Monday, December 04, 2006

Thomas Pynchon Sighting!

Thomas Pynchon -- the author who makes JD Salinger seem like a publicity hound -- hits the bestseller lists with his new book "Against The Day," a door-stopper of a novel that debuts at #13 on the New York Times bestseller list. It's described there as "Pynchonesque," which seems a tad redundant, don't you think? I mean, how could a book by Pynchon NOT be Pynchonesque? It's the only hint of serious fiction on the chart, which is a little unusual this time of year. Normally, other heavyweight authors deliver big titles, but no one is even close except for Dave Eggers and Cormac McCarthy. On the nonfiction list, as I predicted Barack Obama's new book slides a bit after the elections and is replaced at the top by John Grisham's "The Innocent Man." And if booksellers wonder why sales are slow, just look at the creeping prices of paperbacks, where even mass market titles now often cost $10. By the way, keep checking back for my extensive interview with Thomas Pynchon, which I'll post later this week along with a video record of our chat via You Tube and a downloadable podcast on iTunes. He's hilarious!

6 comments:

sevenpointman said...

Sure-an interview with Thomas Pynchon !

What drug are you on ?

Michael in New York said...

Thank you for playing! No drugs -- just joking.

Michael in New York said...

And what points are those, seven point man?

sevenpointman said...

The seven points i see in my milk after i dip my cookie
in.

Michael in New York said...

Oreo?

sevenpointman said...

In trying to use my cookie I have come across, with the help of the ATD wicki, and others, to many
errata and weird spellings in this new novel.
I am enjoying reading this very thought and feeling consuming book(about 800 pages in)-but are still pissed off by the slipshod editing.
Tim Ware of Pynchon.com e-mailed, and is trying to contact-Melanie Jackson, Tom's literary agent and wife, to clear things up.
I will keep you up to date.
Hope to soon post some non-spoiler observations of this book-here-and elsewhere.

How'd your two hours, no holds barred, one-to-one, Pulitizer prize winning,beautiful babe impressing,interview go ,with the Witerary Walrus?

That's just two points-five more crumpled
bits in the cowjuice-left to divine !