Pynchalike just says no to Oprah

[Doug Millison]

J-Franz Oprah Show Nixed: Host Doesn't Want to Make Him Uncomfortable

So much for that J-Franz Oprah appearance. The author won't appear on
the show nor will his work be discussed by Oprah viewers.

"Jonathan Franzen will not be on the Oprah Winfrey show because he is
seemingly uncomfortable and conflicted about being chosen as a book club
selection," says Winfrey. "It is never my intention to make anyone
uncomfortable or cause anyone conflict. We have decided to skip the
dinner and we're moving on to the next book." The dinner refers to an
event with Oprah and selected readers, clips of which are usually shown
on the program discussing the book. No date had been set for that
program, presumably to give readers a chance to finish the 568-page
title.

The contradictions Winfrey refers to came across in several J-Franz
interviews. For starters, The Corrections author admitted to The
Oregonian that he originally considered declining Oprah's offer. "I see
this as my book, my creation, and I didn't want that logo of corporate
ownership on it."

To NPR's Terry Gross, he cited that he's heard "more than one reader in
signing lines now in bookstores say, 'You know, if I hadn't heard you, I
would have been put off by the fact that it is an Oprah pick,'" and
added, "I'm a little confused about the whole thing right now."

He also was quoted in The Oregonian as saying that he and FSG feel the
selection "does as much for her as it does for us" and insinuated,
rather curiously, that Oprah might not help sales that much. "Well, it
was already on the best-seller list and the reviews were pretty much all
in," J-Franz told the paper. (He does conclude that the selection "means
a lot more money for me and my publisher.")

The sales impact of the most recent Oprah decision probably won't cut
that deep; J-Franz has already risen to the top of many bestseller
lists, though the discussion show usually gives a book a little more
legs.

Meanwhile, the logo remains an issue for some readers. Book Soup manager
Denise Bonis recently told the Times that she had to special-order
non-Oprah editions for particularly sensitive customers. (There are
currently about 800,000 copies in print, most of them with the
insignia.) We know there's always been an issue among design purists
over incorporating the Oprah logo into jacket art, but one really has to
wonder who these readers are inviting to their houses that this would be
an issue.

Inasmuch as one can feel sympathy for a bestelling writer with fantastic
reviews, we feel it for J-Franz, whose absurd success at the cash
register cannot help but bump up against the literary reputation he's
staked for himself. Oprah might have tapped him for her book club, but
he's clearly been mindful, even bothered, by the fact that he already
belongs to a different club, a literary clique whose membership
guidelines can be both strict and fuzzy. Then again, at nearly a million
copies and universal praise, strict and fuzzy don't seem like terribly
worrisome concerns.--Steven Zeitchik

from:
 PW NewsLine
 http://publishersweekly.reviewsnews.com
 October 22, 2001



Doug Millison - Writer/Editor/Web Editorial Consultant
millison at online-journalist.com
www.Online-Journalist.com