Author Jonathan Franzen's Glasses Stolen, Ransomed

By Zach Dionne Posted Oct 5th 2010 12:41PM

Author Jonathan Franzen's Glasses Stolen, Ransom Demanded

Two enterprising, possibly book-loving bandits stole American author Jonathan Franzen's glasses at an event in England on Monday night, demanding $100,000 ransom.

According to TheBookseller.com, two men gatecrashed a launch party for Franzen's ultra-buzzy novel 'Freedom,' claiming to work for Puffin Books. They subsequently approached the 51-year-old author, grabbed his glasses off his face, and handed him a note before fleeing into London's Kensington Gardens.

The brief note read, "$100,000 -- Your glasses are yours again!" A Hotmail address was left.

One of the burglars was swiftly apprehended in bushes outside the gallery. John Bond of Press Books said, "Franzen got his glasses back and will not be pressing charges as he sees it all as a harmless prank."

A London bookstore, The Big Green Bookshop, fraudulently listed "Franzen's" glasses on Ebay, resulting in some news outlets reporting the gag as fact.

Franzen, no stranger to controversy after Oprah rescinded an invitation for him to appear on her show after selecting his 2001 opus 'The Corrections' for her book club, had a tumultuous week leading up to the glasses caper. Part of his trip to the UK was to address a series of typesetting errors in the British version of 'Freedom'; he was also late for a BBC interview after a taxi bailed on him.

Tags: Jonathan Franzen

Comments

(3)

Wednesday 06 October

By xiangaimeinmr

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A lot of this is genetics. My grandmother on my mother's side ate everything, butter, sugar, lard, meat. She kept house but didn't otherwise exercise, would have thought it ridiculous. She was thin as a rail all her life. I inherited from my father's side and my body doesn't want to give up one hard fought for pound! ,My boyfriend and i both think so ...He is almost 11year older than me .i met him via kissmilita ry.c' oma nice place for s'ee'king Army, Navy, Mari'nes, Air Force, Police Force and their admires.just love it

By Chaz Goodman

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That's just funny stuff. I am glad that he saw the humor in it all.

By jymwrite

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Is this from the Jake Jarmel episode of Seinfeld?

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