१२ एप्रिल, २०२४

"One of the books that I find myself tapping on repeatedly—without ever getting past forty per cent, somehow—is Richard Brautigan’s novella 'Trout Fishing in America.'"

"I’m not being compelled by an algorithm. But there’s a surf spot in Marin County that I used to go to which is very near the house where Brautigan, in 1984, died by suicide. Over the years, I told a handful of other surfers about the links between Brautigan and this spot, and later, whenever I would make it back out there, I would see the cropping of little houses on the hill overlooking the ocean, many of them with chicken runs and ruined vegetable-garden projects, and I would think to myself, with a great deal of embarrassment, that I still hadn’t actually finished 'Trout Fishing in America.'... What’s particularly distressing to me is that, although I can imagine a world in which careful regulation and avoidance of algorithms makes phones less addictive, I cannot imagine myself freed from such stubborn vanities."

२६ टिप्पण्या:

Temujin म्हणाले...

Well. Richard Brautigan. She should read "Trout Fishing in America" and certainly get farther through. It becomes fun and, if I remember, reveals more and more, giving you some wonderful imagery. But then, I liked it immediately, and proceeded to read all of his books. Once. A long time ago, when I could read.
So I do understand the difficulty of reading novels, or even short stories when we have so re-trained our brains to read the bits and pieces on the internet. I'm now so accustomed to jumping around, from one article to the next, one blog or X post, one short news article to the next, that it's gotten hard to stay with my books. And the backed-up pile growing on my side table and in my Kindle are huge at the moment.

It's gotten so bad that I'm strongly considering just taking a week off. No internet for a week. Just reading. That sounds good to me. Maybe I'll download a movie some night. But that's it. No more spending- losing- ridiculous amounts of time jumping from one site to the other, clearly addicted to the non-stop input. It's like cocaine, only you don't run out of money to stop the habit. You just never stop the habit unless you catch yourself and make the effort to back off. Which I have to do. Some day. Soon. Honestly.

I had issues getting through "Anna Karenina" and I blamed it on my rewired brain. I cannot imagine having issues getting through Brautigan. He writes in short sentences, short chapters. Fluid imagery. He makes it easy to keep going. Anyway...on a side note, I always loved Brautigan's collection of short stories called, "Revenge of the Lawn". A large selection of very short stories that teach an aspiring writer how to say so much in such a short space.
The lesson never took with me.

Clark म्हणाले...

I read 3 or 4 of Brautigan's books in 1972-73. We had an English teacher who encouraged us to read him. I remember them as great fun to read while not being great literature——like listening to Salieri instead of Mozart.

n.n म्हणाले...

Self-abortion.

gilbar म्हणाले...

i'd never even heard of this "book"

i think time would be far better spent, reading:
* Even Brook Trout Get The Blues.. By some leftie Colorado dude

or, if you want words to live by; try:
* Flutter, Skitter, and Skim by Leonard Wright Jr.
* Minor Tactics of the Chalk Stream by GEM Skues

For light read, you can't beat:
*Western Mayfly Hatches from the Rockies to the Pacific by Rick Hafele and Dave Hughes

William म्हणाले...

I use Kindle when traveling or when in the park or gym. You can fit several books into your back pocket. I like the way you can put your finger on an unfamiliar word and instantly get the definition....You can download some books through the library. That's pretty cool, and it disciplines you to finish the book in three weeks. There are a lot of titles that are unavailable though. I guess the librarians have learned from what happened to newspapers, and they're doing what they can to avoid becoming obsolete.....When you compare print books to, say, VHS tapes or cassettes, they had a pretty long run, and they're still in use. I still like to roam through used book stores or open shelf libraries and flit around. It's easier to flit around with a physical book... Books were a big improvement over papyrus scrolls and parchment. I don't think Kindle is such a dramatic improvement over paper books, but it's definitely an improvement.....I'm pretty sure I read that Brautigan book, but I can't remember a single thing about it. Whether he finishes or doesn't finish the Brautigan book is immaterial. In a year or so, he'll forget what he read so he might as well save time and not read it.

Howard म्हणाले...

My trout fishing buddy when I lived in Owens Valley looked exactly like Richard Brautigan. Some of those southern Sierra creeks had rainbow-golden hybrids. The biggest fish were around the beaver dams. He worked at a kaolinite mill making clay used for China. His son had died of sudden infant death a couple years before I knew him. He and his wife were always checking on their infant daughter. You didn't need to lock yourself in a concrete bunker to experience real darkness in the high desert.

PM म्हणाले...

Bolinas: a town populated by unrepentant hippies overlooking Seadrift, the gated portion of Stinson Beach populated by fallen-away hippies. Either way, cold surfing.

John henry म्हणाले...

I have no problem reading long form novels, history, bios and technical books. As well as a lot of blogs.

In the past week or so I've read another in Wareham's Poor Man at the Gate series, a book on AI, and Wednesday started Isaacson's bio of Elon Musk. I am about 164 pages into a 670 page book. One of the best things I've read in a quite a while.

I used to read mainly on my tablet Kindle app, reading on my phone when I did not have the tablet handy. In the past few months, I find myself reading more and more on my phone. Even when the tablet is handy. I have not used my tablet in a week or more.

Wednesday I went to the 2nd annual Conferencia de Escritores Puertoriqueños. Being a Puerto Rican writer myself. The conference sucked. UPR professors interviewing other professors about esoteric topics.

But there was also a book fair that really surprised me. Various book stores and suppliers as well as a couple dozen tables with individual writers peddling their own books. I spent a very pleasant hour or so chatting with other writers. Even met a women who sells books online and wants to sell mine!

Lots of other people wondering around and apparently buying books.

It was very good to see.

Speaking of AI, my latest article on the subject is here. Suno.com is amazing
https://www.packagingdigest.com/machinery/a-new-way-to-tune-up-your-packaging-line

My next book, Secrets of Liquid Filling, will be available via Ann's portal on May 1. It is a real page turner, you won't want to miss it. Talliferro Klumsis reviewed the galleys and says "A barn burner. Holds you in suspense up to the surprise ending!"

John Henry

Mr. O. Possum म्हणाले...

I have wondered if I have this problem, but then I pick up beautifully written, dramatic books like "Being Mortal" and "Complications"by Atul Gawande, and I sit rapt for a hour. If something is particularly compelling like the new book "Nuclear War: A Scenario" by Jacobsen, I can spend hours with the book.

It could be that "Trout Fishing" isn't very good, hasn't held up, or the reader's not ready for it.

John henry म्हणाले...

Gilbar,

Have you ever read Herbert Hoover's book on Fishing? "Fishing for Fun and to Wash your Soul"

I have not but if it ever becomes available on Kindle, I will and I don't even care about fishing.

Hoover is like McPhee. Such a great writer that he can make ever the most uninteresting stuff (Mine Evaluation, Rocks) interesting.

His memoirs are fascinating. He may have lived the most interesting life of any of our presidents.

John Henry

PM म्हणाले...

Howard: Hit a nerve. In the '70s, spent a lot of time hiking and fishing in the southern Sierra. And many nights refreshing at Tom's Place.

mikee म्हणाले...

Somehow when I was in college reading Brautigan led to reading Barthelme, Vonnegut, Gunter Grass, Pynchon. I recall the former's books as being thinner than the latter's, but only in page numbers. It was great fun reading not by requirement but just for entertainment from the fine use of words.

I cannot remember the absurdist fiction in which I read about the character Vercingetorix, Chief of the New York City Firemen, but the guy remains locked in my memory. Googling produces only Gallic results. Any help would be appreciated.

John henry म्हणाले...

"Complications"by Atul Gawande,

Thanks for that. Just downloaded the sample

I am a huge fan of his book The Checklist Manifesto and recommend it to clients. He's also done several TV shows on the use of checklists that are on YouTube and very good.

I've read a couple of his other books and enjoyed them.

(It's why I keep coming here. Reading recommendations)

John Henry

Howard म्हणाले...

PM: the Eastern Sierra is a unique place, especially for geologists

Michael Fitzgerald म्हणाले...

Trout Fishing in America is about 100 pages long, and the writing is epigrammatic. If you can't finish the entire book in about an hour then you do have problems.

Ficta म्हणाले...

I had to do a bit of Googling (well, Brave Search actually) and then dig out my copy of Sixty Stories to double check: "Vercingetorix, leader of the firemen" appears in the short story: "City Life" by Donald Barthelme.

Heartless Aztec म्हणाले...

The phone is on Do Not Disturb 95% of my time. No ringing, no buzzing, no chirping. Nada, nyet, nein, non, nōh.
A few years back I discovered I was losing the ability to read in long form due to my phone. Thus the big turn-off. Since then I've been on reading tear. Two books always accompany me and every vehicle has its own library.

Ice Nine म्हणाले...

>"One of the books that I find myself tapping on repeatedly—without ever getting past forty per cent, somehow—is Richard Brautigan’s novella 'Trout Fishing in America.'<

Never has a book description been more apt. I gave it two of those 40% taps, the first back when it was de rigueur and the second about five years later. And then I tapped out.

Tina Trent म्हणाले...

I'm too bourgeois, quotidian, and desirous of order in my life, though I used to love to hit the road and am a student of non-romantic and non-Romantics nature. I have always know to stay away from writers with motorcycles.

These books conjure not words but a particular smell to me. Brautigan, Grass, Robbins, Siddartha -- ugh. Pynchon -- ugh. Give me Connie Willis: I will go no farther.

That other stuff just reminds me of my professors trying to get into my pants.

T.C. Boyle is the only American who can still write non-genre novels, now that Larry McMurtry is getting on. I have myriad favorite genre novelists.

jerpod म्हणाले...

I read TFIA in high school and loved it. Really loved it. Today I remember one and only one thing about the book: Trout Fishing in America Shorty. This was a character who (if I recall correctly) who was a repulsive and disgusting midget (maybe) with no legs. Everyone hated him and it was very funny. Thanks for that little blast of nostalgia!

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent म्हणाले...

Brautigan needs to be read pretty selectively. I usually liked the book covers better than the contents. That said, "Elmira" is a pretty damn near perfect short-short story. I read it a couple of times a year and think it five minutes very well spent.

BudBrown म्हणाले...

I forget. What was the Confederate General doing in Big Sur?

gilbar म्हणाले...

John henry said...
Gilbar,
Have you ever read Herbert Hoover's book on Fishing? "Fishing for Fun and to Wash your Soul"

yes.. I think i got my copy at West Branch, at his library..

Rusty म्हणाले...

gilbar.
I have yet to open,Trout. left to me by my brother. However I have read every issue of Greys up until the last year.
Those others I have probably read, but, on the whole, I'd rather be trout fishing.

mikee म्हणाले...

Ficta: Vercingetorix, City Life, Barthelme
One nice thing about this blog's comment thread is the effort commenters will take to validate the absolutely trivial memories of others, from decades past.

Fred Drinkwater म्हणाले...

Fishing books...

"The River Why", David J Duncan