Pynchon novel out in December

Thomas Pynchon, the reclusive, award-winning author of “Gravity’s Rainbow,” “V,” “Mason & Dixon” and “Vineland,” is finishing up a new novel, and the book will go on sale in December, his publisher announced this week.

“There is not yet a title, and we’re not releasing information about the subject matter at this point,” said Tracy Locke, associate publisher for Penguin Press. “At this point, that’s really all I can tell you.”

Pynchon’s new novel, his first since “Mason & Dixon” in 1997, is shrouded in mystery, as were many of his previous books before publication. The author, born in 1937 in Glen Cove, Long Island, N.Y., has long avoided publicity, and his books have acquired a cult-like status among many readers.

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-- Josh Getlin