There are plenty of famous authors who enjoy the hermit life—Cormac McCarthy, J.D. Salinger, Patrick Süskind, etc. But even for them, it's normal to have at least one photo from their middle or old age. However, there's one guy whose last official photo stops at age 18... Thomas Pynchon, the master of contemporary American literature and the author behind the original novel for PTA’s 'Inherent Vice.'
He was extremely averse to showing himself in public. In 1974, when he co-won the National Book Award for 'Gravity's Rainbow,' he felt it would be rude to his co-winner not to attend at all, so he pulled a weird move and sent comedian/actor Irwin Corey to accept the award as his proxy. Also, in 1997, when a CNN camera caught him on film, he personally called CNN and asked them not to air it.
Pynchon, who seemed destined to live in eternal seclusion, actually reached out to one specific show expressing his desire to appear: the world-famous 'The Simpsons.' His motivation? His late-born son was a huge fan, so they watched it together, and he became so charmed by the show that he just had to be on it.
He ended up appearing on 'The Simpsons' twice. If you want to 'see' him—or rather, hear his voice—check out Season 15, Episode 10, or Season 16, Episode 2. His character stays true to his reclusive nature, appearing with a paper bag over his head.
As a side note, there was originally a line in the script where he was supposed to insult Homer Simpson. But he requested a rewrite, saying he couldn't insult Homer because he considers him a 'role model.' The original line was: 'Marge is a great cook. No wonder Homer is such a fat pig.'
"Users are loving the fact that even a legendary hermit author couldn't resist the charm of The Simpsons, with some comparing his paper-bag look to the Korean artist Primary."
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