_V._: Inconclusive Unscientific Postscript

[Alan Westrope]

On Tue, Jul 31, 2001 at 08:22:57AM +1000, jbor wrote:

> The statements re. Pynchon are guarded, however, and
> certainly respectful, and it's interesting that he passes on the information
> that he understood Pynchon felt his work had not been influenced by Gaddis
> either (a bit of tit for tat?): but I don't recall Pynchon ever stating
> this, either first-hand or second-hand. 

Right, it's interesting that Gaddis won't specify exactly what of Pynchon's
he *had* read.  And, of course, he could have made those statements in
complete honesty and then six months later decided to devour every word
Pynchon (or Joyce, or...) wrote.

> They did share a literary agent I believe, didn't they?

Yes, Candida Donadio, who died on Jan. 20 2001, and who also represented
Gaddis's neighbor and good friend Joseph Heller.  (Her first assignment
was a book he called Catch-18 before she changed the title.)

Info about her selling some of Pynchon's letters is at:

http://www.salon.com/media/1998/03/10media.html

-- 
Alan Westrope <awestrop at dimensional.com> <awestrop at nyx.net>

Whish!  A gull.  Gulls.  Far calls.  Coming, far!  End here.