Synopses & Reviews
Author of The Big Sky series, The Way West, and the screenplay for the classic Shane, among many other timeless stories of frontier mountain men, icon of Western literature A. B. and#8220;Budand#8221; Guthrie Jr. brought a blazing realism to the story of the West. That realism, which astounded and even shocked some readers, came out of the depth of Guthrieand#8217;s historical research and an acuity that had seldom been seen in the work of Western novelists. In Under the Big Sky, the latest in his celebrated series of biographies of Western writers, Jackson J. Benson details the life and work of this true giant on the Western literary landscape.and#160;The small Montana town that figures in several of Guthrieand#8217;s books is clearly patterned after the town where he grew up, Choteau, on the eastern front of the Rocky Mountains. Benson illuminates the critical details of Guthrieand#8217;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.
Review
and#8220;A thorough, well-written, lively, and authoritative account of A. B. Guthrie Jr.and#8217;s life.and#8221;and#8212;Richard W. Etulain, Oregon Historical Quarterly
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Review
and#8220;In this caring yet objective account of the novelistand#8217;s life, Jackson J. Benson uncovers the passions and demons in Guthrieand#8217;s life away from the desk, lending the biography meaning for general readers as well as writers.and#8221;and#8212;Washington Postand#160;
Review
and#8220;One measure of a writerand#8217;s biography is the degree to which it expands oneand#8217;s appreciation of the authorand#8217;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.and#8221;and#8212;
Bloomsbury ReviewReview
"A welcome biography of the Western novelist and environmentalist."and#8212;Kirkus Reviews
Review
"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."and#8212;ForeWord
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."and#8212;Pete Warzel, Montana Quarterly
About the Author
Jackson J. Benson is an emeritus professor of American literature at San Diego State University and the author of ten books. Among them are five biographies of Western writers, including The True Adventures of John Steinbeck, Writer, which won the PEN USA award for nonfiction, and Wallace Stegner: His Life and Work, which won the Evans Biography Award, and is available in a Bison Books edition. He and his wife live part of the year in La Mesa, California, and part in a cabin in the Sierras.