Thomas Ruggles Pynchon Jr., a renowned American author, embarked on a plethora of career paths after graduating from Cornell University, including the possibility of teaching creative writing at Cornell, spinning tunes as a disk jockey, or critiquing films for the esteemed publication, Esquire.
Fast-forward to 1973, when Pynchon's magnum opus, "Gravity's Rainbow", was finally published, leaving a lasting impact on the literary world. The following year, this groundbreaking novel shared the prestigious National Book Award for fiction with Isaac Bashevis Singer's "A Crown of Feathers", a testament to its literary merit.
However, fate had other plans, as "Gravity's Rainbow" was unanimously selected by the judges for the Pulitzer Prize in literature. Despite this overwhelming support, the Pulitzer advisory board shockingly overruled the decision, labeling the novel "unreadable", "turgid", "overwritten", and "obscene", a move that has been debated and criticized by literary scholars and enthusiasts alike.
