How to be Alone. Jonathan Franzen
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JONATHAN FRANZEN
HOW TO BE ALONE
ESSAYS
Fourth Estate An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd. 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by Fourth Estate in 2002
Copyright ©Jonathan Franzen 2002
Jonathan Franzen asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
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Source ISBN: 9780007153589
Ebook Edition © OCTOBER 2012 ISBN: 9780007389063
Version: 2019-05-23
From the reviews of How to Be Alone:
‘Stunning … Each page is studded with irresistible writing which leaves you breathless for more. Franzen’s strength is his ability to combine a rigorous intellectual approach with an upbeat energy, using language which touches the heart as surely as the head’
Time Out
‘How to Be Alone reveals [Franzen] to be an impressively versatile non-fiction writer, equally sure of touch and tone whether reporting on the US prison system, reviewing sex self-help books, or joining the debates about privacy and smoking with a rare acuity and sanity’
Guardian
‘Franzen possesses an incredibly strong narrative voice – his tone is packed with confidence, exuberance and energy … In its ambition, its intellectual vigour and its knowledge, [How to Be Alone] more than justifies its place on any bookshelf … At his best, [Franzen] is nothing less than mesmerising’
Sunday Business Post
‘Full of quips and aphorisms, [Franzen] is the Montaigne of our times, both inventively comic and deadly serious … Beguiling … You love him for his scrupulous honesty and for his arresting originality’
Harpers & Queen
‘Franzen’s almost casual brilliance with language can leave you giddy with the thrill’
Irish Times
‘An engrossing read where the combination of plot with technical detail is exquisite … ideal for anyone who enjoys intelligent writing’
Herald, Glasgow
‘Much thought and craft has gone into these essays … [Franzen’s] writing is an antidote in itself to the gloom it so eloquently describes’
Sunday Telegraph
FOR KATHY CHETKOVICH
Contents
INAUGURATION DAY, JANUARY 2001
MY THIRD