Richard Gary Brautigan was an American writer, best known for the novel Trout Fishing in America. Brautigan wrote ten novels and over 500 poems. Most of his novels dealt with satire, black comedy, and Zen Buddhism. After years of depression and heavy alcoholism, he committed suicide in his home in Bolinas, California. His exact date of death is unknown but it is presumed that he ended his life on September 14, 1984.