Pynchon fax

[jbor]

otto
>> To
>> me it seems more that you are on a quest against the piece
>> because you disagree with his critical attitude in it

> if you read as closely as usual you will find that "to me it
> seems" that way. I did not put any words into yout mouth.

It's interesting that you feel you need that wiggle room. It seems to me
that it shows up just how weak your arguments actually are.

>> Again, has anyone contacted Pynchon through his agent or publisher to try
> to
>> verify the authenticity of the Playboy Japan statement? And, if not, why
>> not?
> 
> I guess nobody did it because the story goes they wouldn't answer.

So goes the "myth" you're constructing, anyway. It seems to me that those
few voices here who are championing the Japan Playboy piece as a definitive
public statement made by Pynchon are too scared to ask. Or else, one at
least might know already what the answer will be.

All it would take is a simple email or fax to his publisher or agent.
Something like this:

    Dear Sir or Madam

    A friend alerted me to an 'Interview with Thomas Pynchon'
    which was published in the December 2001 issue of Playboy
    Japan, and provided a loose translation from the Japanese,
    which has since been published on the Web:

    http://www.ottosell.de/pynchon/playboy.htm

    I would like to inquire if there is an English transcript
    of this interview that could be published on the Internet.

    Yours Sincerely

    ...

You or davemarc or the pynchonoid should go for it. After all, no other
journalist or critic or academic has touched the story in the 27-odd months
since the "interview" appeared in print -- the scoop is there for the
taking. And you might even get a thank you note like Don Foster did.

best