I got into Richard Brautigan thanks to my father. I was 16 when I read In Watermelon Sugar. A complete contrast to the books I had been reading at school - dusty, dense, classic literature, that was ground down and fed to us - dust gruel. I asked my teacher at the time what he thought about Richard Brautigan and he just kind of dismissed him. I was blown away by the clarity of words and meaning - sometimes derided as simplistic. At such a young age the only other writer that made me feel that way was, rather unsuprisingly, Kurt Vonnegut. I'm now 45 and return to RB's works every now and then. The impression I get now is unlike that which I first experienced as a relatively unscathed teenager.
Thank you. I've been a Brautigan fan since (sadly) his suicide in 1984, when I was in College in Portland, Oregon. Love all his work. He is a word economist bar none. Any doubts, see "Scarlatti Tilt", the perfect short story in less than a page. I once spent a day wandering around San Francisco in search of Benjamin Franklin's statue so I could visualize the capturing of the front photo from "Trout Fishing in America". A comic genius on par with Mark Twain. I would gladly listen to you read "Revenge of the Lawn".
Thank you for this glimpse into Richard Brautigan's poetry. It's getting late, but there is always time for one more poem... The Amelia Earhart Pancake I have been unable to find a poem for this title. I’ve spent years looking for one and now I’m giving up. by Richard Brautigan
Very glad you enjoyed it. The comment is much appreciated. If there's someone else you'd like us to cover, let us know and you never know, we may just do that :) - Ursula
A fascinating stroll through some works of this master, and as always, your conversation and insights add to the pleasure. Thank you! (BTW, permit me an irrelevant aside: "White Castle" is a fast food chain, like 2 others I might mention if I wanted to advertise them (but I don't). It's pretty much local to NJ, and like the 2 I'm not mentioning, could never be mistaken for haute cuisine -- we referred to it as "W.C."). It therefore is unworthy of the mention. Plus, the particular one you mention in Bound Brook is across the highway from a really great diner where they serve marvelous food.)
Your aside isn't irrelevant as far as I'm concerned... It's great to have inside info. Glad you enjoyed the episode. I enjoyed having Jon introduce me to Brautigan's poetry. Until then, I only knew him from his fiction. Hope you keep on watching us! And if there's a writer or a theme you'd like to see an episode on, let us know, and we'll see about covering that. All the best, Ursula.
I love, the hawkline monster. I've read lots of his books, in watermelon sugar was the first one then, trout fishing in America, I love his writing, he's not like anything else I've ever read, I love his imagination, they are innocent and gentle almost like children's stories but for adults 😂. I don't think he would've identified as a beatnik or a hippy, and his writing is nothing like any of those tribes he's totally original and hilarious 😂
