One problem though: Mr. Lipsyte is not under 40. In fact, he is 41. And as such, he is part of a group of writers who were not far enough along in their careers to be seriously considered last time the New Yorker did a list like this in 1999, and are now just a year or two over the limit for the 2010 edition.  

New Yorker editor David Remnick was bummed when he learned that Mr. Lipsyte was ineligible.

"I just read Sam Lipsyte, and I think that novel's terrific," he said. "I just think he's got something that I hadn't seen 25 times before. And that was one where—I don't know how old Sam Lipsyte is now, but ... in any event he's not eligible this year."

Don't think it's some tragedy for Mr. Lipsyte's career that the timing worked out this way, though, Mr. Remnick said. "You have to realize—this is not the most important thing in the world. Inevitably what's most important is that really fine writers get read and this is just one way for us to do that."

Mr. Lipsyte responded in an email: "I wish the good people at the New Yorker would have taken into account the fact that I feel thirty-nine, tops."