Brautigan fell from favor with both critics and readers during the decade of the 1980s. His work was not well received, he divorced his second wife, and finally killed himself in 1984. More information and resources about Brautigan, his life, and work during this decade are below.
Brautigan signing books following a reading in Boulder, Colorado, 1980. Photograph by Mark Billingsley.

Brautigan spent six weeks with Edward Dorn, author of "In Memoriam: Richard Brautigan" (The Denver Post Empire Magazine May 19, 1985: 22-23, 25, 27) and his wife Jennifer Dunbar Dorn author of "The Perfect American" (The Denver Post Empire Magazine May 19, 1985: 23, 31).

The Tokyo-Montana Express published.

Brautigan filed a petition for divorce from Akiko Nishizawa Yoshimura, his second wife. They had separated on 4 December 1979. LEARN more >>>

Brautigan participated in the Fourth Annual San Francisco International Poetry Festival sponsored in part by City Lights Books. The festival was held June 6-8, 1980, in the Palace of Fine Arts. This poster, promoting the festival, notes Brautigan's participation at 8:00 PM, Friday, 6 June.

In this photograph, Brautigan visits with Lawrence Ferlinghetti, poet, publisher, and co-owner of City Lights Books.

Ferlinghetti was straightforward in his assessment of Brautigan's literary skills, saying,

As an editor I was always waiting for Richard to grow up as a writer. It seems to me he was essentially a naif, and I don't think he cultivated that childishness, I think it came naturally. (Peter Manso and Michael McClure 65)

Conger Beasley, Jr. agreed. Of Brautigan, he said,

He was a close to being a genuine naif as contemporary American culture is likely to produce. He relied on his marvelous instincts to propel him through a story; that, plus his droll humor and off-beat characters, gave his novels a funky rhythm. (Conger Beasely 3)

Brautigan spent six weeks in Boulder, Colorado, visiting with Edward Dorn and his wife Jennifer Dunbar Dorn. Brautigan was going through divorce proceedings from Akiko Nishizawa Yoshimura, his second wife, at the time. He stayed for about a month at the Boulderado Hotel. He delivered a small reading and talk at the Chautauqua Auditorium in August.

An interlocutory decree of dissolution of marriage between Brautigan and Akiko Nishizawa Yoshimura, his second wife, was entered in San Francisco Superior Court. LEARN more >>>

Brautigan embarked on a promotional tour for his recently published collection of stories The Tokyo-Montana Express. The book was a somewhat autobiographical work where most of the stories seemed to come to Brautigan from memories of the past in Japan or Montana. Few were fully rendered. Most focused on what the narrator saw or did. Some on his reactions. But none focused on what these events meant to him or why they were included.

Brautigan visited the Nebraska Bookstore at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Nebraska, where he signed copies of his newest novel.

Michael Zangari, a reporter for the Daily Nebraskan, the daily student newspaper at the University of Nebraska, wrote an account Brautigan's appearance at the Nebraska Bookstore.

Divorce from Akiko Nishizawa Yoshimura, his second wife, finalized. LEARN more >>>

Brautigan participated in a poetry reading at the Kaufman Concert Hall, 92nd Street YM-YWHA, New York. Robert Creeley introduced Brautigan and also read poetry.

Brautigan, in Hawaii, holding a fighting cock. Photograph by Eunice Kittagawa.
Brautigan participated in Poets and Other Strangers—Readings by Poets at Chico Hot Springs Hotel, Chico Hot Springs, Montana. This was strictly a local poet and artist event. Greg Keeler, Dave Waldman, and others also participated. The event was repeated each Fall through 1982.

Daughter, Ianthe, married Paul Swensen, a film director, in Santa Rosa, California. Brautigan did not approve of the marriage and said he would like her second husband better.

(L-R) Curt Gentry, Don Carpenter, Brautigan, and Enrico Banducci, owner of Enrico's Cafe, a popular gathering spot at Broadway and Kearney, near City Lights Books. This photograph by Roger Ressmeyer accompanied Cheryl McCall's article "A Happy But Footsore Writer Celebrates His Driver's Block" (People Weekly 8 June 1981: 113, 116, 120).

Another photograph of Brautigan by Roger Ressmeyer that accompanied Cheryl McCall's article "A Happy But Footsore Writer Celebrates His Driver's Block" (People Weekly 8 June 1981: 113, 116, 120).

Another photograph of Brautigan by Roger Ressmeyer that accompanied Cheryl McCall's article "A Happy But Footsore Writer Celebrates His Driver's Block" (People Weekly 8 June 1981: 113, 116, 120). Brautigan's rickshaw driver is Dwain Cox.

Brautigan participated in a poetry reading at the Regency Room, San Francisco.

Brautigan taught a creative writing course at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, during the spring quarter. Greg Keeler, Professor of English at Montana State (seen at left in photo), was instrumental in arranging for Brautigan to teach this course. This was one of Brautigan's several teaching or conference experiences.

Keeler wrote the memoir Waltzing with the Captain: Remembering Richard Brautigan, a collection of stories about experiences shared with Richard Brautigan from 1978 to 1984.

Keeler maintains a website called "Troutball" that features his "songs, poetry, stories, and cheap coyote tricks." Hidden in this website, like a hunchback trout in a wagon wheel hole, are a series of stories and poems about Brautigan, as well as quotes by Brautigan and letters he wrote to Keeler.

(L-R) Jennifer Dunbar Dorn, Brad Donovan, Edward Dorn, and Brautigan. The Dorn's son, Kidd, is center front. Their daughter, Maya, is center middle. This photograph, by Georgia Donovan, July 1982, documents a fishing trip on the banks of the Gallatin River, near Bozeman, Montana.

Jennifer Dorn described the fishing trip in her memoir of Brautigan, "The Perfect American" (The Denver Post Empire Magazine May 19, 1985: 23, 31).

Edward Dorn wrote "In Memoriam: Richard Brautigan" (The Denver Post Empire Magazine May 19, 1985: 22-23, 25, 27), a memoir and "There's only one natural death, and even that's Bedcide: For the post-mortem amusement of Richard Brautigan" (Abhorrences: A Chronicle of the Eighties. Santa Rosa, CA: Black Sparrow Press, 1990. 50), a tribute.

Brad Donovan wrote "Food Stamps for the Stars" (Firestarter June 1996: 4-5), a memoir; "Brautigan & The Eagles" (Rolling Stock (9) 1985: 4, 6), a tribute; and, with Brautigan, Trailer, a screenplay.

While in Montana, Brautigan was visited by David Curran, a fan from Missoula, Montana. Using clues from Brautigan's books, Curran located the Pine Creek ranch and introduced himself. Curran recorded his visit with Brautigan in a book titled Brautigan, Richard: A Pilgrimage, August 1982. This photograph by Curran shows Brautigan sitting on the steps of his barn.

I take two photos of Richard sitting on his barn steps. I'm annoyed by the face-in-the-hands pose he insists on (Curran 33)

Brautigan traveled extensively around the country, lecturing, dealing with business, and writing his final novel, An Unfortunate Woman: A Journey.

So The Wind Won't Blow It All Away published. The novel sold less than 15,000 copies, and was ignored or dismissed by critics.

Brautigan fishing with painter and writer Russell Chatham (left) in Armstrong Spring Creek, Montana. Russell's memoir "Dust to Dust" (Dark Waters. Livingston, MT: Clark City Press, 1988. 28-34) recounts Brautigan as fragile and sensitive, not a macho hunter. This photograph accompanied Russell's memoir.

Attended the One World Poetry Festival in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Jan Kerouac, daughter of beat novelist Jack Kerouac, wrote of meeting Brautigan in her book Trainsong (New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1988. 154-157). Read excerpts from Kerouac's account of Brautigan's appearance at this poetry festival.
In a letter from Tokyo dated 14 February 1984 to Greg Keeler, Brautigan included the photograph (taken in January 1984) to the left. The text at the bottom of the photograph reads, "As you can see, Europe has been good to me." Brautigan's letter carried a similar message: "You have probably looked at the photograph of me taken just before my birthday. Yes, Europe has been good to me." This letter was one of several Brautigan exchanged with Keeler.

Brautigan reportedly last seen alive when he left San Francisco for his home in Bolinas, California. While in San Francisco he accidentally met his former wife Akiko. They had divorced four years earlier. Brautigan seemed shocked to see her and in some accounts, ran away. He also met Marcia Clay, a former girlfriend with whom he had broken off from also four years earlier when she sided with Akiko in the divorce. Several accounts say Brautigan then went to Cho-Cho, a popular San Francisco Japanese restaurant (now defunct), 1020 Kearny, where he allegedly borrowed a Smith & Wesson .44 magnum handgun from owner Jimmy Sakata. He drank heavily in the afternoon and evening and returned to his house in Bolinas. Clay called Brautigan later that night, shortly after 11:00 pm, in Bolinas. Brautigan said he wanted to read something to her. She hung up so he could find the piece of writing he wanted to read. When she called back Brautigan did not answer. She called repeatedly, each time getting only the answering machine. As she and other concerned friends called over the next days the batteries in the answering machine ran down. Brautigan's recorded voice took on a surreal quality (Lawrence Wright 59-60). It is possible that Brautigan killed himself just after Clay's initial telephone call, sometime after 11:00 pm.

Becky Fonda, wife of Peter Fonda, after not hearing from Brautigan for weeks, asked David Fechheimer, a private investigator in San Francisco, to check on Brautigan. Fechheimer allegedly called a friend in Bolinas. Robert Yench, of Bolinas, found Brautigan's badly-decomposed body in the second-story living room, near the walk-in fireplace, of Brautigan's home at 6 Terrrace Avenue. A .44 caliber Smith and Wesson handgun was found nearby with one fired bullet under the hammer. A gunshot wound to the head was the determined cause of death. It is believed Brautigan committed suicide some weeks earlier standing up, facing the ocean. He was 49. Many eulogies were written about and for Richard Brautigan.

Brautigan's death rekindled bad feelings between his parents: Bernard F. Brautigan and Lulu Mary Keho as recounted in an obituary written by Mark Barabak.

Brautigan's death also stirred up memories, and even some guilt, among his fans.

This photograph of Brautigan, apparently an outtake from an article about Brautigan in the 14 August 1970 issue of LIFE magazine ("Gentle Poet of the Young: A Cult Grows around Richard Brautigan" by John Stickney) was used in a boxed trivia game titled "LIFE Magazine Remembers" issued by Time Life in 1985 (printed by Selchow & Righter). The game featured a set of 702 playing cards, each with a popular and/or famous photograph from the archives of LIFE magazine. Each card had a series of questions about the subject on the back side. The 3" x 5" Brautigan card was number 34 from the set.

The front shows a full bleed black and white photograph of Brautigan.

The back features a smaller version of the same photograph, Brautigan's name, trade text, and four trivia questions:

A. Who is this author of In Watermelon Sugar? (Richard Brautigan)
B. What is the title of his novel that reflects his California background? (A Confederate General From Big Sur)
C. As a San Francisco author, what group of American writers is he identified with? ("The Beat Generation")
D. Who wrote On The Road, perhaps the best known of the group this man is identified with? (Jack Kerouac)

Washington 5(3) November 1988: 106. The Evergreen State Magazine. This Special Centennial Issue was published in conjunction with Washington State's Centennial celebrations. This issue focused on "100 Washingtonians Who've Changed the World." Brautigan was one.

The full text for the entry regarding Brautigan reads

Author, 1935-1984. His offbeat novels (notably Trout Fishing in America) and poems echoed youth's 1960s disenchantment with the American Dream and made this Tacoma native a certifiable counterculture hero. No longer a publishing success in the '80s, he used a bullet to officially end his career. Probably the last person to talk with him, novelist Don Carpenter, describes Brautigan as "the most important writer to come out of the Pacific Northwest—ever. I'm not kidding."

The collection Trout Fishing in America, The Pill versus The Springhill Mine Disaster, In Watermelon Sugar, published. Front cover photograph by Erik Weber was the same one used for the first edition of Trout Fishing in America.