Richard Brautigan : A Confederate General from Big Sur, Dreaming of Babylon, and the Hawkline Monster (Three Books in the Manner of Their Original ed)
by Richard Brautigan
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Book Summary Information
Author: Richard BrautiganEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1991-02-04
ISBN: 0395547032
Number of pages: 608
Publisher: Mariner Books
Book Reviews of Richard Brautigan : A Confederate General from Big Sur, Dreaming of Babylon, and the Hawkline Monster (Three Books in the Manner of Their Original ed)
Book Review: A hippie version of the Great Gatsby
Summary: 5 Stars
An episode of Rudy Maxa's "Smart Travels" devoted to San Francisco mentions that Angel Island was a fort during the Civil War. Why would San Francisco need a fort during in the Civil War? Rudy asks. Because, the park ranger tells him, the Confederate Army could have sent a ship into the Bay and up to Sacramento to seize the gold stored there.
Brautigan!
Maybe the premise of Brautigan's Big Sur novel wasn't as drug (or Red Mountain wine) induced as one might suspect. It's a sort of Great Gatsby for the hippie culture. The story's hero is Lee Mellon, descended from a Civil War general (or so Mellon claims). His ties to prestigious heritage are about as tenuous as Gatsby's.
The opening chapter details the exploits of the 8th Big Sur Volunteer Heavy Root Eaters at the Civil War skirmish known as the Battle of the Wilderness. Brautigan didn't dream this up! There really was a Battle of the Wilderness.
Brautigan obviously spent a lot of time in Big Sur hanging out with early hippies and counterculture types. As you read the story, it's easy to picture "those lonely stark mountains and clifflike beaches." Who knows, maybe Kerouac was there working on his Big Sur book (also worth reading). He mentions Henry Miller driving a Cadillac. There are sly references to William Carlos Williams, Kenneth Patchen, and Steinbeck (Big Sur is very much Steinbeck country).
Although the military theme is sustained through much of the book (A Daring Calvary Attack on PG&E, for example) the fiercest battles are waged against frogs.
When you buy this volume, you get Dreaming of Babylon and The Hawkline Monster thrown in as a bonus. These are novels for people who like to read for fun and enjoy stories that are simply silly. They are along the same lines as Brautigan's short story collection Revenge of the Lawn. If you liked Vonnegut's Welcome to the Monkey House, chances are you will like these stories too.
More Richard Brautigan : A Confederate General from Big Sur, Dreaming of Babylon, and the Hawkline Monster (Three Books in the Manner of Their Original ed) reviews:
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Summary of Richard Brautigan : A Confederate General from Big Sur, Dreaming of Babylon, and the Hawkline Monster (Three Books in the Manner of Their Original ed)
Richard Brautigan was the author of ten novels, including a contemporary classic, Trout Fishing in America, nine volumes of poetry, and a collection of stories.Here are three Brautigan novels--A Confederate General from Big Sur, Dreaming of Babylon and The Hawkline Monster--reissues in a one-volume omnibus edition.
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