The truth is, I don’t exactly know. Few people do. The only time the name Thomas Pynchon enters the public mind is when he releases a new book, or when he makes a guest appearance on The Simpsons.

That said, there will be a renewed interest in Pynchon in the coming months as his newest book, Against The Day, is scheduled to be published in November of this year. People will be looking for pictures of the reclusive author, and they’ll find it’s a lot harder than they think.

Pynchon has rarely been photographed, and the newest confirmed photos of the man were taken when he was in high school, over 50 years ago. It’s believed he lives in Manhattan with his wife and one child. He may have been inadvertantly caught on camera when CNN taped a stock “sidewalk traffic” scene for a news story set in Manhattan over 10 years ago, but it’s been difficult to prove that the man was actually Pynchon. I’ll have more on that story at a later date.

If you think you’ve seen Pynchon and have some sort of evidence to back it up, please post it here, either in the comments (which I’ll read and repost if worthy), or via email at damox02 at damox.com.