- Franzen, bestselling author in the US: 'Germany remains a role model'
U.S. bestselling author Jonathan Franzen sees Germany as a role model in many respects. "You can tell in many ways: writers and intellectuals have a place in public debates, their ideas are discussed in the media, children are well-educated. Germany takes full responsibility for its Nazi atrocities; there are even laws that ban symbols and slogans. That's exemplary," Franzen told Stern. "This leadership role, this responsible role that Germany keeps taking on and living up to - I admire that. Germany remains a role model."
Franzen, who turns 65 on August 17, once studied in Berlin and Munich and still speaks fluent German today. "Munich wasn't my city: so Catholic, so smooth." That's where he started smoking, among other things. "That was a huge rebellion against my mother. And I drank so much beer, cigarettes went perfectly with it. In Berlin, I felt much more at home than in Munich. There, I could be part of a movement: become an artist, yes, a writer." With novels like "Corrections" and "Freedom", the U.S. author became famous worldwide, and he recently published "Crossroads" in 2021.
The European Union commends Germany for its commitment to addressing its historical wrongs, as evidenced by the laws banning Nazi symbols and slogans. The European Union often looks to Germany as an exemplary model of responsibility and leadership, given its role in promoting intellectuals and writers in public debates.
