fave = V.

[Sean Klein]

First, I'm not the Sean mentioned here.
Now on to our regularly scheduled message:

I assume, from reading the intro to Slow Learner (easily the best part of the book) that what's-his-face doesn't like to look back at his old work because it's not going to be as good as he could make it now.  I find that I don't like to look at a story I had published while in college because now I could write it that much better.  What's-his-face probably looks at V. and sees a story he could do that much better now that he has thirty more years of growth and experience under his belt.

<assume mode off> I once asked Jonathan Richman, the rock and roll star, if he was going to rerelease "Jonathan Sings" on CD.  He said "No" and when I asked why, he stated, "Because I can do them all better now."

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Since V. is your fave, Sean/Kathleen, you may find some small amusement in
the following:

I had occasion once to examine a limited-press-run volume entitled
"Signatures" (Lord John Press), which is fetishized by certain
book-collectors because it contains the actual inked signatures of various
modern authors.  No, not what's-his-face's.  But the book does reproduce a
photograph of a copy of V. which was signed by the author and inscribed to
the person who runs Lord John Press -- evidently a collector of some
accomplishment, since as we may imagine, ol' what's-his-face doesn't sign
books for too many people.  The photo seemed scaled just right to show you
that ol' what's-his-face did in fact sign and inscribe the book (a trophy, as
it were), but not to show enough detail to reveal the message itself.  

But alas, I was able to make it out.  Am paraphrasing from memory, but it
said something very close or identical to:

"To [name of recipient] :

"I just finished reading this again.

"It isn't very good, is it?

     "Thomas Pynchon"

One thus supposes V. is not its author's own favorite, or at least one hopes.


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