‘Early work, never before published’ reads the front cover blurb, and on the back we’re told that these unpublished stories and poems where given to Edna Webster, the mother of the girlfriend and best friend of a 21-year-old then unknown writer, Richard Brautigan. “When I’m rich and famous, Edna,” he told her, “this will be your social security”.
Whilst I wouldn’t recommend this as a starting place to discover Brautigan, if you’re already acquainted with and enjoy his work then this collection is a real treat.
Some of it comes over as a little juvenile (let’s be fair, he was only 21), but if you already know his work then you’ll definitely pick up on the sparks of genius to come. Much of it rings with the innocence of young love, but the darkness of his future work is also present, particularly towards the end of the collection; and a lot of it is already downright bloody good.
The poem ‘Photograph 12’ particularly struck me…
‘A twelve-year-old
girl’s
virtue
sitting next
to a double bed
and wondering
what
the hell happened.’