"I had expected to be thrilled when I received my first copy
of my first book, but when I opened the package and held the
first copy in my hand, I found that I just felt sort of
flat," writes Larry McMurtry in Literary Life. "I learned
then and have relearned many times since, that the best part
of a writer's life is actually doing it, making up
characters, filling the blank page, creating scenes that
readers in distant places might connect to. The thrill lies
in the rush of sentences, the gradual arrival of characters
who at once seem to have their own life."
McMurtry is that rarest of artists, a prolific and
genre-transcending writer as popular with reviewers as he is
with his readers. The author of more than forty books --
including essay collections, memoirs, and novels ranging
from the Duane Moore series that began with The Last Picture
Show to the Pulitzer Prize-winning Lonesome Dove -- McMurtry
has delighted generations with his witty and elegant prose.
In Literary Life, the sequel to Books, McMurtry expounds on
life on the private side: the trials and triumphs of being a
writer.
From his earliest inkling of his future career while at Rice
University, to his tenure as a Wallace Stegner fellow at
Stanford with Ken Kesey in 1960, to his incredible triumphs
as a bestselling author, Literary Life retains all the
intimacy and charm of McMurtry's previous autobiographical
works. Replete with literary anecdotes and packed with
memorable observations about writing, writers, and the
author himself, the book provides a rare glimpse into the
life and intellect of a brilliantly insightful man. It is a
work that will be cherished not only by McMurtry's admirers,
but by the innumerable aspiring writers who seek to make
their own mark on American literature.
© 2003-2025 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy