Pynchon, Thomas

Typed letter signed ("Tom"), 2 pages (11 x 8 1/2 in.; 279 x 216 mm) on ruled paper, with 5-word addition in ink, Mexico City, 1 December 1962, to Bob Hillock; vertical folds. With typed envelope.

Condition as described in catalogue entry.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

THOMAS PYNCHON IN MEXICO CITY: "I'M LIVING MOSTLY ON RICE, BEANS AND TORTILLAS."

After Thomas Pynchon left his job as a technical writer at Boeing in September 1962, he lived first in Mexico and then in New York before settling in California.  In this letter, written to a friend and former colleague in Seattle, he describes his living situation. "I am living in a pad about the size of a Bomarc 41 section, and it is probably the noisiest pad in Mexico city … like living inside a John Wayne movie."

After describing the open air market where he shops and comparing it to the Seattle Public Market, Pynchon continues, "There is a Woolworth's dept. store on the main drag (Reforma) here which during lunch hour compares favorably with the D. C. quad, with respect to the amount of Good Looking Stuff that sashays past …. Mexican chicks are the most beautiful chicks in the world. It must be the Italian influence (Mexico being, as you are aware, a predominantly Italian country)."

The Republican Party in the U. S. comes in for a certain amount of harsh criticism: "The GOP screwed up once, in '52, as you know, by nominating that drooling imbecile what's-his-name instead of a legitimate conservative like Taft. They are now reaping the result, namely an irresponsible and possibly lunatic right wing. Nominating Romney is only going to compound the felony: Romney is noting but a[n] organization man, a technician without principles. There are enough of that sort in the Democratic party. If the GOP nominates Romney, it means renouncing the only identity they can honestly have nowadays: that of a responsibly conservative party. In a sense every vote for Romney at the '64 convention will be a vote for the destruction of the GOP as we have known it."

The letters ends with thoughts of moving on to a more affordable smaller Mexican city and this recommendation: "Did you read CATCH-22 yet. If not do so. Without delay."

A VERY FINE LETTER FROM THOMAS PYNCHON'S TIME IN MEXICO.