Author: Mr. Difficult
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Episode 14: Season One Finale
In the season one finale, we rank all of Jonathan Franzen’s books, answer a few listener questions, and reveal what’s next for the podcast.
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Episode 13: The End of the End of the Earth
Critic Leo Robson joins us to discuss Franzen's most recent collection of essays, The End of the End of the Earth.
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Episode 12: Farther Away
Novelist Gabriel Roth joins us to discuss Jonathan Franzen's second essay collection, Farther Away.
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Episode 11: The Discomfort Zone
We're joined by author Scaachi Koul to discuss Jonathan Franzen's 2006 memoir, The Discomfort Zone: A Personal History.
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Episode 10: The Kraus Project
In this episode, we're joined by novelist Nell Zink to discuss The Kraus Project.
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Episode 9: How to Be Alone
In this episode, we're joined by novelist Brandon Taylor to discuss Jonathan Franzen's first essay collection, How to Be Alone.
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Episode 8: Crossroads (Part 2)
We're joined by New York Times national correspondent Ruth Graham to discuss Franzen's depiction of faith and Christianity in Crossroads.
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Episode 7: Crossroads (Part 1)
In this episode, Erin, Alex, and Eric are joined by critic Merve Emre and poet Elisa Gabbert to discuss Jonathan Franzen’s sixth novel, Crossroads.
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Episode 6: Purity
Everyone agrees that Purity is an insane mess. But what if it’s also good? Novelist Rumaan Alam joins Erin, Alex, and Eric to discuss Jonathan Franzen’s fifth novel.
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Episode 5: Freedom
We're joined by novelist Jacob Bacharach to discuss Jonathan Franzen’s fourth and most Franzen-y novel, Freedom.
About Mr. Difficult
How did Jonathan Franzen become America’s most divisive novelist? Is he even good? And what’s the deal with his relationship with birds, anyway? Mr. Difficult is a podcast devoted to exploring these and many other questions related to this great American novelist. (Or is it the great American novelist?) Join co-hosts Erin Somers and Alex Shephard and producer Eric Jett as they discuss each of Franzen’s six novels, as well as his nonfiction.
Email: contact@mrdifficult.com