Thomas Pynchon is one of the most important postmodern writers, and his Gravity’s Rainbow (1973) is – arguably – the essential postmodern novel. While this and Pynchon’s five other novels, published between 1963 and 2006, attracted critical attention and praise, and while his work continues to be a focus of academic discussion, the author himself is notoriously absent from public view, which has (wrongly) earned him the title of a recluse.

Pynchon refuses to comment on his work in print, with the rare exception of the introduction to his collection of early short stories, Slow Learner (1984); he does not give interviews, and there are only few published photos of him, the best of which date back to 1953, tak

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First published 18 February 2006

Citation: Pöhlmann, Sascha Nico Stefan. "Thomas Pynchon". The Literary Encyclopedia. 18 February 2006.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3673, accessed 20 November 2009.]