Pynchon Articles

A collection of online articles about Thomas Pynchon and his work. These are not book reviews: those are located under the corresponding page in the “Pynchon Works” section. These are mostly articles written about Pynchon, many of which discuss his reclusiveness or his “cult following.” Please send us an email if you find a new article for inclusion!

Playboy, March 1977. Jules Siegel’s infamous Playboy “memoir” is offensively sexist, opportunistic, and invasive. But to this day it remains a much-quoted source of Pynchon biography; so here’s Jules in all his insufferable glory.

Washington Post, 6 December 1989. Streitfeld discusses Pynchon’s reclusiveness and the first negative buzz about Vineland.

CNN, 5 June 5 1997. CNN discusses Pynchon’s tendency to avoid the limelight.

Archipelago, 1997. O’Connell declares Pynchon as “one honest homo americanus.”

New Yorker, 7 July 1997. A piece about James Bone, the journalist who stalked Pynchon to get a photograph.

Metro, October 1-7, 1998. Yewell discusses Pynchon’s penchant for anonymity and the efforts to track him down.

New York Times, 10 October 10, 1999. Steiner discusses recent changes in the American novel, with frequent mentions of Pynchon.

Salon.com, 15 October 1999. This small piece discusses how the author of The Testament of Yves Gundron got Pynchon to endorse her new novel.

The Aesthetic, 2003. A look at Pynchon’s life on Manhattan Beach.

Boston Globe, 19 October 19, 2003. A feature on Pynchon’s Simpsons appearance.

The New Partisan, 4 May 2006. Nazaryan on “Reading Pynchon Today.”

June 2006. Paul Royster’s useful document is available as a PDF.

The Independent, 17 August 2006. Another piece about Pynchon’s reclusiveness.

The Phoenix, 11 November 2006. A female Pynchon reader speculates why his writing has attracted a predominantly male audience.

The Eagle, 12 November 2006. A feature on the Pynchonian Web.

Pop Matters!, 21 November 2006. Carvill offers a lucid discussion of Pynchon and the relevance of his work.

Daily Telegraph, 7 December 2006.  Sheldon discusses Pynchon, his work, and the enigma surrounding him.

The Atlantic, 26 August 2013. Alexander Nazaryan on Thomas Pynchon.