re Pynchon in Playboy Japan

[Doug Millison]

Just to let you know, I have in my hand...the actual issue of Playboy Japan
that contains an article based on an interview with Thomas Pynchon -- his
name appears in English, along with a couple of quotes, on a page otherwise
occupied by only Japanese characters.  Whatever the story proves to be
behind this article, it certainly looks as if Playboy Japan is convinced
they have published an article based on an interview with Pynchon.

I observe that the statements attributed to Pynchon in this article seem of
a piece with the generally progressive, left-leaning, anti-fascist, and
anti-corporate/global capital stance revealed in his novels and other
writings, up to and including Mason & Dixon with its unmistakeable
indictment of slavery and the colonial/capitalist system that slavery makes
possible (as somebody mentioned in an earlier message).

What I continue to find fascinating is how people who hold political views
that appear to differ so with those that undergird Pynchon's work still
manage to to enjoy his fiction.  A tribute to Pynchon's style, encyclopedic
coverage of subject matter, and occasional obscurity, I guess.