I am planning to visit Canterbury tomorrow to pick up a novel by Thomas Pynchon

After my purchase I might visit the cathedral which although currently undergoing restoration is still quite beautiful and rewarding

As I pass hidden amongst the summer crowds I wonder how many of them will care to know who I am

I am the author of one of the most popular books of the last ten years which has spawned a film and many imitations

Most people know me as Stephen Masefield which is not my real name and I am not photographed without my express permission which I rarely give

Even then I usually grow a beard as a form of disguise to avoid recognition

The last time that I visited Canterbury I sat in a park near the river and noticed a couple of people reading my novel

My passing presence was not even worth a glance which pleased me as I enjoy my anonymity

SMO (6/21)