(He was snooty about The Corrections being selected for her book club, from which he was promptly disinvited.) He remembers a New York Times opinion page containing two articles: РІР‚СљOne about evil Osama bin Laden and a piece on how terrible I was.РІР‚Сњ There followed two more novels, Freedom, which led to him appearing on the cover of Time magazine under the headline РІР‚СљGreat American NovelistРІР‚Сњ in 2010, Purity in 2015 and several essay collections. The novel may have made his name, but it also made him РІР‚Сљthe second most-hated person in America for a few weeksРІР‚Сњ, he recalls now, after the Oprah Winfrey debacle. The timing of his dizzying critique of American life and capitalist excess in the late 90s, published just a few days before the attacks on the twin towers, was РІР‚Сљan uncanny coincidenceРІР‚Сњ. This September marks the 20th anniversary of The Corrections.

РІР‚СљThat season of my life was over.РІР‚Сњ He tried one autumn in New York without Chetkovich before realising it wasnРІР‚в„ўt going to work, РІР‚Сљso I just threw in the towel, and now IРІР‚в„ўm a CalifornianРІР‚Сњ. РІР‚СљIt was a war I was happy to lose, because IРІР‚в„ўd been in New York for 25 years and IРІР‚в„ўd had enough,РІР‚Сњ he says. But after РІР‚Сљa massive tug of warРІР‚Сњ, they moved here permanently so she could be closer to her elderly mother. He has spent part of each year here since he met his partner, writer Kathy Chetkovich, РІР‚Сљthe CalifornianРІР‚Сњ of his essays, in 1998. РІР‚СљAlso, if I had the blinds open there would be birds and they would distract.РІР‚Сњ Franzen likes birds, a lot.Р”Р‡ive years ago he gave up his studio office on New YorkРІР‚в„ўs 125th Street for this monastically bare room in Santa Cruz university. РІР‚СљIРІР‚в„ўm vampiric for the first six hours of the day. A sliver of sunshine dares to creep under the venetian blind at the window. РІР‚СљSpecial occasion,РІР‚Сњ he says drily of our video call. I T IS 11AM PACIFIC TIME and Jonathan Franzen has just turned on the light.

Blind write just write