Geoff Dyer versus Jonathan Franzen

Geoff Dyer versus Jonathan Franzen

Postby jasperjoffe » Thu Jan 06, 2011 5:54 pm

To avoid celebrating too much, I read a lot of these guys over xmas. Some observations:

Franzen is whiny. Dyer you'd like to be his friend and take drugs with him or at least play tennis.
Franzen has produced the better book: The Corrections.
In essays Dyer is funny, Franzen you just feel like you're getting too much info from a conceited nerd.
Dyer's essays on photograpy are his dullest. All Franzen essays are kinda boring.
Dyer likes tv, Franzen thinks it's evil.
Dyer likes drugs, Franzen antidepressants.

So.....
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Re: Geoff Dyer versus Jonathan Franzen

Postby H.P. Sauce » Thu Jan 06, 2011 6:56 pm

Have you read Geoff Dyer's book on Jazz? Apparently he's written about Sun Ra (whose band often perform in Dalston's Otto Cafe). And, he has also put together a Jazz book called But Beautiful. Apparently the definition of Jazz is music that is "unexpected" so it kind of makes sense that rather than just writing a sensible biog of famous Jazz musicians, Dyer has come up with something more playful.
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Re: Geoff Dyer versus Jonathan Franzen

Postby CAP » Thu Jan 06, 2011 9:15 pm

I used to like Dyer, but it's been a while since I read any. For some reason I get him confused with Richard Rayner.

As a novel, The Corrections felt a bit too scattered and tedious. It's as if Franzen wanted to put all of his ideas into the one killer story, but it only killed the story. I think it might be better if he didn't spend so long on them. Maybe he should read Vonnegut again and look at the quick and dirty payoffs a bit more.
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Re: Geoff Dyer versus Jonathan Franzen

Postby Astrid » Sun Jan 09, 2011 11:08 am

Has anyone noticed how hard it is to get a book by Geoff Dyer that hasn't been personally signed by him. Gilbert and George are the same. They sign everything.
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