Jonathan Franzen on Jeopardy: 'This guy is just into his theses and his birds'

The Purity author’s performance – he bombed on the Bard and the final question – didn’t impress patrons of a Brooklyn dive bar famous for its play-along sessions

Jonathan Franzen needs to brush up on his Shakespeare. The curmudgeonly writer may be known for his elitism, but his performance on the episode of celebrity Jeopardy that aired on Monday included two flubs on Shakespeare questions and a too-confident wager on a final question about political terms that left him in second place.

At Alibi, a much-loved dive bar in Fort Greene where patrons play along with the game show every night, few of the regulars recognized the author of Purity – and yet one older man summed him up rather accurately within the first few minutes. “This guy is just into his theses and his birds,” he grumbled during the interviews segment as Franzen emphasized the two things (aside from his books) for which he is most known: his love of birds and disdain for the internet.

Continue reading...