“Suttree.” “Gravity’s Rainbow.” “American Pastoral.” “Underworld.” These fictional monoliths were written by some of the best writers of all time, who are also the best writers of this time. Cormac McCarthy, Thomas Pynchon, Philip Roth, Don DeLillo; they may be getting on in years, but they are still writing some of the best books of history. All four of these authors were nominated for the Nobel Prize of Literature in 2014, but what are they doing now?
Cormac McCarthy
McCarthy has written 10 books—10 absolute classics (“Suttree”, “Blood Meridian”, “No Country for Old Men”). He has also written three screenplays and two plays. But, at 81 years old, is he done writing? Absolutely not. McCarthy is coming out with his eleventh novel sometime in 2015. It is entitled “The Passenger” and is set in 1980s New Orleans, but, unfortunately, that is all the public knows about the work. McCarthy currently lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and he is still tittering away on his Olivetti Lettera 32 (yes, folks, this author still uses a typewriter). The King of the Southern Gothic just doesn’t seem to quit, and there is truly no reason for him to quit at all.
Thomas Pynchon
It is difficult to say anything about Pynchon besides the fact that he is a brilliant writer. He takes recluse to a new extreme. There are only two pictures of Pynchon online, one from his high school graduation and another from when he joined the Navy. Pynchon’s novels have built a sort of cult following; “Gravity’s Rainbow” has become a staple of the labyrinthine side of literature (employing postmodernist themes and surrealist plotlines). What is so important about Pynchon today, though? His 2009 novel “Inherent Vice” was just turned into a movie and was up for two Oscars (Costume Design and Adapted Screenplay). While Pynchon is not looking to be on camera at age 77, he is most definitely not fading from the literary realm. His most recent novel, “Bleeding Edge,” was published in 2013, but who knows when he will strike again.
Philip Roth
Roth is one of the most decorated writers of our time (Pulitzer Prize Winner, National Book Award Winner, Man Booker International Prize Winner). He often deals with themes of Jewish-American identity and has been considered as an iconoclast for the Jewish community in America. Regardless of the wrath of scathing publicity, Roth has never quit writing. He spending most of his time at his forest home in Warren, Connecticut, Roth’s most recent book was written in 2010 (“Nemesis”), but who knows if the American public will see another Roth novel again. We will just have to settle for the 27 books he has already written.
Don DeLillo
DeLillo is the last of this gang of four. His writing is interwoven with commentary on subjects such as the Cold War, materialism and global terrorism. DeLillo’s fifteenth novel “Point Omega” was published in 2010, questioned the stability of human consciousness. It is tough to know if another DeLillo, thought-questioning novel will ever be published. It will just have to be something to be hoped for.
These four men are some of the most talented American novelists of all time, harkening back to the traditions of William Faulkner and Herman Melville. Their words have changed the world. The question that remains is whether they will continue to change the world.
