Wild Ducks Flying Backward


Wild Ducks Flying Backward: The Short Writings of Tom Robbins is a book by Tom Robbins, published in 2005 by Bantam Books. This collection of poems, short stories, essays, reviews, and other brief writings span almost 40 years of Robbins' career. The stories were collected from his work in magazines such as Esquire, Playboy, The New York Times, and elsewhere.

Table of Contents

Periodical and date of first publication indicated where applicable, provided in Wild Ducks Flying Backwards.
TRAVEL ARTICLES
  • ”Canyon of the Vaginas”
  • ”Two in the Bush”
  • ”The Eight-Story Kiss”
  • ”The Cannibal King Wants His Din-Din”
  • ”The Day the Earth Spit Warthogs”
TRIBUTES
  • The Doors”
  • “Nurse Duffy of MTV”
  • ”Joseph Campbell”
  • ”Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg”
  • ”The Genius Waitress”
  • ”Ray Kroc”
  • ”Jennifer Jason Leigh”
  • ”Leonard Cohen”
  • ”Slipper Sipping”
  • ”Redheads”
  • ”Alan Rudolph”
  • ”Miniskirt Feminism”
  • ”The Sixties”
  • ”Diane Keaton”
  • ”Kissing”
  • ”Shree Bhagwan Rajneesh”
  • ”Ruby Montana”
  • ”Terrence McKenna”
  • ”Thomas Pynchon”
  • ”Debra Winger”
STORIES, POEMS, & LYRICS
  • ”Triplets”
  • ”Dream of the Language Wheel”
  • ”Catch 28”
  • ”Three Haiku”
  • ”Midnight Whoopee Cushion Sonata”
  • ”The Origin of Cigars”
  • ”Stick Indians”
  • Home Medicine”
  • ”Clair de Lune”
  • ”Aloha Nui”
  • Are You Ready For the New Urban Fragrances?"
  • ”Honky-Tonk Astronaut”
  • Creole Debutante”
  • ”Master Bo Ling”
  • ”R.S.V.P.”
  • ”My Heart Is Not a Poodle”
  • ”West to Satori”
  • ”Wild Card”
  • ”Open Wide”
  • ”Two for My Young Son”
  • ”The Towers of St. Ignatz: A script treatment for a feature film”
MUSINGS & CRITIQUES
  • ”In Defiance of Gravity”
  • ”Till Lunch Do Us Part”
  • What Is Art and If We Know What Art Is, What is Politics?”
  • ”Morris Louis: Empty and Full”
  • ”Lost in Translation”
  • ”Leo Kenney and the Geometry of Dreaming”
  • ”The Desire of His Object”
RESPONSES
  • ”Write About One of Your Favorite Things”
  • ”How Do You Feel About America?”
  • ”What Do You Think Writers Block Is and Have You Ever Had It?”
  • ”With What Fictional Character Do You Most Identify”
  • ”Is the Writer Obligated to Use His/Her Medium as an Instrument for Social Betterment?”
  • ”Why Do You Live Where You Live”
  • ”Do You Express Your Personal Political Opinions in Your Novels?”
  • ”What Was Your First Outdoor Adventure”
  • ”How Would You Evaluate John Steinbeck?”
  • ”What Is Your Favorite Place in Nature?”
  • ”Send Us A Souvenir From the Road”
  • ”What is the Function of Metaphor?”
  • ”Are You a Realist?”

Reception

Kirkus Reviews regards the collection as too much of a good thing: ven just a little bit of Robbins can be too much, and the proof is in this collection of short fiction,” The review dismisses the poetry selections, and faults the author for “trying too hard” to impress his readership.
Critic Mary Brennan at the Seattle Times, describing the collection as a “farrago,” laments that “there are pieces that have not aged well.” Nonetheless, Robbin’s manages to convey “joie de vivre” in a number of works including “The Day the Earth Spit Warthogs.”