Alecs Ștefănescu reviewed Slow Learner by Thomas Pynchon
Read the foreword twice
5 stars
This is a book of short stories that Pynchon wrote at the beginning of his writing career. He's the author of the foreword, which is a self-examination not only of his early style but also hinting at what sort of person he was, and how he saw the world. After reading through all the short stories, the foreword deserves a second read, since now we know. We know what he sounded like, and we can read his own thoughts about what we witnessed together, knowing.
Pynchon is pretty good even at his "lowest". Towards the end of the collection, he's effectively one step away from Crying of Lot 49. The process feels like watching a majestic plant grow from something that can sit on your desk until it's big enough to block out the sun. Pynchon grows is complexity and subtlety, in social awareness and sensitivity. Witnessing this growth …
This is a book of short stories that Pynchon wrote at the beginning of his writing career. He's the author of the foreword, which is a self-examination not only of his early style but also hinting at what sort of person he was, and how he saw the world. After reading through all the short stories, the foreword deserves a second read, since now we know. We know what he sounded like, and we can read his own thoughts about what we witnessed together, knowing.
Pynchon is pretty good even at his "lowest". Towards the end of the collection, he's effectively one step away from Crying of Lot 49. The process feels like watching a majestic plant grow from something that can sit on your desk until it's big enough to block out the sun. Pynchon grows is complexity and subtlety, in social awareness and sensitivity. Witnessing this growth is, in itself, something awe-inspiring.
The only thing I can't understand is why he's so reverential towards Jack Kerouac's "On the Road".