Brautigan, Richard

(1935–1984)

   Although he knew the Beats and they him, Brautigan always insisted that he was not a part of their literary movement. Contemporary literary opinion supports this contention, seeing Brautigan, his work, and his place in American literature as a bridge between the Beats and what is being identified as “counterculture literature.”

   An American novelist, short-story writer, and poet noted for his idiosyncratic prose style, Richard Brautigan is best known for his novel trout fisHinG in america, his collection of stories Revenge of the Lawn, and his collection of poetry The Pill Versus the Springhill Mine Disaster. Brautigan was born in Tacoma, Washington, on January 30, 1935, grew up in the U.S. Northwest, and by 1956 settled in San Francisco, California. There he sought to establish himself as a writer, was known for handing out his poetry on street corners, and often participated in “Blabbermouth Night” readings at The Place, a popular gathering spot for artists and poets. His first published “book” of poetry was The Return of the Rivers (1957), followed by The Galilee Hitch-Hiker (1958), Lay the Marble Tea (1959), The Octopus Frontier (1960), All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace (1967), The Pill Versus the Springhill Mine Disaster (1968), Please Plant This Book (1969), Rommel Drives On Deep into Egypt (1970), Loading Mercury with a Pitchfork (1976), and June 30th, June 30th (1978).

   Brautigan’s novels include A Confederate General from Big Sur (1964), Trout Fishing in America (1967), In Watermelon Sugar (1968), The Abortion (1971), The Hawkline Monster (1974), Willard and His Bowling Trophies (1975), Sombrero Fallout (1976), Dreaming of Babylon (1977), So the Wind Won’t Blow It All Away (1982), and An Unfortunate Woman (2000). His short-story collections include Revenge of the Lawn (1971) and The Tokyo-Montana Express (1979). Overall, Brautigan is remembered for his detached, anonymous, first-person point of view, his autobiographical prose style, and his episodic narrative structure that was full of unconventional but vivid images powered by whimsy and metaphor. For example, Trout Fishing in America can be said to represent the novel itself being written by Brautigan, a character in the novel, a place, an outdoor sport, a religion, a state of mind, and a symbol of the American pastoral ideal lost to commercialism, environmental degradation, and social decay. In subsequent novels Brautigan vowed not to write sequels to Trout Fishing in America and instead experimented with different literary genres: “historical romance,” “gothic western,” “perverse mystery,” “Japanese novel,” “detective,” and “memoir.” General dismissal by literary critics reversed Brautigan’s initial literary success, and his popularity waned throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. He remained popular in Japan, however, and Brautigan visited there for extended periods, finding inspiration for later writings. Despite lack of sustained critical acclaim, Brautigan’s work is continually translated into other languages, and he maintains strong interest among readers around the world who are attracted to his unique use of language and autobiographical style. Brautigan died in October 1984, in Bolinas, California.

 Bibliography

■ Barber, John. The Brautigan Bibliography plus+ http://www.brautigan.net/brautigan/

   John F. Barber