2012 Philip K. Dick Festival

[Kai Frederik Lorentzen]

On 05.06.2012 02:02, Don Higgins wrote:

> >> Why has Roth several LoA volumes while still alive and Pynchon hasn't?
>
> P doesn't want to be included? The present publishers have an 
> exclusivity [right term?] clause in their contracts.
>

Your second point might be correct; knowing next to nothing about 
publishing in general and even less about Pynchon's contracts, I really 
cannot tell.

That Tom does not "want to be included" seems way off to me. I'd perhaps 
buy that in case he had stopped writing after "Gravity's Rainbow". But 
ever since Pynchon published "Slow Learner" (with that nice-boy-intro) 
he's on his way back to mainstream success . And of course he would 
accept the Nobel Prize. Probably even with a speech in Stockholm ... 
given without sunglasses.

Just read in the paper (FAZ, p. 35) that Philip Roth receives the 
Spanish Prince of Asturias Award, which will bring him not only 50 000 
Euro yet also a Miró sculpture. In the article praising Roth' merits it 
is  mentioned that he has the "honor" to see his works published during 
lifetime in the Library of America: "Zu den unzähligen Auszeichnungen, 
die Philip Roth erhalten hat, gesellt sich auch die Ehre, sein Werk noch 
zu Lebzeiten in der feinen Klassikeredition 'Library of America' 
gesammelt zu sehen, wo illustre Kollegen wie Raymond Chandler, Vladimir 
Nabokow oder Raymond Carver schon ihren Platz haben." I'd make any bet 
that Tom would like to see his works in the LoA, too. Let's face it: 
Pynchon cannot be labeled as as anti-establishment writer. At least not 
anymore.


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