[close] David James Duncan (born 1952)[1] is an American novelist and essayist, best known for his two bestselling novels, The River Why (1983, ISBN 1578050847) and The Brothers K (1992, ISBN 055337849x). Both involve fly fishing, baseball, and family.

Both received the Pacific Northwest Booksellers award; The Brothers K was a New York Times Notable Book in 1992 and won a Best Books Award from the American Library Association.[1]

Film adaptation
In 2008, The River Why was adapted into a "low-budget film" of the same name[2] starring William Hurt and Amber Heard.[3] Since April 30, 2008, the film rights to The River Why have become the subject of a lawsuit by Duncan alleging copyright infringement, among other issues.[4][5]


Other works
Duncan has written a collection of short stories, River Teeth (1996, ISBN 0553378279), and a memoir of sorts, My Story As Told By Water (2001, ISBN 1578050839). His latest work is God Laughs and Plays: Churchless Sermons in Response to the Preachments of the Fundamentalist Right, published in 2006 (ISBN 0977717003).

An essay, "Bird Watching as a Blood Sport", appeared in Harper's Magazine in 1998; Duncan wrote the foreword to Thoreau on Water: Reflecting Heaven (2001, ISBN 0395953863).

An essay, "A Mickey Mantle koan: The obstinate grip of an autographed baseball" appeared in Harper's Magazine in 1992.

Personal life
Duncan was born in Portland, Oregon[1] and lives in Missoula County, Montana.[5]


[edit] References
^ a b c David James Duncan: An Inventory of His Papers, 1959-2002) at Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, Texas Tech University
^ The River Why at the Internet Movie Database
^ Ambush, Hurt jump into River Why from a July 1, 2008 article from Variety magazine
^ Hollywood Docket: River Why Author Claims Producers Infringed on Film Rights from the "The Hollywood Reporter, Esq." blog
^ a b Duncan v. Cohen, Case No. 08-CV-2243 (USDC, N. Calif. filed April 30, 2008) from courthousenews.com
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