Jonathan Franzen, one of the most prominent figures of modern American literature, addresses Armenian readers with a special video message (video)
09/04/2025
The author of one of this fall’s most anticipated books, Jonathan Franzen, greeted Armenian readers with a special video message. Responding to Newmag’s request, Franzen warmly congratulated the publication of the Armenian edition of “Crossroads” and expressed his willingness to visit Armenia in the near future.
Jonathan Franzen is an acclaimed American novelist, essayist, and critic. His works are distinguished by sharp social observations, profound explorations of family dramas, and reflections on the moral dilemmas of contemporary life.
Franzen is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the American Academy Award and the National Book Award - the highest literary honor in the United States. His novels are global bestsellers, celebrated for their depth and resonance with readers worldwide.
From its earliest years, Newmag set itself the goal of introducing Franzen’s works to Armenian audiences. The first of his novels to appear in Armenian is “Crossroads”. Translating Franzen’s prose posed a significant challenge, as his unique voice and distinctive literary style had to be carefully conveyed into Armenian.
Throughout the publishing process, Newmag maintained close communication with Franzen’s agents and with the author himself. In his video message, Franzen warmly greets Armenian readers and expresses gratitude to the publishing house for making his work accessible in Armenian.
“Hello! My name is Jonathan Franzen and I am here in California with greetings to readers in Armenia.
The occasion is the publication of the first book of mine to appear in Armenian. It’s my latest novel “Crossroads”, which is the story of an American family in the 1970s, dealing with the troubles that families had in the 70s, related to the Vietnam war, the civil rights and to the rebellious youth movement in general.
I wanna thank my publisher Newmag for bringing it out in Armenian. I'm really excited to have a book in that language for the first time.
And I am told that Newmag is hoping to bring other novels of mine to Armenia before too long. And this gives me some hope that I will have a reason to come to Armenia in the not too distant future. I would love to meet some readers there. I care about readers. Writers do care about readers and I definitely care.
In the meantime it’s a great honor to finally be appearing in the Armenian language and if you read the book I hope you like it.”
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Description
December 1971. A brutal Midwestern winter gathers over Chicago. Parish priest Russ Hildebrandt is on the verge of ending an unhappy marriage—unaware that his wife, Marion, is equally exhausted by its monotony and guarding secrets of her own. Their eldest, Clem, returns from college with a decision that will upend his father’s certainties. Becky, the high-school queen, is swept into a fervent spiritual quest. Perry, dealing drugs to junior-high kids, resolves to change and become someone better.
In the Hildebrandt home, each person reaches for freedom, and each blocks the others’ way. With this single family as his lens, Jonathan Franzen captures the exhilaration and disorder of 1970s America—the rising tide of idealism set against a deepening moral unease. This is a novel about love and estrangement, about fathers and sons, about the patterns children inherit and resist, and the wounds relatives inflict through indifference. At life’s crossroads, the cost of freedom is bitter, yet the possibility of grace endures. Life is messy—and, somehow, wonderful.
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