan Franzen, the bestselling author, met with President Obama this afternoon, White House officials said.
Obama received an advanced reader’s copy of Franzen’s most recent book, “Freedom,” while on vacation in Martha’s Vineyard over Labor Day weekend. He reportedly set off a small firestorm in the publishing world when other booksellers thought the bookstore, Bunch of Grapes, had sold him the book – which would have violated the embargo.
Franzen won critical acclaim for his third novel, “The Corrections,” for which he won a National Book Award and was a finalist for the 2002 Pulitzer Prize. He has earned media attention before after expressing hesitation at being included in Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club. He was quoted as saying he didn’t want the “logo of corporate ownership” on the book, and portrayed by some as an ivory tower elitist – an image that Obama himself has struggled to shake.
Get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox. Sign up for National Journal's morning alert, Wake-Up Call, and afternoon newsletter, The Edge. Subscribe here.
Leave A Comment