Book Description

Author of The Way West and the screenplay for the classic Shane, among many other timeless stories, icon of Western literature A. B. "Bud" Guthrie Jr. brought a blazing realism to the story of the West. That realism came out of the depth of Guthrie's historical research and an acuity that had seldom been seen in the work of Western novelists. The small Montana town that figures in several of Guthrie's books is clearly patterned after the town where he grew up, Choteau, on the eastern front of the Rocky Mountains. Biographer Benson illuminates Guthrie's upbringing and education, the influence of his intellectually inclined father, his work as a newspaperman in Kentucky, and his time at Harvard University. Animated by the observations of friends, family, and fellow authors, this intimate account offers rare insight into the life and work of a remarkable writer and into the making of the literary West.--From publisher description.