Richard Brautigan 'Trout Fishing in America'

[JohnClyde]

Considering the fact that some of us on here listen to Hawkwind, I thought it might be worth mentioning one of my favourite fishing books of all time, an underground masterpiece - Richard Brautigan's Trout Fishing in America.

Admittedly I am a fan of all things whacked and perverted, but despite this, I think he's one of the greatest writers of all time and this one of his best. When I first read this book I guessed the fishing would be secondary, just some literary device. But instead you see fishing was his passion at some point. I find it hard to believe a non-fisherman reader can really connect with some of these impressions her conjures up. I'm there with him even through his surreal elements. Sections of the book read like bizarre fishing dreams I've had for example. But its the way he captures so much in so few words - the strangeness of a small stream in blazing midday sun, the anthropomorphic thing with a fish looking at you, the idleness, the passing impressions, emotions and connections, the beauty, the eeriness.

Here's an extract of him reading one of my favourite passages:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5FikX1aXPk

[Skeff]

A brilliant book..... The Diary of Alonso Hagen is superb by I particularly love to chapter where he is browsing the old hardware yard for lengths of trout stream..... So many dollars per yard but of course the shop can't guarantee that the length will contain trout. I re-read this book every year and very year find something new in each flight of fancy.

[Badger]

Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig, Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, The World according to Garp by John Irving, Illusions by Richard Bach and Trout Fishing in America by Richard Brautigan. Soundtrack Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd and Genesis. The summer of 1979 was a hot one if I remember correctly.

[JohnClyde]

Great to see others on here with such impeccable taste!

Skeff, you are right, a brilliant chapter. My favourite is the one at the graveyard, with his idea of tying all the neglected poorman's grave detritus onto a fly at his vice and casting it out into space, honouring the memory of the mad and the forgotten. Beautiful stuff.

[Kevin]

I too have read the wrecking yard piece,just had a look for him on amazon,thanks John.