VLVL2 (1) warm-up: Dedication

[Michel Ryckx]

  "Ainsi que me l'a dit sa mère, en résumant tout d'une phrase : «Il 
veut qu'on le laisse seul ; alors, nous le laissons seul.»"

http://www.liberation.com/livres/25ans/pynchon.html

This was told by Pynchon's mother, in 1984 (no pun intended), to French 
journalist  Jean-François Fogel.

I think the dedication is important  -but to mr. Pynchon and his family, 
and not to the reader. There's an evolution in this: his first 
dedication was in 1973 and Fariña had died 7 years earlier, his second 
to his parents and the third to wife and kid.

It was much-mourned Steve Tomaske (who knew more about mr. Pynchon's 
life than anyone else)  who had evidence for this estrangement, and, 
well, reconciliation too big a word, things in his private life got better.

Though I cannot prove it -it's only an idea- I'm having the impression 
'Vineland' and 'Mason & Dixon' are written by a happy man: these two 
books are much warmer in tone.

My 2 cents.

Michel.
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