{"product_id":"western-star-david-streitfeld-9780063234888","title":"Western Star: The Life and Legends of Larry McMurtry","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBy his longtime friend and a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, the definitive biography of Larry McMurtry, the legendary author and screenwriter of \u003cem\u003eLonesome Dove\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Last Picture Show\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eBrokeback Mountain, \u003c\/em\u003e who transformed our vision of the West.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBefore Larry McMurtry became one of the most celebrated writers of the twentieth century, he worked on his family's ranch in rural Texas. At night he heard vivid stories of his cowboy uncles driving herds of cattle across the plains where there once were bison and Native Americans. \"McMurtry Means Beef,\" as one ranching magazine put it. By the time he died in 2021, McMurtry had published forty books, won a Pulitzer for \u003cem\u003eLonesome Dove\u003c\/em\u003e and an Oscar for his cowritten adaptation of Annie Proulx's \u003cem\u003eBrokeback Mountain\u003c\/em\u003e, and seen his work made into such classic films as \u003cem\u003eHud\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eTerms of Endearment\u003c\/em\u003e. Now, McMurtry means great stories.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor all his fame, McMurtry was an elusive figure. He loved women but was married to his typewriter; he was wary of critics and distrustful of other men--except David Streitfeld. When McMurtry gave the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist the keys to his past, Streitfeld dug into every archive and interviewed everyone who would talk. He found that, even as McMurtry's work criticized the old cowboy myths, he loved making up stories about himself.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWestern Star\u003c\/em\u003e reveals the real and complicated life of a storyteller who was both an icon and critic of Texas, the favorite of presidents, confidant to movie stars like Diane Keaton and Cybill Shepherd, friend to Ken Kesey and husband to his widow Faye, an obsessive bookseller, and the most enduring voice of the American West. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mariner Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49990991610049,"sku":"9780063234888","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0781\/5512\/0833\/files\/9780063234888.jpg?v=1771439716","url":"https:\/\/www.porchlightbooks.com\/products\/western-star-david-streitfeld-9780063234888","provider":"Porchlight Book Company","version":"1.0","type":"link"}