Great list, with many of my own formative books on here (esp. Updike and Carver). When it comes to Brautigan, I first read him when I was a lad of 12-ish and I procured a copy of "Willard and His Bowling Trophy" from the Teton County Library in Jackson, WY, where I was an active cardholder. I distinctly remember sitting in my bedroom alone reading about a young couple having passionate, Brautigan-y sex while watching "The Tonight Show." I never looked at a girl, or Johnny Carson, in the same way again.
Speaking of Brautigan, you should know that while it wasn't a complete reading of "Trout Fishing," the Livingston, MT bookstore Elk River Books did stage a theatrical production of the novel several years ago; I was there in the audience and wrote a few notes: https://davidabramsbooks.blogspot.com/2014/09/trout-fishing-in-livingston-staging.html
I think I missed this post at first. I hesitate to imagine what Brautigan would do to a 12-year-old; fortunately I didn't get him until college and beyond--ditto for smoking dope; real glad I didn't have that to contend with in high school. I'll check out your link. Happy Caturday.
If you ever do the Trout Fishing read-aloud event, count me in. We have a number of foundational books in common, especially the Borges, all Munro stories but especially her first collection and "Runaway," and Anne Tyler, although for me it was "The Accidental Tourist" that taught me how to write a certain kind of novel (the kind I wanted to read).
If you ever do the Brautigan group reading, I'm in. Ditto if we could do it for Borges, who, along with his diametrically opposed fellow writer Flannery O'Connor, is the reason I began to write.
The Brautigan would be great at a residency--I don't see how it could work otherwise, except by Zoom. Borges is something else--I think I need to do a deeper dive there . . . he's too much a part of my early writing/reading life. O'Connor and Borges, lighting up different sector's of the Stefaniak brain. I think it explains something . . . but what?? When I started writing it was skinny little poems--I was influenced at first by Bly, John Haines, James Wright, Gary Snyder, and so on, then when I was in Missoula Kittredge told me to write a story, so I did, then he said write another, so I did, and the first six or seven stories got published one place or another--I kept on with poems because I was doing Poets in the Schools in MT, published one book with a poetry press, then that fell away. Anyway, let's put the Brautigan idea in the hopper and see what happens. [I'll write you an email in a bit.]
Great list, with many of my own formative books on here (esp. Updike and Carver). When it comes to Brautigan, I first read him when I was a lad of 12-ish and I procured a copy of "Willard and His Bowling Trophy" from the Teton County Library in Jackson, WY, where I was an active cardholder. I distinctly remember sitting in my bedroom alone reading about a young couple having passionate, Brautigan-y sex while watching "The Tonight Show." I never looked at a girl, or Johnny Carson, in the same way again.
Speaking of Brautigan, you should know that while it wasn't a complete reading of "Trout Fishing," the Livingston, MT bookstore Elk River Books did stage a theatrical production of the novel several years ago; I was there in the audience and wrote a few notes: https://davidabramsbooks.blogspot.com/2014/09/trout-fishing-in-livingston-staging.html
I think I missed this post at first. I hesitate to imagine what Brautigan would do to a 12-year-old; fortunately I didn't get him until college and beyond--ditto for smoking dope; real glad I didn't have that to contend with in high school. I'll check out your link. Happy Caturday.
Updike & Munro! They are among my five desert island authors. Terrific inaugural 2024 post!
Thank you kindly!
If you ever do the Trout Fishing read-aloud event, count me in. We have a number of foundational books in common, especially the Borges, all Munro stories but especially her first collection and "Runaway," and Anne Tyler, although for me it was "The Accidental Tourist" that taught me how to write a certain kind of novel (the kind I wanted to read).
If you ever do the Brautigan group reading, I'm in. Ditto if we could do it for Borges, who, along with his diametrically opposed fellow writer Flannery O'Connor, is the reason I began to write.
The Brautigan would be great at a residency--I don't see how it could work otherwise, except by Zoom. Borges is something else--I think I need to do a deeper dive there . . . he's too much a part of my early writing/reading life. O'Connor and Borges, lighting up different sector's of the Stefaniak brain. I think it explains something . . . but what?? When I started writing it was skinny little poems--I was influenced at first by Bly, John Haines, James Wright, Gary Snyder, and so on, then when I was in Missoula Kittredge told me to write a story, so I did, then he said write another, so I did, and the first six or seven stories got published one place or another--I kept on with poems because I was doing Poets in the Schools in MT, published one book with a poetry press, then that fell away. Anyway, let's put the Brautigan idea in the hopper and see what happens. [I'll write you an email in a bit.]
PS: Here's a link to a piece by David Abrams: https://davidabramsbooks.blogspot.com/2014/09/trout-fishing-in-livingston-staging.html
I should check my subscriptions more often. Thanks for the reply! I'll talk to Claire Davis about the Brautigan idea.