NEW YORK (AP) — Writing has become no easier for Jonathan Franzen, whose fifth novel comes out this fall.

And neither, apparently, have interviews.

"I hope never to become glib," the prize-winning and private author of "Freedom" and "The Connections" said Wednesday as he spoke before hundreds at BookExpo America, where he made his first promotional appearance for his novel "Purity."

Franzen appears more than capable of keeping that promise, often spending as much time critiquing the questions he was asked Wednesday as he did actually answering them. For longtime followers of the 55-year-old author, the hour-long discussion was vintage Franzen — witty and self-deprecating, digressive and self-conscious, the conversation ranging from basketball to Russian literary theory to the difficulties of talking about his work.