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Fishing Stories
Fishing Stories nets an abundant catch of wonderful writing in a wide variety of genres and styles. The moods range from the rollicking humor of Rudyard Kipling’s “On Dry-Cow Fishing as a Fine Art” and the rural gothic of Annie Proulx’s “The Wer-Trout” to the haunting elegy of Norman Maclean’s “A River Runs Through It.”
Many of these tales celebrate human bonds forged over a rod, including Guy de Maupassant’s “Two Friends,” Jimmy Carter’s “Fishing with My Daddy,” and an excerpt from Ernest Hemingway’s The Garden of Eden . Some deal in reverence and romance, as in Roland Pertwee’s “The River God,” and some in adventure and the stuff of legend, as in Zane Grey’s “The First Thousand-Pounder” and Ron Rash’s “Their Ancient Glittering Eyes.” There are narratives that confront head-on the heartbreaks and frustrations of the sport, from Thomas McGuane’s meditation on long spells of inaction as the essence of fishing in “The Longest Silence” to Raymond Carver’s story of a boy’s deflated triumph in the gut-wrenching masterpiece “Nobody Said Anything.” And alongside the works of literary giants are the memories of people both great and humble who have found meaning and fulfillment in fishing, from a former American president to a Scottish gamekeeper’s daughter.
Whether set against the open ocean or tiny mountain streams, in ancient China, tropical Tahiti, Paris under siege, or the vast Canadian wilderness, these stories cast wide and strike deep into the universal joys, absurdities, insights, and tragedies of life.
This beautiful hardcover edition features seven original woodcut illustrations by Paul Gentry, and includes a silk ribbon marker, European-style half-round spine, and full-cloth case with two-color foil stamping.
Many of these tales celebrate human bonds forged over a rod, including Guy de Maupassant’s “Two Friends,” Jimmy Carter’s “Fishing with My Daddy,” and an excerpt from Ernest Hemingway’s The Garden of Eden . Some deal in reverence and romance, as in Roland Pertwee’s “The River God,” and some in adventure and the stuff of legend, as in Zane Grey’s “The First Thousand-Pounder” and Ron Rash’s “Their Ancient Glittering Eyes.” There are narratives that confront head-on the heartbreaks and frustrations of the sport, from Thomas McGuane’s meditation on long spells of inaction as the essence of fishing in “The Longest Silence” to Raymond Carver’s story of a boy’s deflated triumph in the gut-wrenching masterpiece “Nobody Said Anything.” And alongside the works of literary giants are the memories of people both great and humble who have found meaning and fulfillment in fishing, from a former American president to a Scottish gamekeeper’s daughter.
Whether set against the open ocean or tiny mountain streams, in ancient China, tropical Tahiti, Paris under siege, or the vast Canadian wilderness, these stories cast wide and strike deep into the universal joys, absurdities, insights, and tragedies of life.
This beautiful hardcover edition features seven original woodcut illustrations by Paul Gentry, and includes a silk ribbon marker, European-style half-round spine, and full-cloth case with two-color foil stamping.
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
384 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 30, 2020
A very diverting anthology about something which used to be a ubiquitous activity, but may now be passing into history. Fishing, and stories about fishing, can be used very effectively as a metaphor for the wider experience of life, and in this collection it actually comes across as a basic and almost necessary element of the human condition. Nevertheless, as someone who was never taught to fish on account of the effective end of Salmon fishing in Scotland in the 1990's, I felt like I was reading about a mysterious and distant culture. Perhaps several generations from now, assuming the human population returns to a more sustainable level of several hundred million, rather than several billion, people will once again be free to discover the joys of fishing so clearly articulated here.
My only criticism would be that the collection is skewed far too heavily towards American stories. four or five fewer at least would make a significant improvement.
JM 30/09/20
My only criticism would be that the collection is skewed far too heavily towards American stories. four or five fewer at least would make a significant improvement.
JM 30/09/20
June 12, 2013
Fishing is an intrinsic activity to human life. //Fishing Stories// explores fishing stories, all the way back to fishing stories from the ancient histories of Siberia and China, to more recent stories from Europe and America. They provide a fascinating look at both practical tips, straight history, and some philosophical implications at one of mankind’s oldest activities, an activity as much a part of us as the ancient oceans in our blood.
The stories chosen show that fishing is something we have in common despite our different backgrounds. By looking at the common heritage of our written stories, it makes for an interesting look at humanity as a whole. The stories are nicely written, with an eye towards the important details, which are not always the mere physical details; sometimes those details are the psychology of the person, and why they are doing what they are doing. The stories are not important for the action itself, but why they do what they do, from the monk fishing with a straight hook to a girl reeling in a record-setting fish to a man who knows he shouldn’t be out fishing. This is an excellent book, and is something everyone should read.
As originally written by Jamais Jochim for the http://sanfranciscobookreview.com/.
The stories chosen show that fishing is something we have in common despite our different backgrounds. By looking at the common heritage of our written stories, it makes for an interesting look at humanity as a whole. The stories are nicely written, with an eye towards the important details, which are not always the mere physical details; sometimes those details are the psychology of the person, and why they are doing what they are doing. The stories are not important for the action itself, but why they do what they do, from the monk fishing with a straight hook to a girl reeling in a record-setting fish to a man who knows he shouldn’t be out fishing. This is an excellent book, and is something everyone should read.
As originally written by Jamais Jochim for the http://sanfranciscobookreview.com/.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews