Description
Book SynopsisAuthor of
The Big Sky series,
The Way West, and the screenplay for
Shane, among other timeless stories of frontier mountain men, A.B. ""Bud"" Guthrie Jr. brought blazing realism to the story of the West. In
Under the Big Sky Jackson J. Benson details the life and work of this true giant on the Western literary landscape.
Trade Review"A welcome biography of the Western novelist and environmentalist."-Kirkus Reviews Kirkus Reviews "In this caring yet objective account of the novelist's life, Jackson J. Benson uncovers the passions and demons in Guthrie's life away from the desk, lending the biography meaning for general readers as well as writers."-Washington Post Washington Post "Guthrie was a man of ideas who was quick to question and eager to learn what prompted settlers to step outside the confines of their secure lives. Benson's biography follows Guthrie's own personal quest for transcendence."-ForeWord ForeWord "A thorough, well-written, lively, and authoritative account of A. B. Guthrie Jr.'s life."-Richard W. Etulain, Oregon Historical Quarterly -- Richard W. Etulain Oregon Historical Quarterly "One measure of a writer's biography is the degree to which it expands one's appreciation of the author's work and increases the pleasure of reading it. Good biographies should also give readers insight into the people being written about: why they were who they were, why they became who they became. Under the Big Sky succeeds on all counts."-Bloomsbury Review Bloomsbury Review "[Under the Big Sky] is a good picture of the man overall, one whose brother Chick described as 'a smart aleck and a wise guy.' But one who gave us all an enduring history of the West through fiction."-Pete Warzel, Montana Quarterly -- Pete Warzel Montana Quarterly
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
1. “By George, I’m Free!”
2. A Smart Aleck and a Wise Guy
3. Alone in a Small and Self-Contained City
4. Marriage, Family, and Separation
5. The First Novel and Plans for the Big One
6. The Big Break--the Nieman Fellowship
7. The Big Sky Triumph and Tracking The Way West
8. To Hollywood and Shane and the Move to Montana
9. Bucking the Myth: These Thousand Hills
10. Down in the Dumps--Drink and Divorce
11. Living with Janie and Courting Carol
12. The Old Man and the Young Woman Wed
13. Arfive, and Speaking to the Young--Earth Day
14. The Twin Lakes Imbroglio and Building the “Barn”
15. “What Happened to Boone?”
16. Fair Land, Fair Land: The End of the Trail
Afterword: Fishing the Pishkun
Notes and Documentation
Index
