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'The scope of social networking as a form of journalism is limited. Yes, you can tweet a photo or write about, say, a policemen beating a protestor somewhere. But a real news story is complicated and analytical and it needs to be worked on.'

'Journalism is not that simple,' Jonathan Franzen, arguably the greatest American novelist of his generation, tells Rediff.com's Sanchari Bhattacharya in a fascinating interview.

He is known as the 'Greatest American Novelist' of this generation and is the only author to have featured on the cover of Time magazine in a decade.

Jonathan Franzen has also topped a list of '10 grumpiest living writers', beating out famously cranky authors like V S Naipaul.

Neither is Franzen too kicked about accolades nor is he too bothered about the brickbats.

In a chat with Rediff.com's Sanchari Bhattacharya during an interaction with a select group of journalists on the sidelines of the JaipurLiteratureFestival, the creator of critically acclaimed bestsellers like The Connections and Freedom clarifies that he does not hate the Internet and, contrary to popular perception, is not an angry man.

In one of your interviews, you called the Internet 'a bloodsucking squib'...

I never called the Internet a bloodsucking squib! I was talking about Silicon Valley firms and how they are killing the profession of journalism.

I am a big fan of the Internet when I have to book plane tickets or when I have to look up someone.

I think e-mail is one of the greatest inventions of all times. I would love it if I never had to talk on the phone with anyone. I would only write e-mails.

Read more:
'The Internet is destroying journalism'