Some reading that’s well worth your time: A New York Times profile of author Thomas McGuane, who at age 70 is a literary lion and a damned fine rider of cutting horses.
I enjoyed this bit:
Mr. McGuane himself sometimes appears torn about which West he belongs to. “There’s a view of Montana writing that seems stage-managed by the Chamber of Commerce — it’s all about writers like A. B. Guthrie and Ivan Doig,” he said, referring to two authors of historical novels about a rugged, frontier Montana. “It used to bother me that nobody had a scene where somebody was delivering a pizza.”
I don’t want to toot my own horn (yeah, okay, just go with me on this one), but allow me to direct your attention to the bottom of Page 257 of 600 Hours of Edward:
I’m watching Dragnet almost three hours early and might even watch another episode, if I feel like it. I’m also munching on thin-crust pepperoni pizza from Pizza Hut. I didn’t go to the grocery store today. I decided I didn’t have to. Maybe I’ll go tomorrow. Or maybe not.
I’ll do whatever I feel like doing. You live only once.
3 comments
Comments feed for this article
October 21, 2010 at 1:46 pm
mmarkmiller
I admire Tom McGuane’s mastery of craft, but his writing always strikes me as something written by a guy who moved to Montana 30 years ago and never bothered to learn the history of the place. He apparently hasn’t read the work of fine writers like you, Kevin Ganty, and Mary Clearman Blew. He right when he says the New York literary establishment slights western writers–and he does too. And, I recommend “Riding on the Rim.” It’s a fine novel about how a guy who moved to Montana 30 years ago thinks of the place.
October 23, 2010 at 1:12 pm
Lisa Matovich Brooke
Hi. I met you at the High Plains Book Festival. I was wondering if you could come to speak at my book club? It is in Billings. Thank you very much.
October 23, 2010 at 1:50 pm
craiglancaster
Hi, Lisa, good to hear from you … Drop me a line at amindadrift at gmail dot com with the details, and I’ll do my best to work it out.