Larry McMurtry is a highly respected American author and screenwriter, best known for his novels and screenplays set in the West, whether historically or during contemporary times. He has written over twenty-nine novels, three memoirs, two essay collections, and more than thirty screenplays. His works have had a significant impact on American contemporary culture, earning him a large following and numerous accolades over his more than 50-year career.
Born in Wichita Falls, Texas, on June 3, 1936, McMurtry's first novel, "Horseman, Pass By," was adapted into the film "Hud". Many of his other novels, including "The Last Picture Show" and "Terms of Endearment," were also adapted into successful films. His novel "Lonesome Dove" won a Pulitzer Prize, and his screenplay for "Brokeback Mountain," which he co-wrote with Diana Ossana, won both the Best Screenplay Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
McMurtry's works often explore themes of love, loss, and the human condition, set against the backdrop of the American West. His writing is known for its vivid imagery, rich characters, and emotional depth, making him one of the most influential and respected authors in American literature. He lived in Archer City, Texas, until his passing in 2021.
Thalia, Texas Books
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Horseman, Pass By / Hud
1961
2
Leaving Cheyenne
1962
3
Thalia
2017
Last Picture Show Books
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
The Last Picture Show
1966
2
Texasville
1987
3
Duane's Depressed
1999
4
When the Light Goes
2007
5
Rhino Ranch
2009
Houston Books
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Moving On
1970
2
All My Friends Are Going to Be Strangers
1972
3
Terms of Endearment
1975
4
Somebody's Darling
1978
5
Some Can Whistle
1989
6
The Evening Star
1992
Desert Rose Books
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
The Desert Rose
1983
2
The Late Child
1995
Lonesome Dove Books
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Lonesome Dove
1985
2
Streets of Laredo
1993
3
Dead Man's Walk
1995
4
Comanche Moon
1997
Lonesome Dove Series in Chronological Order
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Dead Man's Walk
1995
2
Comanche Moon
1997
3
Lonesome Dove
1985
4
Streets of Laredo
1993
Berrybender Narratives Books
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Sin Killer
2002
2
The Wandering Hill
2003
3
By Sorrow's River
2003
4
Folly and Glory
2004
Standalone Novels
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Cadillac Jack
1982
2
Anything for Billy
1988
3
Buffalo Girls
1990
4
Pretty Boy Floyd
1994
5
Zeke and Ned
1997
6
Boone's Lick
2000
7
Loop Group
2004
8
Telegraph Days
2006
9
The Last Kind Words Saloon
2014
Short Story Collections
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Brokeback Mountain: Story to Screenplay
2005
Non-Fiction Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
In a Narrow Grave: Essays on Texas
1968
2
Film Flam: Essays on Hollywood
1987
3
Crazy Horse
1999
4
Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen
1999
5
Roads: A Millennial Journey Along America's Great Interstate Highways
2000
6
Paradise
2001
7
Sacagawea's Nickname: Essays on the American West
2001
8
Oh What a Slaughter: Massacres in the American West, 1846-1890