Jonathan Safran Foer: Tree of Codes

[miobrien]

I assume the WLF consensus regarding Mr. Foer is overwhelmingly negative. He's certainly young, famous, and rich. His writing, at times, is sentimental and suspiciously cute. And his "experimental" techniques are questionable.

For the most part, I enjoyed Everything is Illuminated. I haven't been able to stomach Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close due to it's unrealistic main character. And I haven't gotten around to Eating Animals yet.

With that said, I'm intrigued by Tree of Codes, his latest novel.

Tree of Codes, is a haunting new story by best-selling American writer, Jonathan Safran Foer. With a different die-cut on every page, Tree of Codes explores previously unchartered literary territory. Initially deemed impossible to make, the book is a first - as much a sculptural object as it is a work of masterful storytelling. Inspired to exhume a new story from an existing text, Jonathan Safran Foer has taken his favourite book, The Street of Crocodiles by Polish-Jewish writer Bruno Schulz and used it as a canvas, cutting into and out of the pages, to arrive at an original new story told in Safran Foer's own acclaimed voice. Tree of Codes is the story of 'an enormous last day of life'. As one character's life is chased to extinction, Safran Foer multi-layers the story with immense, anxious, at times disorientating imagery, crossing both a sense of time and place, making the story of one person's last day everyone's story. The book has a broad appeal: to both literary audiences, intrigued by Safran Foer's new way of writing and to design and art audiences who will revel in the book's remarkable and unique visual experience.

Interestingly, I don't think it's received much attention yet -- especially compared to his wife's latest novel, Great House.

 

[mesnalty]

It sounds interesting, but I'm not sure it explores "previously uncharted literary territory." It sounds a lot like Tom Phillips' A Humument: see its Wikipedia page.

 

[lionel]

I assume the WLF consensus regarding Mr. Foer is overwhelmingly negative.

No, and far from it. I read Everything is Illuminated and didn't find it particularly illuminating, but it made me slightly reluctant to read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - in spite of its obvious (and very interesting) biographical references - because, I suppose, I was a little put off by the first novel.

However, Eating Animals is an amazing indictment of the meat industry, and I applaud Foer's research into it. It didn't turn me into a vegetarian, but then - I was there long before.

BLOG

 

[Benny Profane]

Guys, what are your opinions about Jonathan Safran Foer?
Is he a rich man/playboy writing about ESG, climate change, vegetarianism, empowerment speeches or is he a great author?
Are his books great or are his books chick lit/potboilers?

 

[Liam]

I don't think he is a "great" writer but neither is he a writer of potboilers. I find his work solid, well-written, but ultimately forgettable. Along with countless other authors he suffers from what I call the "Brooklyn Syndrome": the inability to see above and beyond the tiny island of literati clustering on that tiny spit of land. NYC-based writers in general suffer from this: a certain kind of myopia or tunnel vision, they can't see anything beyond Manhattan's horizon.

 

[Benny Profane]

I don't think he is a "great" writer but neither is he a writer of potboilers. I find his work solid, well-written, but ultimately forgettable. Along with countless other authors he suffers from what I call the "Brooklyn Syndrome": the inability to see above and beyond the tiny island of literati clustering on that tiny spit of land. NYC-based writers in general suffer from this: a certain kind of myopia or tunnel vision, they can't see anything beyond Manhattan's horizon.

Thanks, Liam!

I ask about him because his whole works have been publishing here in my country and many people are turning up their noses for him.
He is classified here as "another white and privileged man who writes about things he has not any domain" and the opinions about his works are 50/50.

 

[redhead]

Guys, what are your opinions about Jonathan Safran Foer?
Is he a rich man/playboy writing about ESG, climate change, vegetarianism, empowerment speeches or is he a great author?
Are his books great or are his books chick lit/potboilers?

Everything is Illuminated is alright, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close extremely and incredibly bad. Haven’t checked out anything else, though various statements and uncollected pieces make me agree with Liam that Foer suffers from what he calls “Brooklyn Syndrome.”

Also, he came to speak at @ctbzz‘s school and apparently the faculty found him insufferable. Not that I’d put stock in that when weighing up his works, but I do find it funny.