I have been reading a book of great beauty given to me as a Christmas gift by my wife: A River Runs Through It, by Norman Fitzroy Maclean. A film based on it was made some years ago but I never saw it and I had not read the book, published in 1976. It was the author’s first book written when he was past 70. It is a novella about family relationships and particularly the loving but tense relationship between two brothers. But it is also a classic account of fly-fishing in rugged country in Montana, an account given in marvellous detail and informed by a lifelong love of the sport. It is beautifully, sparely written. The book ends with the lovely line which has become famous: “I am haunted by waters.” Anyone who loves the wild spaces of Guyana and fishing in its rivers should read this book.
Fishing is at the very heart of A River Runs Through It – fishing as a beloved sport and way of life. Not many people guess right when asked “What is the most popular sport in the world?” The irony is that, more than any other people in the West Indies, Guyanese are in a position to say what is the most popular of all sports simply because Guyana provides a better environment for it than any other Caribbean country. The most popular sport in the world is fishing. Quite apart from its pursuit as a business or in earning a living, fishing is a universal relaxation and sport.
And, of course, Guyana is a perfect place for fishing. This land of great rivers and streams, myriads of trenches, ponds and lakes and big conservancies is a fisherman’s paradise. And there is no
