Richard Gary Brautigan (January 30, 1935 – ca. September 14, 1984) was a 20th century American writer. His novels and stories often have to do with black comedy, parody, satire, and Zen Buddhism. He is probably best known for his 1967 novel, Trout Fishing in America. In 1963, he wrote a poem entitled, All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace. The poem envisions a world where cybernetics has advanced to a stage where it allows a return to the balance of nature and an elimination of the need for human labor. Kevin Flynn mentioned this poem as well as stating that Richard Brautigan was his good friend during an interview in the late 1980s.