THOMAS PYNCHON WRITES FOREWORD FOR "CENTENNIAL EDITION" OF 1984. Lately, pynchon-l, the Internet discussion group devoted to writer Thomas Pynchon, has been a virtual free-for-all where brawling and political propagandizing have disrupted ongoing re-readings of the author's works. Many participants have unsubscribed.

Yet for extremely patient participants, pynchon-l remains a good place to graze for news about the media-shy writer. Last Wednesday, a longtime subscriber named Richard Romeo drew attention to a Barnes and Noble web page about a forthcoming Centennial Edition of George Orwell's 1984 featuring "a new forward [sic] by Thomas Pynchon."

This was pretty hot stuff for the subscribers. Some expressed excitement over the prospect of actually reading something new by Pynchon. One wary participant suspected a hoax. It seemed that no one else had gotten wind of the information.

A quick call to the publisher, Plume, confirmed that the foreword was indeed forthcoming. So, come May, subscribers to pynchon-l will have a very good reason to celebrate the George Orwell Centenary. Perhaps they will even halt their bickering long enough to raise a toast to Orwell on June 25, the actual anniversary of his birth (as Eric Arthur Blair).

Just for the heck of it, here's the Amazon listing of the Centennial Edition of 1984, with "forward" by Thomas Pynchon.