The world reads thousands of books about, from, and of Texas. The Texas State Flag is the most recognized U.S. state flag around the world. This article focuses on some of the most classic Texas authors who depict the mighty characterization of the various Texas cultures. They were or still are conservatives, liberals, populists, outlaws, politicians, dreamers, believers, and even crazy.
Yes, the Norwegian slang word for “crazy” is “Texas”. The authors we cover here are the ones who made Texas its own genre, exactly like what Willie Nelson did for the Texas music genre. The following authors espoused extremely different ideologies from each other on political, cultural, and even spiritual ideologies, representing the multifariousness that is Texas. But, all these writers spoke Texas.
In 2024, so many contemporary Texas writers are making names for themselves. Texas has long inspired writers and songwriters. These contemporary Texas authors also come in a mixed bag of genres with contrasting ideologies. Here, we focus on the inspiration of going “Texas” with Texans writing about the Texas we 7th, 6rh, 5th, etc. generation Texans hold on to as tightly as a rodeo cowboy’s 8-second bull ride.
Larry McMurtry 1936-2021
Larry McMurtry was born on June 3, 1936, Archer City, Texas, and he passed away on March 25, 2021, at the age of 84 in Archer City. He is best known by the film adaptations of his novels The Last Picture Show (1971), Hud (Horseman, Pass By, 1963), Terms of Endearment (1983), and Lonesome Dove (1989) with its sequels,, which turned into four TV Mini Series.
Larry McMurtry, by his account, is the author of 50 works. In all, nine of Larry’s books culminated into movies or miniseries. His video productions received 34 Oscar nominations with 13 wins. Larry received a Pulitzer Prize in 1986 and too many other awards to list. Larry’s literary influence continues to ring loud worldwide.
Editor George Getschow, director of the Archer City Writers Workshop, reported about the release of Pastures of the Empty Page: Fellow Writers on the Life and Legacy of Larry McMurtry, “Everyone knows that Larry McMurtry and Texas literature are indivisible. What isn’t so well known is the enormous impact Larry has had on prominent writers in Texas and across the country.”
Larry McMurtry: A Life by Tracy Daugherty examines his life in a comprehensive biography. Archer City, Texas, sits on an imaginary line between North Central Texas and West Texas. Archer City is pure small town Texas milieu. Reading Larry McMurtry or about Larry McMurtry is reading Texas.
Molly Ivins: 1944-2007
Texas’ unforgiving populist journalist and humorist and critic of the Republican establishment powers that were, is Molly Ivins. It would be a crying shame to leave Molly out of the best of the best of Texan writers. Molly did not hesitate to skewer anyone in the political theater. Molly once declared that “President Bill Clinton was ‘weaker than bus station chili.’” She coined “Dubya”.
She heartily and religiously believed that threats to democracy included the inundating influence of money in politics, a swamp full of corporate special interests. It is impossible to put her works in a box. Molly Ivins still teaches post WWII Texas and U.S. politics today. Molly was an insightful, witty, and often humorous American newspaper columnist, author, and political commentator.
Molly wrote eleven books. Throughout her career, Molly wrote for the Houston Chronicle, the Minneapolis Tribune, the New York Times, and the Dallas Times Herald. She wrote op-ed and feature stories in The New York Times and The Washington Post, was the co-editor and political reporter for The Texas Observer, and covered nine western states as the Rocky Mountain bureau chief.
Molly was in demand, with a hectic speaking schedule in Texas and beyond. From 1992 until 2001, she worked as an independent journalist. Creators Syndicate published her column in nearly 400 newspapers nationwide. Her most popular books include Molly Ivins Can’t Say That, Can She?, You Got to Dance with Them What Brung You, and Who Let the Dogs In?: Incredible Political Animals I Have Known.
Kinky Friedman, Still Alive in 2024
Songwriter, singer, poet, politician, humorist, novelist, and Texas icon Kinky Friedman, calls himself the “Texas Jewboy”. He is genuinely famous in Texas, plus he cultivated an international cult following. Kinky is the author of around 30 books in the genres of detective novels and nonfiction and a former Texas Monthly columnist.
The Kinky Friedman series of 18 books written between 1986 and 2005 tells the fictional tales of a detective from Texas named Kinky Friedman who solves crimes in New York City while emitting Texas wisdom and jokes while slurping down Jameson’s whiskey.
You cannot possibly get more Texan than Kinky Friedman’s Guide to Texas Etiquette (2001), You Can Lead a Politician to Water, But You Can’t Make Him Think (2007), and Drinker With a Writing Problem (2011).
In 2006, Kinky ran for the Texas governorship with campaign promises of “slots for tots” legalized gambling to pay for education, the five Mexican generals plan bribes to enforce border protection, and combating the “wussification” of Texas.
A.C. Greene 1923-2002
This Texas memoirist, fiction writer, historian, poet, and influential book critic started his career with the Abilene Reporter-News. A. C. Greene ran his own bookstore, headed the journalism department at Hardin-Simmons University, served as book and editorial page editor for the Dallas Times-Herald and as a columnist for The Dallas Morning News, and wrote over 20 books.
The Atlantic, Texas Monthly, Southwest Review, Southwestern Historical Quarterly, and New York Times Book Review published numerous A. C. Greene articles. He narrated and wrote PBS television shows and was a Fellow in the Texas State Historical Association and the Texas Institute of Letters.
Among A.C.’s many books, he penned The 50+ Best Books on Texas (1981), which was in his words, “a guide book to Texas literature”. Greene’s bestselling books include A Personal Country, The Santa Claus Bank Robbery, and 900 Miles on the Butterfield Trail.
J. Frank Dobie 1888-1964
J. Frank Dobie carved out a career for himself as an American and Texan folklorist, writer, and columnist. The UT Press (University of Texas) reports that Dobie was the first Texas author to gain national attention. In his time, he saw Southwestern folk history as disappearing. Dobie penned over 50 books.
Dobie’s words captured the richness and traditions of life in rural Texas during the days of the open range in many of his works. He played a significant role in saving the Texas Longhorn breed of cattle from extinction and chronicled the process in his book, The Longhorns.
While writing about tough Texas rural traditions and lifestyles, Dobie carried outspoken liberal views in opposition to Texas state politics, which was kind of an oxymoronic ideology. His most popular book is Coronado’s Children: Tales of Lost Mines and Buried Treasures of the Southwest of the Barker Texas History Center Series.
Author: Kendall Davis
Author: Kendall Davis Company: Lumini Services Kendall currently lives on the shores of Lake Texoma in Texas. She traveled across two-thirds of the U.S. for many years camping at lakes, rivers, and three oceans before motels and hotels if at all possible, and she continuously saw God's presence in nature. Writing for Lakehub allows Kendall to share her experience with God's creations. https://kdavis1836.wixsite.com/luminiwrites
