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Lonesome Dove was a revelation. A book I started reading twice before finally finishing it on the third go. Somehow that time the characters stuck, the landscape was seared into my brain, and the story drew me in deep. No fan of Westerns, I still absolutely loved it. Beautifully written, entertaining, and a clear masterpiece. And yet, I've never really had the urge to read the sequels.
Consequently I read this profile with no knowledge of Lawrence Wright. Enjoyed it too. But then got to the end and...Holy cow, what a resume on this guy!
> LAWRENCE WRIGHT is the author of The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11, winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction and named one of Time’s Top 100 Books of All Time. He is a staff writer for The New Yorker and winner of three National Magazine Awards. His 2013 book, Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, was made into an HBO documentary that won three Emmys, including one for best documentary. Wright is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Society of American Historians, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He plays keyboards in the Austin-based blues band WhoDo.
> No fan of Westerns...
As I understood it, McMurtry wasn't either. He wanted to write a story about people living miserable lives, so he chose the Old West setting because he thought it suited his aim. The surprise came when Lonesome Dove was a hit with people who liked Westerns. Although McMurtry's attitude toward the genre wasn't what Western fans normally wanted, the writing was just so good that it drew you in.
With the tremendous popularity of the book, McMurtry was pressed to write sequels. My impression was that he resented having to write in a genre he didn't care for, and this is what influenced him to make the sequels increasingly bleak.
I chuckle to see someone that read it sort-of like I did - my grandpa had it in his collection and I picked it up around age 14 or 15, read maybe 100 pages, then didn’t pick it up again until my early 20s when I then tore through it in a few days. I’m 41 now and the entire book is seared in my brain as well, from the saloon to the range, and I’ve only read it that one time. The only other book, I think, that has stuck with me like that after one read is Sometimes a Great Notion.
While Lonesome Dove has its moments of melancholy and heartbreak, from what I remember, the sequels are positively BLEAK. It was like reading Cormac McCarthy but without the stunningly beautiful prose and mythical storytelling to help carry me through all the darkness. I can't even say for sure whether I liked them, I was too depressed by the end to even properly reflect. They definitely felt raw and honest.
You might be interested in Wright's lecture/one-man-show My Trip to Al-Qaeda, where he talks about his research for the book The Looming Tower, going overseas to meet Al Qaeda members and their relatives.
It's available for free several places online, e.g. https://tubitv.com/movies/312561/my-trip-to-al-qaeda
The second part of the book, which was about the FBI's pursuit of Al Qaeda, was turned into a dramatized series on Hulu. It's very much from the FBI's point of view. One of the main "characters" in the series is Ali Soufan, played by an actor. The real Ali Soufan was one of the producers.
Both a pro and a con of having read lonesome dove is that there is simply no reason to ever read another western.
I didn't realize until recently that singer-songwriter James McMurtry is Larry McMurtry's son. It makes sense--the guy can write. I was familiar with James's music before reading Lonesome Dove, and in hindsight, you can definitely tell he's cut from the same cloth when it comes to weaving a narrative.
James McMurtry is great as well! He is chummy with a radio station I listen to here in DFW (KTCK) and they did a little coverage on that he recently auctioned a lot of his father's estate. Some neat items!
https://vogtauction.com/auctions/the-estate-of-larry-mcmurtr...
Choctaw Bingo and No More Buffalo are my favorite songs by him. No More Buffalo is hauntingly beautiful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5uTfoSuY0E
Ruby and Carlos. Take it as a short story set to music and it's just breathtaking. Such an elegant structure - a love story told entirely after the love affair is over.
Came here to post this myself! TIL
Lonesome Dove is amazing. I listened to it on audiobook, with great narration. The book left me with a massive case of "book hangover". I'm looking forward to listening to it again.
Early 70's, UT Austin, my Eng lit instructor said she could swing it to allow me to audit the visiting author writing class next door that begin when our class ended. "He's writing in the Western genre," and I never bothered. I was pretentious about literature then and rather sniffed at the notion of anyone writing westerns. It was Larry McMurtry, and of course I curse my young arrogant self now. I'm still mad at him, furious with myself and the opportunity I missed.
Amazing story, thank you for posting. Any chance you happen to remember which building your class was in? Was it one of the buildings along the south mall?
Oh man. That was 50 years ago. I do recall that my instructor that offered to put in a word for me so I could audit was Professor Flowers, very nice woman.
She was still around when I was there! She was indeed very nice.
Just looked her up, glad to see it seems like she’s still doing well.
I recommend In a Narrow Grave: Essays on Texas if you want to understand McMurtry’s world view…or Texas view?
He wrote it in the 1960’s but it is consistent with his later work.
And it is a great insight into Texas.
Great American author