UM Hooks for Books Fundraiser Marks 50 Years of ‘A River Runs Through It’
The Creative Writing Program at the University of Montana will celebrate the 50th anniversary of “A River Runs through It” – where Norman Maclean wrote his family had no clear line between religion and fly-fishing – during its fifth annual Hooks for Books fundraiser on Sept. 27-29. (UM photos by Ryan Brennecke)
MISSOULA – Perhaps no other 20th century book has had a more profound impact on the state of Montana than Norman Maclean’s “A River Runs through It.”
Maclean’s 104-page novella, originally published in 1976 – and the ensuing 1992 movie directed by Robert Redford – helped create what has been called the “big bang moment” for fly-fishing in the West.
In the 50 years since its publication, fly-fishing has exploded in popularity, becoming arguably Montana’s signature outdoor sport. The ripple effect has reshaped both the state’s cultural and economic landscape, transforming Montana into a sought-after destination for fly-fishers worldwide.
The University of Montana’s Creative Writing Program will celebrate the 50th anniversary of “A River Runs through It” during its fifth annual Hooks for Books fundraiser on Sept. 27-29. During the event, Maclean’s son, author and journalist John Maclean, will be honored with the Writers on Water Award.
“At the age of 70, (my father) sat down and created world literature in 104 pages that transformed an industry, became the model of a state and did all the things that we know ‘A River Runs through It’ has done ...,” John Maclean said. “Those 104 pages have been a volcano of consequence, and it is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever read in my life.”
Regarded today as a major American literary work, “A River Runs through It” has achieved widespread critical and commercial acclaim. The Pulitzer Prize’s fiction jury selected it as its recommendation for the award in 1977, before the Pulitzer’s board elected not to award a fiction prize that year.
Fifteen years later, Redford’s movie, starring Brad Pitt and Craig Sheffer, brought Maclean’s story to an even wider audience. “A River Runs through It” is now perhaps the best-known, most celebrated work in a fishing literary canon that also includes authors such as Ernest Hemingway, Thomas McGuane, David James Duncan and Annie Proulx.
John Maclean, himself an acclaimed writer and journalist who spent 30 years with the Chicago Tribune as an international and diplomatic correspondent, has carried on that literary tradition. After leaving the newspaper in 1995, he began writing extensively about Montana and the West.
Many of his books chronicle major wildfires, examining the forces behind them and their impact on people and landscapes. His works include “Fire on the Mountain,” “Fire and Ashes,” “The Thirtymile Fire,” “The Esperanza Fire” and “River of Fire.”
His 2022 memoir, “Home Waters: A Chronicle of Family and a River,” explores the Maclean family’s generations-long relationship with the Blackfoot River. “Home Waters” was an honor selection for the Montana Book Award and winner of an AFFTA award for best in entertainment/education.
Hooks for Books’ Writers on Water Award recognizes literary writers whose work has been influenced by the natural environment, especially writers who explore the relationship between people, nature and place. Maclean will be the fourth recipient of the award.
“When John agreed to join us for Hooks for Books this year, in part to honor the 50th anniversary of ‘A River Runs through It’, we were blown away,” said Chris Dombrowski, UM’s director of creative writing. “His own books, too, have our audience very excited.”
Previous Writers on Water Award recipients include John Gierach, Thomas McGuane and Carl Hiassen.
“It’s an unexpected honor,” Maclean said, “and the people they’ve given it to before are high quality, so I’m delighted to be part of the group. Getting an award from the Creative Writing Program of the University of Montana – which is kind of the heartland of everything I’ve done and everything my dad did, is gratifying, to say the very least.”
Maclean now credits growing up in the same household with his father for sparking his own interest in writing.
“The simple truth is that I would not have gotten started on a book career without ‘A River Runs through It’ ...,” Maclean said. “My dad got me interested in writing. He made me love it. He made me want to do it. He made it possible for me to do it when the time came.”
Maclean remains connected to the state that shaped his family, his career and his relationship with the outdoors.
“Montana is the anchor in my life,” he said.
Hooks for Books celebrates the worldwide intersection of fly-fishing and literature with a multiday gathering featuring guided fly-fishing trips on Missoula-area rivers, as well as social events like an evening reception, an auction and dinner.
Co-founded in 2022 by Dombrowski and UM alumnus, author, entrepreneur and philanthropist Tim O’Leary, the idea for the event was conceived while the two fished together on Missoula’s Rock Creek. O’Leary said Hooks for Books is a fun way to introduce participants to the University, Montana’s proud literary tradition and the Missoula area’s blue-ribbon fishing opportunities.
“Creative writing is a shining jewel of Montana academics, and I wanted to get people as excited as I am about what’s going on here,” O’Leary said of the event. “I love introducing people to that world.”
O’Leary also said he believes supporting the UM’s Creative Writing Program is especially important at a time of growing questions about the role of the humanities in higher education. Literature, he said, can help people understand themselves and the world around them.
“Writers often hold up a mirror to society and help us envision a better future,” he said.
UM’s renowned Creative Writing Program is one of the oldest and most prestigious in the country. Its master's degree progra, founded by influential poet Richard Hugo in 1967, includes among its graduates multiple Pulitzer Prize winners, as well as recipients of nationally recognized awards such Pushcart Prizes, the American Book Award, the the Newberry Honor and others.
Montana’s master’s degree graduates have published over 170 books since 2011, Dombrowski said.
To date, Hooks for Books has raised more than $500,000 for UM’s Creative Writing Program.
To inquire about availability to participate in Hooks for Books, reserve your spot for next year or to support the UM Creative Writing Program, contact Beth Burman Frazee, the UM Foundation’s development director for the UM School of Journalism and UM Creative Writing Program, at 406-243-5354 or beth.burman-frazee@supportum.org. Online gifts may be made anytime by visiting the event’s giving page at https://bit.ly/4r2m2n3.
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Contact: Beth Burman Frazee, UM Foundation development director for journalism and creative writing, 406-243-5354, beth.burman-frazee@supportum.org.