Richard Brautigan was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet. He is considered a key figure in the counterculture movement of the 1960s and continues to hold relevance today for his unconventional storytelling and exploration of themes like love, loss, and the search for meaning in a rapidly changing world.

Brautigan's poetry is characterized by its simplicity, wit, and surrealism. He often employed everyday language and unexpected imagery to create a sense of playful absurdity. His poems often read like short, evocative vignettes, capturing fleeting moments and observations with a blend of humor and melancholy.

Brautigan's work emerged during a period of significant social and artistic upheaval. His style, with its emphasis on individual experience and rejection of traditional forms, aligned with the ethos of the time. He can be seen as part of a lineage of American writers interested in bending genre and pushing boundaries, including Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs, who were key figures in the Beat Generation, a movement that greatly influenced the counterculture of the 1960s.