Today, in the Missoulian, Kim Briggeman dedicates the weekly “Missoula Rewound” column to tracing Paul Maclean’s life, as it appeared in the paper. The Missoulian, of course, is the local paper for Missoula, Montana, where Norman Maclean, author of A River Runs through It and Other Tales, and his brother Paul grew up. Briggeman’s article is titled “The rise and fall of a Missoula kid.”
In A River, Norman portrays his brother as an “artist” with a fly rod. He also portrays him as intelligent and caring, but far too attracted to gambling, drinking, and general risk-taking. The novella is largely autobiographical, but it does depart from the true story of Norman’s and Paul’s lives, at times. The novella’s implication that Paul would never leave Montana and that he died as a result of gambling debt’s are two of these departures. By citing news about the the two brothers, reported during their lives, Briggeman casts light upon these matters and many others. Fans of Norman’s literary work will enjoy the article.
The Literary Fly Fisher 
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