Freedom

It's rare for the publishing of a book to cause a buzz as big as the premiere of an Oscar worthy film or the tour dates of an overexcited popstar.  Yet that is exactly what is happening to Jonathan Franzen in this  bookstore-disappearing age.  Last night in downtown LA Franzen read from his new novel FREEDOM to a packed auditorium of enthusiastic fans many who had already completed his five hundred plus page opus.  One audience member asked him if while writing he envisioned his words on the big screen.  The response was an emphatic no. His goal is to write a tale that cannot be adapted into a screenplay.  Franzen is eager to preserve the intimate experience the reader has was the author.  A connection between two beings which can only be gained through stillness, the writer at his desk and the reader sitting quietly freeing his or her mind of distractions.  I ordered my copy of FREEDOM a few days ago from Amazon. Every day I check my mailbox hoping this is the day it will arrive.