Pynchon's Next

Now that the title and release date of Thomas Pynchon's first novel in nine years has been made official, The Independent delves into the mystery of the man: "He is so elusive a writer that he makes Harper Lee appear a socialite. He gives no interviews and shuns all photo opportunities. Thomas Pynchon, cult figure of American prose, is a nightmare for his publicists."

Here's an extract from the author's own note on the novel, which spans the period between the Chicago World's Fair of 1893 and the years just after the First World War: "Characters stop what they're doing to sing what are for the most part stupid songs. Strange sexual practices take place. Obscure languages are spoken, not always idiomatically. Contrary-to-the-fact occurrences occur. If it's not the world, it is what the world might be with a minor adjustment or two. According to some, this is one of the main purposes of fiction."