"There are people that care about books, and if you’re someone who can write them, you’re doing your community a favour. It’s not service in the sense that I’m feeding the homeless or coming up with a solution to climate change, but it nonetheless feels purposeful."

The author of six acclaimed novels including The Corrections, Freedom and Purity, Jonathan Franzen’s latest release Crossroads proves him, once again, to be a master of the modern family saga.  

Selected as the Guardian UK Best Fiction Book of 2021 and an Independent Book of the Year, Crossroads navigates the political, intellectual, and social crosscurrents of the past 50 years through the lens of a dysfunctional American family. 

Franzen joined Astrid Edwards, host of The Garret: Writers on Writing podcast, for a conversation about Crossroads, his writing life and the state of the modern novel. 

The bookseller for this event was Hill of Content Bookshop. 

This podcast was recorded at The Capitol, Melbourne on 14 June 2022 and presented in partnership with RMIT Culture. 

Featured music is ‘Traveling Again' by Sarah, the Illstrumentalist