A River Runs Through It, and Other Stories

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0226500578 ISBN 13: 9780226500577

Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 1992

From its first magnificent sentence, "In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing", to the last, "I am haunted by waters", A River Runs Through It is an American classic.

Based on Norman Maclean's childhood experiences, the title novella has established itself as one of the most moving stories of our time; it captivates readers with vivid descriptions of life along Montana's Big Blackfoot River and its near magical blend of fly fishing with the troubling affections of the heart.

The paperback edition is now available with an evocative new cover by acclaimed Montana painter Russell Chatham.

"A masterpiece. . . . This is more than stunning fiction: It is a lyric record of a time and a life, shining with Maclean's special gift for calling the reader's attention to arts of all kinds—the arts that work in nature, in personality, in social intercourse, in fly-fishing."—Kenneth M. Pierce, Village Voice

Norman Maclean (1902-90), woodsman, scholar, teacher, and storyteller, grew up in the Western Rocky Mountains of Montana and worked for many years in logging camps and for the United States Forestry Service before beginning his academic career. He retired from the University of Chicago in 1973.

About the Author:

Norman Maclean (1902-1990), woodsman, scholar, teacher, and storyteller, grew up in the Rocky Mountains of western Montana. As a young man, he worked in logging camps and for the United States Forest Service. He was awarded an undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He was the William Rainey Harper Professor of English at the University of Chicago, teaching the Romantic poets and Shakespeare. After his retirement in 1973, he began to write the stories he liked to tell, which became the book A River Runs Through It and Other Stories, published to widespread acclaim. The book was the first work of original fiction published by the University of Chicago Press. It was nominated by a selection committee to receive the Pulitzer Prize in Letters in 1977, but the full committee ignored the nomination and did not award a Pulitzer in that category for the year. In the last years of his life, he wrote an account of the 1949 Mann Gulch forest fire. It was published posthumously as Young Men and Fire, and won the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1992.

From AudioFile:

Norman Maclean wrote this work to preserve memories of his late brother, but it's not exactly a memoir or biography. The people are real, but the way the memories bend with the passage of years is evident, Maclean's son notes, since his father penned it after retirement. Ivan Doig reads this tale of male bonding on a Montana river with the personal touch that Maclean himself gave it. This edition includes "On the Big Blackfoot," a disc that includes writing fragments of Maclean, his son's memories of him, and an interview with the author. The bonus disc is well produced, but since it is fragments, it may disappoint those already familiar with the earlier work. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine