Larry McMurtry
He gave the American West its literary voice, turning dusty towns and restless hearts into epic novels that defined a region.
1936–2021 (age 85)·American novelist·Birthday: June 3·The Silent Generation
Biography
Larry McMurtry grew up on a cattle ranch in Archer County, Texas, a world he would later describe as one of 'bookless people.' He escaped into literature, becoming a rare book scout and eventually a writer who dismantled the romantic myths of the frontier. His work, from the elegiac 'Lonesome Dove' to the sharply observed 'Terms of Endearment,' captured the loneliness, humor, and hard truths of life in the West and in modern Texas. McMurtry’s prose was deceptively simple, a clear window into complex characters, and his screenwriting brought that same emotional precision to Hollywood. He built a second life as a bookseller in Archer City, creating a sprawling bookstore that was a monument to the printed word he cherished.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Larry was born in 1936, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Larry Was Born
The biggest hits of 1936
#1 Movie
San Francisco
Best Picture
The Great Ziegfeld
Larry's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1936Born
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1941Started school
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1949Became a teenager
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1952Could drive
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1954Could vote
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1957Turned 21
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1966Turned 30
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1976Turned 40
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 50
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 60
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 70
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 80
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2021Died at 85
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
Key Achievements
- Won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1986 for his epic Western novel 'Lonesome Dove'.
- Co-wrote the screenplay for 'Brokeback Mountain,' which won him an Academy Award in 2006.
- Authored 'The Last Picture Show,' a defining novel of teenage angst in a dying Texas town, adapted into a landmark film.
- Wrote over thirty novels across six decades, creating a definitive literary map of the American West.
Did You Know?
He owned and operated a massive used book store in Archer City, Texas, that housed over 300,000 volumes.
He wrote his first novel, 'Horseman, Pass By,' while studying at Rice University; it was later adapted into the film 'Hud.'
He was a passionate book collector and scout, often buying entire libraries to stock his bookstore.
He claimed he wrote 'Lonesome Dove' on a 90-day 'writing binge.'
““If you wait, all that happens is that you get older.””
