Wild Ducks Flying Backward

Known for his meaty seriocomic novels, Tom Robbins's shorter work has appeared in publications ranging fromEsquiretoHarper's, fromPlayboyto theNew York Times. Collected here for the first time in paperback, the essays, articles, observationsand even some untypical country-music lyricsoffer a rare overview of the eclectic sensibility of an American original. Whether rocking with the Doors, depoliticizing Picasso'sGuernica,lamenting the angst-ridden state of contemporary literature, or drooling over tomato sandwiches and a species of womanhood he calls "the genius waitress," Tom Robbins's briefer writings exhibit the five traits that perhaps best characterize his novels: an imaginative wit, a cheerfully brash disregard for convention, a sweetly nasty eroticism, a mystical but keenly observant eye, and an irrepressible love of language. Embedded in this primarily journalistic compilation are brand-new short stories, a sheaf of largely unpublished poems, and an offbeat assessment of our divided nation. Wherever you openWild Ducks Flying Backward,you'll encounter the serious playfulness that percolates from the mind of a self-described "romantic Zen hedonist" and "stray dog in the banquet halls of culture."

TOM ROBBINS is the author of eight novels. When not roaming, he lives in the Seattle area.


From the Hardcover edition.