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When author Thomas Pynchon appeared on The Simpsons, he edited his own dialog so as not to insult to Homer Simpson.

Matt Selman, Executive Producer of The Simpsons, revealed this detail on Twitter last week during Fox’s #EverySimpsonsEver marathon of the TV show.

In crossing out “No wonder Homer is such a fat ass.” Pynchon writes: “Sorry, guys. Homer is my role model and I won’t speak ill of him.”

— Matt Selman (@mattselman) August 28, 2014

The fax sent to us by Thomas Pynchon with his jokes written on the script page pic.twitter.com/wL8Nm6R92I

— Matt Selman (@mattselman) August 28, 2014

(Via The Wall Street Journal).

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Describe your latest book. My Salinger Year is a memoir about my sojourn as the assistant to J. D. Salinger's agent, a job that involved answering his fan mail, typing letters on an ancient IBM Selectric, mastering an archaic device known as a Dictaphone, and generally coping — or trying to decipher — the odd, [...]

Grand Theft Auto V counted $1 billion in sales during the first three days of release, drawing headlines for its infamous digital mayhem.

The video game also has a complex story and social satire wrapped inside the violent plot, as critic Christopher Byrd pointed out in his essay, “Should Thomas Pynchon play Grand Theft Auto V?” Here’s an excerpt comparing the social satire between the game and Thomas Pynchon‘s new novel:

 Like “Bleeding Edge,” GTA V devotes much of its satire to calling out our technological passions. (As Pam Grier, who appears as one of the radio hosts in the game, puts it, “Music ain’t ever gonna stop making people happy, and technology ain’t gonna ever stop making people boring.”) Such as micro-blogging: “Bleeter is the perfect storm of blogging, social networking, and text messaging. We’re demolishing 100,000 years of complex linguistic development 140 characters at a time.”

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Penguin Press has created a book trailer for Thomas Pynchon‘s new novel, Bleeding Edge. The book is out today (September 17).

If you want to explore the great writer’s life, you might want to enjoy some beer-braised chicken tacos. Pepper and Salt has a great post about some of Pynchon’s favorite food.  Check it out:

As his friends’ memories, he was always seeking his next meal: “wearing an old red hunting-jacket and sunglasses, doting on Mexican food at a taco stand.” Throughout the late 60s and 70s, Pynchon became a regular at El Tarasco in Manhattan Beach (It’s still open today, if you want to follow in his culinary footsteps). Neighbors would frequently spot him chowing down—the notorious hermit, lured into public by a burrito.

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Today Penguin USA released its year-end report, counting a $156 million operating profit for the year.

The publisher also gave readers a peek at Thomas Pynchon‘s upcoming novel, Bleeding Edge. Publication is set for September 17th. Here’s more from Penguin Press: “it is 2001 in Silicon Alley, New York City, in the lull between the collapse of the dot-com boom and the terrible events of September 11.”

In addition, Elizabeth Gilbert will also publish a novel in October, “infusing her inimitable voice into a story of love, adventure, and discovery.” In May, Charlaine Harris will end her Sookie Stackhouse series with Dead Ever After. (Via Sarah Weinman)

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To celebrate Mediabistro’s upcoming Media App Summit, we are hosting The World’s Longest Literary  Vampire Remix writing contest.

Follow this link to sign up for our new writing contest. With the help from writers around the country, we will rewrite Varney the Vampire–a bestselling vampire novel from the 19th Century filled with enough star-crossed romance, vampire action and purple prose to inspire another Twilight trilogy.

You will rewrite a small section from the book your own unique style (from poetry to Twitter updates to cartoons to imitations of your favorite writer). We will publish the final product as a free digital book (complete with Victorian-era illustrations) that anyone can download. Every contributing writer will receive a byline, a short biography and a website link in the remixed novel. In addition, we will reprint our favorite remixed passages and share your work with Mediabistro readers.

Intrigued? You can sign up at this link.

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I just tore my office apart. I bought a new filing cabinet and three new sets of bookshelves. In the past I've been a book hoarder, keeping every single research book I ever used, as well as novels I hadn't read in 10 years and probably wouldn't reread for another 10. So I'm trying an [...]

Thomas Pynchon‘s The Crying of Lot 49 revolves around a conspiracy theory about a secret postal system called “The Trystero.” Alongside the release of Pynchon’s complete eBook backlist, Trystero signs have been planted in 200 spots around the world (like this sign in a Portland, Oregon phone booth).

These signs link to an online message system, a 21st Century version of The Trystero.  If you want to find the underground post office in your area, the Google Map embedded below shows all the spots where secret signs have been planted.

Each sign links to a unique URL–if you can’t find one near you, follow this link to see the secret post office link posted in Los Angeles. Click on the w.a.s.t.e. link at the bottom of the page to send your own message via Trystero.

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As the 2011 Nobel Prize announcement nears, the U.K. betting site Ladbrokes has posted odds for the prize–putting Thomas Pynchon at 10/1 odds to win the prize for literature.

According to Ladbrokes, the Syrian poet Adonis has the best odds (4/1) to win the award. Swedish author Tomas Transtromer has 9/2 odds and Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami trails at 16/1.

Here is a brief excerpt from “The Edge of the World” by Adonis: “I release the earth and I imprison the skies. I fall down in order to stay faithful to the light, in order to make the world ambiguous, fascinating, changeable, dangerous, in order to announce the steps beyond.” (Via Guardian Books)

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As bad news mounts in the stock market today, we decided to counter the gloomy stories with a Spotify playlist handpicked by novelist Thomas Pynchon. Chill out all day with this groovy playlist collecting 31 groovy songs from Pynchon’s Inherenet Vice.

Here’s more about the list, via his Amazon page: “Larry ‘Doc’ Sportello is a private eye who sees the world through a sticky dope haze, animated by the music of an era whose hallmarks were peace, love, and revolution. As Doc’s strange case grows stranger, his 60s soundtrack–ranging from surf pop and psychedelic rock to eerie instrumentals–picks up pace. Have a listen to some of the songs you’ll hear in Inherent Vice—the playlist that follows is designed exclusively for Amazon.com, courtesy of Thomas Pynchon.”

Follow this link to get a Spotify invite for the free service. Once you have an account, check out our Thomas Pynchon Spotify playlist, our Ann Patchett Spotify playlist and our Henry Miller Spotify playlist. If you have more ideas for a particular playlist, you can always add your suggestions in the comments section–we will update our mix.

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