🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Jonathan Franzen
Jonathan Earl Franzen was born on August 17, 1959, in Western Springs Illinois, USA to Irene and Earl T. Franzen. He was the last born in the family with two other siblings. His father was an engineer while his mom was a housewife who didn’t value arts and always encouraged Franzen to take other better subjects. His early years were spent in a less known suburb of St. Louis, Missouri called the Webster Groves. At Swarthmore College, he studied Germany and came out of the other end with a degree while being fluent at it. He got married soon after graduation and moved to Boston with his wife Valerie Cornell in 1982to pursue a career as an author. Most of Franzen’s work is based on literary fiction but critically covers on issues that affect the modern society, as we might know it today.
All Book Series by Jonathan Franzen
Test(0)Description / Buy at AmazonHow to Be Alone
Series opener · book 1 of 6 · published 2002
The Best American Essays 2021
Latest in the series · book 11 of 11 · published 2021
The Legacy of David Foster Wallace
Latest in the series · book 5 of 5 · published 2012
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Jonathan Franzen?
Jonathan Earl Franzen was born on August 17, 1959, in Western Springs Illinois, USA to Irene and Earl T. Franzen. He was the last born in the family with two other siblings. His father was an engineer while his mom was a housewife who didn’t value arts and always encouraged Franzen to take other better subjects.
Which Jonathan Franzen series should I start with?
Jonathan Franzen's series each consist of a single volume, so there is no reading order inside them. The earliest is The Best American Essays 2011 (2011).
How many books has Jonathan Franzen written?
Jonathan Franzen has 28 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1988 and 2021. 12 of them belong to 2 named series — the largest being the A Key to All Mythologies series with 1 book — and 16 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Jonathan Franzen's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Jonathan Franzen's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are A Key to All Mythologies (2021, 1 book).
How are Jonathan Franzen's books organised into series?
This guide splits Jonathan Franzen's 28 books into 2 named series and 16 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: A Key to All Mythologies (1 book, 2021); The Best American: Essays (11 books, 2011–2021).