Wanda Tinasky

Wanda Tinasky is the pseudonym of an unknown person whose letters were published from 1983 to 1988 regularly in local newspapers in California. To this day, their identity is not clear.

Letters

The first letter was published in April 1983 at the Mendocino Commentary, others were printed in the Anderson Valley Advertiser later. In it Tinasky described as over eighty years of homeless Belarusian- Jewish descent, who lived under the bridges of California's Mendocino County and the Anderson Valley Advertiser well appreciated as underwear replacement.

The letters were of astonishing literary and humorous quality. Tinasky was obviously very well read ( in his own words she read in 60 years, Reader's Digest ), spread repeated among other things on the theology of Nicholas of Cusa and the inability of local literature sizes.

Authorship

After the first few letters came on speculation as to who was the author of these letters. Many suspected the reclusive Thomas Pynchon, the other not less audience shy William Gaddis behind the letters. In fact, Pynchon was living at the time probably in California; the plot of his novel, published in 1990 Vineland plays, among others in the Anderson Valley. However, he denied his alleged authorship of his agent and wife Melanie Jackson. An elderly, today refuted rumor According to it was in Gaddis and Pynchon already are one and the same person - Tinasky himself claimed this in a letter dated 21 August 1985.

1998, participated in the English language and literature professor Donald Wayne Foster of the letters. He had previously Newsweek editor Joe Klein as the author of the anonymously authored key novel Primary Colors (Eng. With a vengeance ) unmasked, which deals with the Clinton administration. Foster claimed that the obscure, who died in 1988 Beat writer Tom Hawkins is the author of the letters. Neither of these claims can be determined last valid until today.

Work

• The Letters of Wanda Tinasky. Verse Libre Press 1996, ISBN 0-9652881-0-2