That most mysterious novelist, Thomas Pynchon...

[Mike 03]

Do any of you like his work?

Do any of you have any idea about what this brilliant author's life might be?

Do you think he lives in the one room apartment 'they' say he lived in while writing GRAVITY'S RAINBOW on grid paper? Or that he was so stoned when he wrote CRYING OF LOT 49 that he could not even sit up straight.

I love mysteries as much as anyone, but I wonder why Pynchon guards his secrecy so.

It is his right to to do so, and it definitely enhances the mystery around him, and his work is extraordinary.

It's hard not admire him for all of the above, but there is a part of me that would love to understand what makes him tick.

Am I alone in being fascinated by this novelist, and curious about his philosophy and why he is so determined to maintain his privacy?

Dumb rant on my part. Call it a mixture of rampant curiosity and admiration.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

1. I can see why he wouldn't want

to be a public figure. His work speaks for him, so why can't it end there? That's the point of the books - for people to read them and draw their own conclusions from them. To want to know about the author's private life is, I think, not part of the deal.

All these years, Pynchon's managed to make it work for him. Same as J. D. Salinger (with one regrettable lapse). I think it's great.

When you find yourself suddenly the recipient of letters from people who demand things from you because they read what you wrote, that's a startling and unpleasant experience. Not that all these people have malicious motivations, but it's frightening what they think they're entitled to, and it is not anything any author anticipates when he or she simply plies the art and writes a book.

There are more weird people out there than you can imagine .............................

[crispini]

2. I like Pynchon.

Assuming that one can tell a little bit about an author from his/her works....

Pynchon is obviously very, very smart. He strikes me as a guy who really gets "how to create a mystique." Pynchon also strikes me as quite possibly having done his share of hallucinogenics or other entheogenic substances. Anyway, you're certainly not alone in being fascinated by Pynchon, LOADS of people are. I think it's probably a combination of a genuine desire to not be in the media with a dash of "schtick" for want of a better word. As for what lies behind the curtain... one very, very odd dude, to be sure. :D

I find Pynchon's books actually more fascinating than the man himself. They're like Chinese puzzles of books.... layer upon layer upon layer. Very cool stuff.