Richard Brautigan's comic genius and countercultural vision of American life made him a literary idol of the 1960s and early 1970s. He wrote ten novels, nine volumes of poetry, and a collection of short stories entitled REVENGE OF THE LAWN. His books became required reading for the beat generation, and TROUT FISHING IN AMERICA sold more than two million copies throughout the world. read & give away Brautigan committed suicide in 1984 at the age of forty-nine.
Read & then give away.

A lot of hype, not very good: I bought this book after my brother-in-law recommended it but was not impressed. Some of the stories are somewhat entertaining, but most seem pointless or weird for the sake of being weird.

This was read to me in ms form...well, Trout Fishing. I sat there in wonder at the audacity. No story, no conflict, nothing but inventive fun. Lovely man. ( )

Three books all in one package - a superb deal! I'd heard of Trout Fishing in America before, but had no idea it was such a crazy novella. Trout Fishing in America seems to be all things - from the actual thing, to a person, to a place, and so on. Brautigan's spare style works perfectly here, and although a lot of what he writes could be seen as nonsensical, it all seems to work.

I've never been one for poetry, so "The Pill versus The Springhill Mine Disaster" came as a real surprise. Here was poetry that didn't rhyme, didn't always use figurative language, but that could be deeply moving and so, so intriguing. I even copied out a couple of the poems to send to a friend.

I did a search on the list of 1001 books you should read before you die, to see if Brautigan got a mention. I was sure either Trout Fishing or Confederate General would be in there, but neither were; instead, "In Watermelon Sugar" was there. This is just the perfect book, and I've not stopped thinking about it since I finished the last page. It's a fantasy, almost sci-fi in some respects, and again full of that spare, spartan writing style that Brautigan does so well. It's easy to read and so gentle, until it suddenly shows its murderous, twisted streak, and by the end you really want to cry. An absolute classic. ( )

I still think Trout Fishing is an inspired, original, droll book, immensely enjoyable. The cover-photo was taken in Washington Square, in North Beach, San Francisco. ( )