On August 5, 1949, a crew of fifteen of the United States Forest Service's elite airborne firefighters, the Smokejumpers, stepped into the sky above a remote forest fire in the Montana wilderness. Two hours after their jump, all but three of these men were dead or mortally burned. Haunted by these deaths for forty years, Norman Maclean puts back together the scattered pieces of the Mann Gulch tragedy.
In A River Runs Through It, Norman Maclean claims that "in my family, there is no clear line between religion and fly-fishing." Nor is there a clear line between family and fly-fishing. It is the one activity where brother can connect with brother and father with son, bridging troubled relationships at the junction of great trout rivers in western Montana. In Maclean's autobiographical novella, it is the river that makes them realize that life continues and all things are related.
Just as Norman Maclean writes at the end of A River Runs Through It that he is "haunted by waters," so have readers been haunted by his novella. A retired English professor who began writing fiction at the age of 70, Maclean produced what is now recognized as one of the classic American stories of the twentieth century.
Here, with A River Runs Through It, are two Norman Maclean stories never before on audio:
-Logging and Pimping and "Your Pal, Jim"-USFS 1919: The Ranger, the Cook, and a Hole in the Sky
In this archival recording, Norman Maclean reflects about his father, his brother, Paul, and the fly fishing that united them to one another and the natural world. Interwoven throughout are the musings and memories of his own son, Chicago Tribune journalist John Maclean, son remembers father, father recalls brother. Set against the gurgling sounds of the Big Blackfoot River, their voices recount a bittersweet love across the generations. It's a story sure to leave the listener, like Norman Maclean, "haunted by waters."
Maclean writes "in my family, there is no clear line between religion and fly-fishing." Nor is there a clear line between family and fly-fishing. It is the one activity where brother can connect with brother and father with son.
Based on Norman Maclean's childhood experiences, A River Runs Through It has established itself as one of the most moving stories of our time; it captivates readers with vivid descriptions of life along Montana's Big Blackfoot River and its near magical blend of fly fishing with the troubling affections of the heart.
On August 5, 1949, a crew of 15 of the U.S. Forest Service's elite airborne firefighters, the Smokejumpers, stepped into the sky above a remote forest fire in Montana wilderness. Less than an hour later, all but three were dead or fatally burned in a "blowup," an explosive 2,000 degree firestorm 300 feet deep and 200 feet tall. Winner of a 1992 National Book Critic Award, Young Men & Fire consumed 14 years of Norman Maclean's life. He sifted through grief and controversy in search of the truth about the Mann Gulch tragedy, then wrote about it in excruciating detail. The sobering story of the worst disaster in the history of the Forest Service also embraces the themes of honor, death, compassion, rebirth, and the human spirit.
Two brothers growing up in Missoula, Montana in the 1930s learn the art of fly fishing from their father. But one brother's life off the river is as fragmented and troubled as his life on the river is fluid and gracious. His older brother labors to save him before his art is only a memory. Also includes: Logging and Pimping, "Your Pal, Jim" and USFS 1919: The Ranger, the Cook and a Hole in the Sky.
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