Richard Brautigan: biography and bibliography

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Counterculture is a current that denies generally accepted values in art. In literature, this trend was reflected in the work of some representatives of American literature of the seventies of the 20th century. One such writer was Richard Brautigan. Peru of this writer owns eleven novels and several poetry collections. The work and biography of the American prose writer and poet is the topic of the article.

Early years

Richard Brautigan was born in 1935. The writer's hometown is Tacoma. My father worked in a factory, during the Second World War he joined the ranks of volunteers. Mother worked as a waitress. The parents of the future writer divorced before his birth. Until graduation, Richard Brautigan bore his mother's surname and only after receiving a certificate received the name under which he entered literature in the sixties of the 20th century. The writer saw his father only twice in his life.

Richard's mother married several times. Apart fromeldest son, the woman had two more children. Stepfathers, according to biographers, treated the future poet rather rudely. Childhood impressions were reflected in the works created many years later, after Brautigan left his home. However, in his youth, the prose writer hardly understood what the phrase “home” means. The family moved frequently. Mother barely made ends meet. Members of the Brautigan family lived on welfare.

But despite financial difficulties, Richard studied well. He became addicted to reading early, and by the age of fifteen he knew for sure that he would become a writer. The character of the future prose writer was difficult even in childhood. Over the years, the strangeness of this creative personality has worsened.

Brautigan's biographers often cite an incident that happened to him in his youth. After reading the poems to his girlfriend, Richard (who was twenty years old at the time) expected to hear praise and enthusiastic exclamations. Nothing of the sort happened. The beloved of the young poet did not like the works. Then Brautigan went to the police station in order to surrender to the authorities. The police found no reason to detain the eccentric young man. However, they considered that being in a psychiatric hospital would not interfere with him. As a result, Brautigan spent several weeks in a mental hospital.

The beginning of creativity

After leaving school, Richard spent some time with his friend's family. At the same time, the poem "Light" was written - one of the first published works. Richard Brautigan oftenreturned to his friend's house. And, as a rule, he did it when his financial situation became especially critical.

Three years after graduation, Richard Brautigan got married. But, like his father, he did not show a penchant for a quiet life. Immediately after the birth of his daughter, the poet left the family. Brautigan went to San Francisco. In this city, the aspiring poet plunged into the world of literary bohemia. He met Michael McLure, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Spicer. Brautigan also took part in literary evenings, where he read his poetry and short stories.

Prose works

After publishing his poems, the American author decided to try his hand at prose. One of the first works that he created in the early period of his work is Trout Fishing in America. Richard Brautigan also wrote the short story "Conference Generals from Big Sur" in the early 1960s.

International fame came to the American author after the publication of the work "Trout fishing in America". According to critics of the time, Richard Brautigan is a bright literary representative of the youth movement of the sixties of the 20th century. After creating a landmark work, the writer published four more works. One literary critic once said: "Only by taking metaphor as a method, and not as an aid, can one understand the prose that Richard Brautigan wrote."

In watermelon sugar

In this little novel, at first glance, there is no plot. Reviews of the work "In watermelon sugar" are different. Some are excited. Others criticize, justifying their negative opinion with a chaotic style of narration. In addition, the work is filled with riddles and questions, the answers to which the reader does not receive even after reading. There is no plot or climax here. The story is told in the first person. On behalf of a person who is in his own world. The hero sees everything that happens around him through a prism made from "watermelon sugar".

The novel can be called a literary experiment. Readers who prefer a strict style and a straightforward plot will hardly like this work.

Hippie novelist

Richard Brautigan is little known to Russian readers. His books are not for everyone. Contemporaries called the hero of this article a "hippie novelist", which he extremely disliked. Brautigan believed that his prose was intended not only for representatives of the youth movement, which had formed into a subculture by the beginning of the seventies of the 20th century. The prose writer said in one of his interviews: “In my books there are answers to all questions of the twentieth century.”

Criticism

Nevertheless, Brautigan's star did not linger in the book firmament. His books sold well. However, criticism spoke of Brautigan's work with disdain. One of the works in 1976 even received the " title" of the worst.

Like all talented authors, Brautiganoften followed by failure. Often, he had to send his works to publishers several times. Some poems and stories were published after the death of the author. Many years after Brautigan's death, at one of the conferences dedicated to his work, one of the literary critics said the phrase: "America could do better with its poet."

The fact is that his prose was forever associated with the hippie movement. A peculiar style, an abundance of symbols, a lack of correspondence with classical literary plots - all this was necessary for readers striving for freedom. But it is alien to those who began to return to conservatism from the beginning of the eighties of the 20th century.

Declining popularity

In the 1970s, Brautigan experimented with style and genre. During these years, many works were created. Among them are stories included in the collection "Lawn's Revenge".

Brautigan's popularity subsided in the eighties. The poet and writer was attacked by American critics. However, outside the homeland, Brautigan's prose was famous. Perhaps the whole point is that the American writer visited Japan more than once. On his travels, he got acquainted with the basic philosophy of Zen Buddhism, which can be found in the work "Tokyo-Montana Express". Other books by Richard Brautigan:

1. “Abortion. Historical novel.”
2. Hawkline Monster.
3. "Sabrero Investigation".
4. "Dreams of Babylon"
5. Unhappy Woman: Journey.

Death

In 1984 Richard Brautigandied tragically. The poet shot himself in the head, presumably after a phone call from one of his former lovers. The body of the poet was discovered two weeks after his death. This fact testifies not only to oblivion in the literary world, but also, perhaps, to the loneliness that overtook the hero of this article in recent years.

Why did Richard Brautigan decide to commit suicide? Biographers' research has led to different conclusions. Creative crisis, numerous failures of publishers, angry reviews of critics, unsettled personal life. There are many reasons. One way or another, Richard Brautigan, whose poems entered the history of world poetry, passed away suddenly, leaving behind many unsolved mysteries. His prose is not widely recognized. But even three decades after the death of Richard Brautigan, his novels find their readers.