Thomas Pynchon

Born

in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York, The United States

May 08, 1937

Genre

Influences

Thomas Ruggles Pynchon, Jr. is an American writer based in New York City, noted for his dense and complex works of fiction. Hailing from Long Island, Pynchon spent two years in the United States Navy and earned an English degree from Cornell University. After publishing several short stories in the late 1950s and early 1960s, he began composing the novels for which he is best known today: V. (1963), The Crying of Lot 49 (1966), Gravity's Rainbow (1973), Vineland (1990), Mason & Dixon (1997), and Against the Day (2006).

Pynchon is regarded by many readers and critics as one of the finest contemporary authors. He is a MacArthur Fellow and a recipient of the National Book Award, and is regularly cited as a contender for the Nobel Prize in L ...more

Combine Editions
Thomas Pynchon’s books

Average rating: 3.85 · 187,283 ratings · 15,061 reviews · 38 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Crying of Lot 49 3.70 avg rating — 59,622 ratings — published 1966 — 94 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Gravity's Rainbow 4.03 avg rating — 30,971 ratings — published 1973 — 74 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Inherent Vice 3.73 avg rating — 23,181 ratings — published 2009 — 55 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	V. 3.97 avg rating — 17,269 ratings — published 1963 — 61 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mason & Dixon 4.06 avg rating — 8,269 ratings — published 1997 — 33 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Bleeding Edge 3.56 avg rating — 9,456 ratings — published 2013 — 36 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Vineland 3.67 avg rating — 8,485 ratings — published 1990 — 38 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Against the Day 4.12 avg rating — 5,807 ratings — published 2006 — 28 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Slow Learner: Early Stories 3.49 avg rating — 3,765 ratings — published 1984 — 26 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Secret Integration 4.18 avg rating — 188 ratings — published 1964	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Thomas Pynchon…

Upcoming Events

No scheduled events. Add an event.

Quotes by Thomas Pynchon

“Every weirdo in the world is on my wavelength.”
― Thomas Pynchon

2449 likes

“If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about answers.”
― Thomas Pynchon, Gravity's Rainbow

tags: answers, paranoia, proverbs, questions, wit

1531 likes

“Life's single lesson: that there is more accident to it than a man can ever admit to in a lifetime and stay sane.”
― Thomas Pynchon, V.

1135 likes

See all Thomas Pynchon's quotes »

Polls

What will be our January 2018 Wild(est) Card?

Remember, if you vote for a book and it wins, your soul will be cursed to wander the desolate spirit lands for eternity if you fail to participate in the discussion. The poll will be open through December 12th, and you can change your vote at any time prior to the closing of the poll. Discussion will begin January 15th

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

5 votes, 26.3%

Falconer by John Cheever

3 votes, 15.8%

V. by Thomas Pynchon

3 votes, 15.8%

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

2 votes, 10.5%

Silverlockby John Myers Myers

2 votes, 10.5%

Hunger by Knut Hamsun

1 vote, 5.3%

Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell

1 vote, 5.3%

Hypnerotomachia Poliphili: The Strife of Love in a Dream by Francesco Colonna

1 vote, 5.3%

A Melon for Ecstasy by John Fortune

1 vote, 5.3%

Orlando by Virginia Woolf

0 votes, 0.0%

Old Mrs. Camelot by Emery Bonnet

0 votes, 0.0%

19 total votes

comments and details

More...

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Hipinion: so, a bookclub?	8	112	May 03, 2007 11:00AM
UC Berkeley iSchool: What's on the holiday stack?	11	99	Nov 14, 2008 02:19PM
The Next Best Boo...: We have our JUNE group read WINNERS!!	227	777	Jun 02, 2009 02:58PM
The Next Best Boo...: New Group--Gravity's Rainbow discussion	2	193	Jun 29, 2009 04:22PM
The Next Best Boo...: Opening Paragraphs	352	1226	Feb 15, 2010 06:12PM
SciFi and Fantasy...: What are you reading in March 2010?	87	257	Apr 16, 2010 11:53AM
Book Buying Addic...: Titles A-Z Game	684	673	Apr 21, 2010 07:20PM
The Life of a Boo...: Elaine's TBR list	39	125	Jun 06, 2010 04:49AM

More…

Is this you? Let us know. If not, help out and invite Thomas to Goodreads.

Thomas Pynchon’s Followers (4,093)

Thomas Pynchon

Combine EditionsThomas Pynchon’s books

Upcoming Events

Quotes by Thomas Pynchon

Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

Combine Editions
Thomas Pynchon’s books