Wild Ducks Flying Backward

A “hilarious” (The New York Times Book Review) collection of essays, articles, observations—and even some country-music lyrics—that offer a rare overview of the eclectic sensibility of an American original

“[Tom] Robbins is fearless, original, mind-expanding, and funny as hell.”
— San Diego Union-Tribune

Whether rocking with the Doors, depoliticizing Picasso’s Guernica, 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 sensuality, 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 Embedded in this primarily journalistic compilation are brand-new short stories, a sheaf of largely unpublished poems, and an offbeat assessment of our divided nation.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 read Wild 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.”

“Soars on the imagination and passion of Tom Robbins . . . one of the bravest writers in America. . . . He’ll amaze you with his ability to entertain.”
— Chicago Tribune

“Cavort[s] with language as if it were a playmate with whom he can dance, woo, rock and roll . . . Closer to a musical improvisation than traditional prose . . . Part philosopher, part court jester, Robbins uses sparkling phrases mixed with over-the-top puns to impart his Zenlike wisdom. . . . A huge amount of fun.”
— Los Angeles Times

“Thank Heaven, and Hades too, for Tom Robbins. . . . Wild Ducks Flying Backward is one spicy bouillabaisse cooked up by Robbins’ hyperkinetic imagination and his prodigious galaxy of interests. . . . For his loyal legions of smitten readers, this collection may be the closest they will ever come to a Robbins memoir. There is much more to Tom Robbins and his work than is sometimes assumed and that is confirmed again by the startling collection of Wild Ducks Flying Backward.”
— Seattle Post-Intelligencer

“It is a great pleasure to find this psychedelic son of Mark Twain, this metaphor-slinging, myth-steeped champion of liberation directly addressing his aesthetic and spiritual concerns in this retrospective collection. . . . Robbins’ funny and astute short works shimmer with original and piquant descriptions, sensual delight, and a firm grasp of human nature and history.”
— Booklist

“A single sentence from Robbins is worth the price of admission. . . . This compilation . . . contains flashes of brilliance and myriad quirky observations about people, places, and life.”
— Columbus Dispatch

Thomas Eugene "Tom" Robbins (July 22, 1932 – February 9, 2025) was an iconic American novelist whose surreal humor, eccentric characters, and playful wordplay earned him a massive global cult following. Often hailed as a prominent literary voice of the 1960s counterculture, he specialized in "seriocomedies"—complex narratives that masked profound philosophical, social, and spiritual explorations under layers of whimsical, madcap prose.

Early Life and Background
Robbins was born in the Appalachian town of Blowing Rock, North Carolina to a family that included Baptist preachers.

He grew up during the Great Depression and later attended Richmond Professional Institute (now Virginia Commonwealth University), graduating with a degree in journalism in 1959.

Before pivoting to full-time fiction writing, Robbins led a varied and colorful life that mirrored the unpredictability of his books. His eclectic resume included stints as an Air Force weatherman, a radio DJ, and an art critic. In 1962, he relocated to the Pacific Northwest, eventually settling in the small town of La Conner, Washington, where he wrote the majority of his books longhand while actively rejecting modern technology.

Literary Style and Core Themes
Robbins described his writing as a deliberate mixture of fantasy, poetry, spirituality, and sexuality. His books frequently featured everyday objects or animals operating as major philosophical catalysts. His irreverent classics have introduced countless readers to natural born hitchhiking cowgirls, born-again monkeys, a philosophizing can of beans, exiled royalty, and problematic redheads.

His linguistic style relied heavily on complex puns, striking metaphors, and a cheerful disregard for conventional narrative structures. He often noted that his goal was to evoke the same expansive, sensory feelings in a reader as a Fellini film or a Grateful Dead concert.

Major Works
Over his multi-decade career, Robbins published nine major novels, an essay collection, and a memoir:
• Another Roadside Attraction (1971): His debut novel, which centers around a roadside zoo and the stolen corpse of Jesus Christ, establishing him as a counterculture favorite.
• Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1976): His most famous work, focusing on a hitchhiker with oversized thumbs. It was later adapted into a 1993 feature film directed by Gus Van Sant.
• Still Life with Woodpecker (1980): A love story between an exiled princess and an anarchist outlaw that explores the meaning of love.
• Jitterbug Perfume (1984): An epic, centuries-spanning tale detailing the quest for the ultimate perfume and the secret to immortality.
• Skinny Legs and All (1990): A socio-religious satire detailing an inanimate spoon, sock, and dirty stick traveling across the country.
• Tibetan Peach Pie: A True Account of an Imaginative Life (2014): His final major book. While it functions as a memoir detailing his unconventional life, Robbins playfully insisted it was actually an "un-memoir".

Death and Legacy
Robbins passed away at his home in La Conner, Washington on February 9, 2025, at the age of 92. Celebrated internationally, publishers like Penguin Random House continue to preserve his legacy, remembering him as a writer who weaponized "serious playfulness" to champion a unique ethos of romantic Zen hedonism.
Dimensions: 140 x 208 x 15
Author: Tom Robbins
ISBN: 9780553383539
Format: Paperback
Pages: 272

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