Former UW Press director dies at 73; Fitchen deeply loved literature, classical music

It is every editor's dream to have a classic piece of literature dropped in his or her lap and to shepherd the work on its way toward publishing history.

Allen Fitchen lived that dream, beginning in 1974 when Norman Maclean walked into Fitchen's office at the University of Chicago Press and handed him the manuscript that would become the legendary "A River Runs Through It."

Fitchen, who later retired as director of the University of Wisconsin Press, died in Madison on Christmas Day at the age of 73. He died of metastatic lung cancer in the Don and Marilyn Anderson HospiceCare Center.

Named director of the UW University of Wisconsin Press in 1982, Fitchen is remembered by friends in Madison as a man who deeply loved literature, classical music, travel and birdwatching.

Joseph Wiesenfarth, a professor emeritus of English at UW-Madison, said Fitchen brought an aggressive, big-city attitude to the publishing house, expanding the number and improving the quality of books it published.

Typical of Fitchen's pursuit of literary excellence, Wiesenfarth recalled, was his 10-year campaign to publish what would become a classic study of James Joyce's "Finnegan's Wake." Fitchen made countless trips to California to meet and encourage the author John Bishop as he worked on "Joyce's Book of the Dark," Wiesenfarth recalled.

No editing triumphs, however, trumped Fitchen's work with Maclean on "A River Runs Through It," the autobiographical novella that Fitchen published along with two other Maclean short stories.

The novella, which would be made into a popular movie by Robert Redford, is considered by some anglers to be one of the best stories ever published about fishing. Most can quote its first line - "In our family there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing" - by heart. And though it was on its surface about fishing, at its heart it was a beautifully written story about Maclean's family and a memoir of his star-crossed brother.

In recent years, Fitchen led birding tours for Madison-area school groups and seniors. He also served as a volunteer for the Badger Chapter of the American Red Cross, driving blood between hospitals in Wisconsin and nearby states.

In addition to his wife, Shirley, and former wife, Jane, Fitchen is survived by his brother, Dr. John Fitchen; a daughter, Anne Currier; sons Christopher and William; stepdaughter Eleni Otto; and six grandchildren.

The Chicago Tribune contributed to this report.