A Mystery Wrapped in an Enigma...

Thomas Pynchon might just be the most mysterious living writer. He's been said to be more reclusive than J.D. Salinger, and so little is known about his private life that many have speculated that he doesn't exist at all. Some have even suggested that he IS J.D. Salinger. There are a couple pictures of Pynchon, but they were taken 50 years ago when he was a student at Cornell University in upstate New York.

Although his more accessible works include The Crying of Lot 49 and V, the true masterpiece from Pynchon was Gravity's Rainbow. It's considered one of the most challenging reads in modern literature, with complex language and obscure references that somehow tie in to a plot so complex that it would take me at least 10,000 words to begin to summarize it. To make an adequate Cliffs Notes of Gravity's Rainbow would take more than the 760 pages the book itself contains. The nominating committee for the Pulitzer Prize unanimously selected Gravity's Rainbow for the fictional novel category in 1973, only to have their selection rejected by the board, who called it obscene and unreadable.

Unlike Salinger, who shuns the spotlight from a secluded home in the woods at an address that is circulated widely across the internet, Pynchon takes the "seclusion by submersion" approach to staying away from cameras and reporters. It's believed that he has lived in Manhattan, and a DMV worker in California once ran an illegal background check and found that Pynchon also took up residence in his home state. Although now in his 70's, Pynchon has been a follower of a largely-unknown band during the past 20 years, attending many shows. There are also reports that he likes to attend book festivals, where he meanders about with the locals and tourists as if he were not considered by many to be the greatest living writer.

Some of Pynchon's published works include:
V
The Crying of Lot 49
Gravity's Rainbow
Slow Learner
Mason & Dixon
Vineland
Against the Day