Jonathan Safran Foer on Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Just as I posted a JSF interview after we finished reading Everything is Illuminated, I thought I would post a video where Jonathan Safran Foer discusses Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. This particular interview, which takes place at Michigan State University, appears to be fairly recent, as it was uploaded to YouTube in September. In the video, JSF makes several interesting points. He notes that his book is largely about family and loss and acknowledges that 9/11 is only a minor part of his story, even though it generates considerable attention. Two of the more fascinating ideas presented in the interview are when JSF describes what prompts him to write and how much his plan for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close changed over time. He also echoes one of Calvino’s more notable lines in Invisible Cities: “It is not the voice that commands the story: it is the ear” (Calvino 135). While he does not directly say this, his comments connect strongly to this particular idea. Foer suggests that he doesn’t have any better idea of the meaning of his books than his readers. He states he loves hearing the ideas of his readers, so we should be sure to share all of the great ideas we have been talking about all year when me meet him. Interestingly enough, Foer also mentions his two young kids and how he hardly travels or gives book talks anymore, re-affirming how lucky we are to have him come to KO.