Richard Brautigan - pro or con?

[Rabrrrrrr]

I think he's great. A friend of mine introduced me to his work in the 80s when we were in college. I hunted around old book stores, and managed to find most of his stuff.

I love his writing. It's drugged out, but it's still good.


(btw, the reason this pops up now is that every time I saw the "brook trout" thread, I thought of Brautigan)

[baby_bear]

1. Thanks for the memory

I loved Brautigan in college; haven't read him in years though. You have inspired me to dig into my book collection; thanks!

s_m

[Mojambo]

2. I've only read the Hawkline Monster.

But I thought it was great!

[Screaming Lord Byron]

3. I love you, Rabrrrrrr.

[Rabrrrrrr]

5. Woo hoo!!

I'm honored!

I take it you are a Brautigan fan?

[Screaming Lord Byron]

6. Indubitably. My favourite short story is 'The Scarlatti Tilt'.

"It's very hard to live in a studio apartment in San Jose with a man
who's learning to play the violin."
That's what she told the police when she handed them the empty revolver.

[mitchum]

4. He's alright as a "gateway author"...

a friend and I were having this conversation on Friday about gateway authors. Those like Brautigan, Vonnegut, Robbins and Kerouac who were fine introductions to reading "literature" when I was younger, but I find that I can't read them now. Of course, this is just my experience/opinion :)

[Wickerman]

7. I concur

perhaps surprisingly.

That is a nice use of terminology - Gateway Authors. Yep, Richard turned a lot of folks on to poetry that might not have gone that way themselves.

I still enjoy going back to a lot of his work - I can read So the Wind every couple of years. When I want a quick chuckle I enjoy Willard and His Bowling Trophies.

[Rabrrrrrr]

8. I'd have to disagree on Vonnegut

Though it is a good way to describe Brautigan - who had a certain level of genius, but a level that works mostly in the 1960s hippie drug-freak kind of level, and not a for-all-time kind of style.

Though I think he was brilliant, and not easily approachable.

But Vonnegut - that's some real bona fide exccellent writing. IMO.