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The History of Literature

389 Thomas Pynchon (with Antoine Wilson)

The History of Literature

Jacke Wilson

History, Arts, Books

4.6 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 10 March 2022

⏱️ 64 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

"A screaming comes across the sky. It has happened before, but there is nothing to compare it to now." Such is the opening of Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow (1973), the novel that won the National Book Award but repulsed the Pulitzer Prize Committee. Pynchon's special blend of paranoia and postmodernism made him one of the hallmark authors of the Cold War era. In this episode, Jacke takes a look at Pynchon's life and works, then is joined by a contemporary author, Antoine Wilson (Mouth to Mouth), for a discussion of his writing process and his recent trip to Pynchonland. ANTOINE WILSON is the author of the novels Panorama City and The Interloper. His work has appeared in The Paris Review, StoryQuarterly, Best New American Voices, and The Los Angeles Times, among other publications, and he is a contributing editor of A Public Space. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and recipient of a Carol Houck Smith Fiction Fellowship from the University of Wisconsin, he lives in Los Angeles. His website is: AntoineWilson.com. Additional listening suggestions: 380 Ian Fleming | The Black James Bond 348 Philip Roth (with Mike Palindrome) 318 Lolita (with Jenny Minton Quigley) Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/shop. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at www.thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

The History of Literature Podcast is a member of the Podglomerate Network and LitHub Radio.

0:09.6

Hey folks, it's Jack here to talk about the History of Literature Podcast.

0:14.3

No, not to ask you to listen, but to ask you to consider becoming a patron through our

0:19.3

Patreon account.

0:21.5

Producer Emma and I are extremely grateful to all our patrons, and this month we'd like

0:25.8

to invite you to become a patron too.

0:28.8

The money you share helps us to cover the costs of hosting, editing, and generally

0:33.5

putting out the best version of this humble little podcast that we can.

0:38.1

If you're finding some value in the history of literature and you're willing to send

0:41.2

us a little something each month, we would appreciate it.

0:44.7

Think of it as buying us a coffee each month.

0:47.4

Only if you can afford it, of course, that's patreon.com slash literature.

0:52.1

Or if you'd like to make a one-time donation, a lump sum with no questions asked.

0:57.4

You can do that at historyofliterature.com slash donate.

1:02.2

That's patreon.com slash literature or historyofliterature.com slash donate.

1:09.0

Thank you.

1:10.0

Marge, this is the best first novel my assistant has ever summarized for me.

1:15.6

Now all we need are some endorsements from famous writers.

1:19.9

Here's your quote, Thomas Pinchon loved this book almost as much as he loves cameras.

1:26.7

Hey, over here, have your picture taken what an inclusive author today only will throw

1:34.5

in a free autograph, but wait, there's more.

1:38.2

That's author Thomas Pinchon making a rare public appearance.

...

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