Issue 44 / May 2012
Who Stole Franzen's Spectacles?
Poor Jonathan Franzen isn't having much luck here in the UK. After a spectacular blunder at the printers which saw an early uncorrected draft of his new novel Freedom published instead of the final version, Franzen was last night the victim of an audacious stunt at the party held to celebrate the book.
At about 8pm, two men proclaiming to work for Puffin, crashed the party at the Serpentine Gallery. One of them snatched the glasses from the beleaguered author's face while the other slipped a ransom note into his hand: '$100,000 - your glasses are yours again!'
The pair disappeared into the dark night, but not for long. A police helicopter was scrambled (!) and one of the thieves was discovered hiding in the bushes nearby. The glasses were returned to their rightful owner, who declined to press charges, accepting the theft as a 'harmless prank.'
Franzen must be longing to finish his tour and return home. When Untitled Books met him last week, he confessed to being 'very, very tired' and had had enough of being interviewed. Yesterday morning, he arrived late for a live Radio 4 interview when his taxi failed to turn up. And now petty larceny in Kensington Gardens.
The typesetting blunder has garnered endless column inches and publicity for Freedom, but must have some as a huge blow to the author, who spent nine years working on the book and is a notorious perfectionist. Harper Collins have apologised profusely for the mistake, indeed, CEO Victoria Barnsley started the party last night by saying, "It's the novel of the year if not the decade . . . [but] we are deeply, deeply sorry. It was a terrible mistake and shouldn't have happened."
While Franzen has admitted the error was "a big deal" and is privately said to be furious, publicly he has sought to draw a line under the scandal, saying "Let's talk no more of it."
Tuesday, 5 October, 2010
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