From
Revenge of the Lawn (
1963) by
Richard Brautigan.
"It's very hard to live in a studio apartment in San Jose with
a man who's learning to play the violin." That's what she told
the police when she handed them the empty revolver.
Yes, that's the whole thing. Brautigan here has conveyed in a mere thirty-four words what other authors have failed to do with as many pages or even chapters. Clever as it is, "Tilt" probably isn't the best starting point into such an odd canon. The story that started me onto his works was "
Homage to the San Francisco YMCA", the sad tale of a man who tried to replace his plumbing with poetry. I first read it in high school (and in fact copied it verbatim into my notebook fearing I'd forget it upon returning my textbook) and have only appreciated it more with a broadening knowledge of the literary masters it mentions. Hunt it down -- it too is in
Revenge of the lawn.
CST Approved
Note: I'd like to track Brautigan's estate down to secure permission for this, but I'm going to have to go beyond Google to do it. Perhaps at the library? /msg me if you know the best way to track somebody down like this.