Author of Brokeback Mountain Wishes She’d Never Written The Story

Author of Brokeback Mountain Wishes She’d Never Written The Story

‘I wish I’d never written the story. It’s just been the cause of hassle and problems and irritation since the film came out. Before the film, it was all right… In Wyoming they won’t read it. A large section of the population is still outraged. But that’s not where the problem was. I’m used to that response from people here, who generally do not like the way I write. But the problem has come since the film. So many people have completely misunderstood the story. I think it’s important to leave spaces in a story for readers to fill in from their own experience, but unfortunately the audience that Brokeback reached most strongly has powerful fantasy lives. And one of the reasons we keep the gates locked here is that a lot of men have decided that the story should have had a happy ending. They can’t bear the way it ends — they just can’t stand it. So they rewrite the story, including all kinds of boyfriends and new lovers and so forth after Jack is killed. And it just drives me wild.

‘They can’t understand that the story isn’t about Jack and Ennis. It’s about homophobia; it’s about a social situation; it’s about a place and a particular mindset and morality. They just don’t get it. I can’t tell you how many of these things have been sent to me as though they’re expecting me to say, ‘Oh great, if only I’d had the sense to write it that way.’ And they all begin the same way — I’m not gay, but?.?.?.? The implication is that because they’re men they understand much better than I how these people would have behaved. And maybe they do. But that’s not the story I wrote. Those are not their characters. The characters belong to me by law.”

— Author Annie Proulx explaining to Paris Review the negative response from some readers to the ending of her short story, Brokeback Mountain, that was adapted into the Academy Award-winning 2005 film

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38 Comments

  1. Rapu'm
    December 30, 05:03 Reply

    Lol. That’s what happens when mumus pick up stories to read. They want to tell you how to end, what your characters should be. Reading Brokeback Mountain, I knew that tragedy was inevitable.

  2. Max
    December 30, 05:33 Reply

    Saw the movie while I was in the uni.. Had to download it with my precious bandwidth.. And I must say it wasn’t a waste of bandwidth..
    You’ll connect with the movie on a deeper level… Its a beautiful relatable story…
    People will always try to tell you how you should’ve done something, just because they don’t like how it turned out.. Mtchew..

  3. Airdeecan
    December 30, 05:34 Reply

    I thought we were d only ones who did it here in Nigeria……LMAO….@ “I’m not gay but”, serious fantasy lives….see, even straight men believe in a happy ending.

    • gad
      December 30, 12:53 Reply

      From the woman,s usage of that “im not gay” preamble it’s easy to see that those men that called were actually gay but lying. I kept asking myself why people have to lie about this gayness even in Oyibo land that we consider models. Hmmm. Africans and there self hate

  4. Kristopher B
    December 30, 05:34 Reply

    The movie made a good watch. It’s been years sha. That harsh winter sure added the flame to their first coitus…and i feel he kinda prefered the guy to his wife a fact she eventually found out. On the same note, who knows any Gay inclined tv series worth viewing. I’ve been through Noah’s Arc (all 2 seasons n d movie), Queer as Folks (all 5 seasons) n DL chronicles (all 4 episodes)… MAX, you still owe me a tutorial bro. Pinky please go on Google and search for the Nolan and Carter wedding, it’s one of the most beautiful thing’s i’ve ever seen! Have a wonderful day friends.

    • Deola
      December 30, 08:42 Reply

      Hey Kristopher B, you should check out ‘LOOKING’ its a new series that completed its first season earlier in the year with the second season premiering In January. Or you could watch ‘Shameless US’ its also pretty awesome.

      • Deola
        December 30, 08:48 Reply

        Also the Chadwick Journals from the producers of DL Chronicles…its a spinoff of some sort.

    • Bliss
      May 19, 14:36 Reply

      Hey, i was just reading old post and i came across this. Where can i download this DL chronicles? I have tried alot but cant seem too

  5. Chuck
    December 30, 06:05 Reply

    How does one contact you, Max?

  6. hoelivia poop
    December 30, 06:20 Reply

    stop whatever you are doing & go watch Dante ‘s Cove right NOW

    • Deola
      December 30, 08:46 Reply

      Isnt Dante’s cove basically Vampire Diaries but with abysmal acting??

    • Max
      December 30, 09:15 Reply

      I have Dantes cove…all of em.. Really raunchy revealing sex scenes +supernatural…

      • B.A.D
        December 30, 16:06 Reply

        Pinky dis is waaay too sexual. smD

    • Bliss
      May 19, 14:38 Reply

      Hey, scrolling through the old post. Which site can i download Dante’s cove. Cant seem to find and download

  7. Pearle
    December 30, 06:43 Reply

    Still cannot thoroughly absorb why people think it’s their god-given right for their mere opinions to be ingested at all times. The beauty of being a writer is that you let your imaginations run wild, it’s the closest experience that one can get to feeling what’s like to be God. I honestly think that BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN was a brilliant piece, and must all stories end with happily ever after??? Reality doesn’t hand it to everyone like that.

  8. A-non
    December 30, 06:49 Reply

    Hmmm…how come I never got round seeing this movie or reading the book?

    *scratches head*

  9. Max
    December 30, 06:50 Reply

    Lmao @Olivia…
    @chuck, buzz pinky..

  10. trystham
    December 30, 07:52 Reply

    There’s a book? I’d rather read that. I watched the movie under the bedcovers n jumped everytime the door opened. It was so uncomfortable.

    • chestnut
      December 30, 09:30 Reply

      Lol. I know how u feel. When I watched it,I waited for my roomie to go to “night class” and I turned of the lights and locked the doors and reduced the volume of the tv to barely audible!

    • jacemorgensten
      December 31, 04:42 Reply

      Usually books are better than the movies, but believe me when I say the Brokeback Mountain movie is much better. The book is a bit hard to understand, it’s a little difficult to get drawn into it, and you cannot really feel the characters’ emotions. And what’s worse? It’s only twenty-six pages long.

      • pinkpanthertb
        December 31, 04:44 Reply

        True that. They say movie adaptations usually ruin the books. And that’s quite true. But Brokeback Mountain, the movie, is a rare case of movie excellence.

  11. Deola
    December 30, 08:44 Reply

    Every Single time the topic of this movie comes up…i feel like the only gay guy who hasn’t seen it. Lol.
    I have seen clips of he movie on YouTube but have never really seen the movie in its entirety.

  12. chestnut
    December 30, 09:33 Reply

    Oh Hoelivia, u’re just a mess! LMFAO… I was not ready for this!

  13. Dom
    December 30, 12:22 Reply

    I’d always say, read the book before the movie. Movie adaptation of books takes a lot away from the story it is not even funny. At least you can read the original intentions. When those screen writers zoom in, it is always with huge machetes and very coarse sandpaper.

  14. DeadlyDarius
    December 30, 12:48 Reply

    Those peeps can shove their opinions up their butt chutes…..its her piece and she has the right to end it how she pleases. The movie is a masterpiece of a love story and some of the most enthralling romance tales have a sad ending. It was really cheated by the Academy Awards who, maybe understandably, didnt want more bad press from the conservative nuts

  15. gad
    December 30, 13:07 Reply

    Fools are usually quick to call others foolish. Can one blame them? There will always be the wise and foolish,the rich and the poor,the wealthy and the pauper or else the world will be monotonously boring

  16. Lord II
    December 30, 16:45 Reply

    ….and I thought Brokeback mountain should have been condemned by yours truly only because one of them was married with kidd and they happen to have had very beautiful sex EVEN bare backed!!!! Smh…

    Oh but I was just hooting there……never mind!

      • Lord II
        December 30, 17:29 Reply

        Oh ok…sorry luv….was just musing…dats all.

        Eh..so how are you dear! I see 2015 to be a lovely year..

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