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Jonathan Franzen talks with Kerri Miller on the "storied boards" of Fitzgerald Theater. 

Attending Jonathan Franzen's talk at the Fitzgerald Theater Tuesday night was surprisingly delightful. But then I didn't go with much more information in my head than "he writes really big books that the critics love, and 

So imagine my surprise when Franzen, author of 

 took the stage, and what unfolded was a conversation of great honesty, humor and warmth.

If you weren't able to get a ticket to the event (it was sold out quite early on), it was rebroadcast on Midmorning today, and the audio link is above. But for those who don't have an hour to spare, here are a few choice quotes:

1. On Minnesota, that "convivial planet" where his family hails from, where he spent many summers visiting relatives, and where much of 

2. On writing - Franzen said some of the most formative books of his youth were Gone with the Wind and Watership Down, and that he had no desire to write a novel set in Washington D.C. because how could you top the great political drama that is reality?

3. On fame, and how it inspired him to write a memoir at a relatively young age.

4. Lastly, on Oprah, and how Franzen went from being "uninvited" from her book club back in 2001, to invited once again just last week:

It will be interesting to see if Oprah gets as interesting and honest a conversation with Franzen when he appears on her show in November.

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Franzen on fame, Oprah and Minnesota

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