Jim Harrison, a novelist, essayist and poet passed away on Saturday at his home in Patagonia, Ariz. He was 78.

His death was established by his publisher, Grove Atlantic who said that the cause of his death had not been known yet. Harrison lived most recently during the summers in the wild countryside near Livingston, Mont., where he excitedly shot the rattlesnakes that lived his yard, and during the winters in Patagonia, where he shot all kinds of things.

In both places, he could take part in the basic, monosyllabic pursuits that marked the borders of his life: to walk, drive, hunt, fish, cook, drink, smoke, write.

The result was extraordinary: 21 volumes of fiction, including "Legends of the Fall" (1979), a collection of three novellas, 14 books of poetry; two books of essays; a memoir; and a children's book. His latest book of fiction, "The Ancient Minstrel," was circulated this month. A book of poetry, "Dead Man's Float," also came out this year.

Harrison got a bachelor's degree in comparative literature from Michigan State University followed by a master's in the subject there. In the mid-1960s, he was a teacher briefly at the State University of New York at Stony Brook before turning his back on academe for the writing life.

Harrison's wife, the former Linda King, whom he married in 1959, passed away in October. He is survived by two daughters, Jamie Potenberg and Anna Hjortsberg; a sister, Mary Dumsch; a brother, David; and three grandchildren.

In an essay in "The Raw and the Cooked," Harrison summarized the modus vivendi that had long sustained him. He wrote, "The idea is to eat well and not die from it ? for the simple reason that that would be the end of your eating."