MMV Mortality and Mercy in Vienna, Background

[davemarc]

According to the following link, MMV appeared with this preface in the
Spring 1959 issue of Epoch: "This issue of Epoch presents the first
published stories of two new writers, TOM PYNCHON and RONALD SUKENICK.
PYNCHON, a Wilson fellowship to begin graduate study next year..."

http://www.abeauthors1.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=263649666

The founder/editor of Epoch, which is published out of Cornell, was Baxter
Hathaway. About Hathaway, Pynchon has written the following:

"All fall and winter I had been having writer's block. I was taking a
writing seminar run by Baxter Hathaway. Having returned that semester after
some time off, he was an unknown quantity, and terrified me. The course had
been going on for some time, and I hadn't handed in a thing. 'Come on,'
people advised me, 'he's a nice guy. Don't worry about it.' Were they
kidding, or what? It was getting to be a major problem. Finally about
halfway through the semester there arrived in the mail one of those cartoon
cards, showing a toilet stall covered with graffiti. 'You've practiced long
enough,' it said - open the card - 'Now write!' It was signed 'Baxter
Hathaway.'"

Dave Monroe supplied the above paragraph and other Baxter-related info in
2002 --
http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0211&msg=72822&keywords=baxt
er

-- but given Sukenick's recent death, I thought it was worth noting the
Epoch-al intersection between P and S in Hathaway's literary
journal. Also, it's interesting to think about Hathaway as an early teacher
and champion
of Pynchon and as an influence on the budding novelist. For those interested
in such matters, there's a suggestion that
Hathaway was not a fan of Nabokov at this Farina-related page:

http://www.richardandmimi.com/cameos.html

d.