How the mighty have fallen

Oprah's Final Book Club Selection

Oprah began her final "farewell" season this Fall and tomorrow, she will announce her final selection for her book club. Everyone is wondering whether she will chose Jonathan Franzen's Freedom or Nelson Mandela's Conversations With Myself. Of course we all know what happened in 2001 when Oprah wanted Franzen's The Corrections in her club - Franzen wasn't happy, stating that Orpah "picked some good books, but she's picked enough schmaltzy, one-dimensional ones that I cringe".

Of course Oprah is hugely influential in the publishing world. Not only have her book club selections made millions - some have gone on to be reviewed by the New York Times, sometimes as the cover story, and have been translated to the big screen.

"The all-powerful Oprah Book Club is not so much a book club as a ruthlessly influential marketing vehicle, with the power to fundamentally alter best-seller lists, Amazon rankings and royalty payments." -Time Magazine

So, Mandela or Franzen? My vote is on Mandela.

Update: I guess we don't have to wait until tomorrow. The AP says she picked Freedom. I wonder if we will hear anything from Franzen?

Books Still Matter

"Is Franzen the literary world's ideal representative? Maybe not. Maybe yes. I don't think it matters. What matters is that on the cover of one of the most widely read magazines in the country, a writer is looking directly back at us, and we are being told that His. Craft. Matters. We should have no tolerance for the snipers, the agitators, the petty grievers who lament that Franzen was given this honor rather than someone else who may have been a better fit. When the day comes that writers are commonly granted the accolades and recognition they deserve, we can argue over who deserves what and why. But for now, Franzen is being lifted up for all of us. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy. When our culture tells us that the ignorant are to be admired, that vacuousness is the new entertainment, the battle over ebooks feels like a battle over who has to sweep the deck on the titanic. When reading and intelligence is presented as overrated or unimportant, these small quibbles seem laughable. Too few know the importance of the written word, how important letters are, how important thinkers are, how important books are.

And so here it is, in big bold letters: Great American Novelist. Whether he is comfortable with it or not, Franzen is the representative for the entirety of publishing. His cover is telling millions of people, shouting from newsstands, that writers are still the soul of our culture. That books still matter. That books still matter. And this, beyond anything, is reason to celebrate. And this, beyond anything, is a reason to be hopeful."

- Jason Pinter, "Why Should We Celebrate Johnathan Franzen? Because Books Still Matter"


If you're sick of hearing about Franzen, check out The Dork's post "The Hype Machine: Love It or Loath It"

Jonathan Franzen, You're Pretty Awesome

Jonathan Franzen, the author who was recently featured on the cover of Time Magazine (the first living authors since Stephen King in 2000) and dubbed "Great American Novelist" has released an author video, in which he discusses author videos. Take a look: