Thomas Pynchon

Thomas Pynchon is an American writer of the 2nd half of the 20th and early 21st century. His most notable work is the novel Gravity's Rainbow, published in 1973. One of his novels, Vineland, published in 1990, is regaining popularity.

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• Lifetime: 8 May 1937 • alive
• Main genre: Contemporary fiction (at the time of publication)
• Literary movement: Postmodernism
• Mid-2026 popularity rank:  104 • Trending ▼

"Everybody gets told to write about what they know. The trouble with many of us is that at the earlier stages of life we think we know everything- or to put it more usefully, we are often unaware of the scope and structure of our ignorance."