Larry McMurtry (1936 – 2021)

Much of his fiction is set in the "old west" or contemporary Texas.

Born on June 3, 1936, in Wichita Falls, Texas, McMurtry is probably best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Lonesome Dove, which was adapted into a hit television miniseries that earned him seven Emmy Awards. The subsequent three novels in his Lonesome Dove series were adapted as three more miniseries, earning eight more Emmy nominations. McMurtry and co-writer Diana Ossana adapted the screenplay for Brokeback Mountain (2005), which earned eight Academy Award nominations with three wins, including McMurtry and Ossana for Best Adapted Screenplay.

His novels also included Horseman, Pass By, The Last Picture Show, and Terms of Endearment, which were adapted into films. In 2006, he was co-winner of the Best Screenplay Golden Globe and Academy Award for Brokeback Mountain.

He grew up on a ranch outside of Archer City, Texas. He earned degrees from North Texas State University (B.A. 1958) and Rice University (M.A. 1960). He published his first novels while an English instructor, and he won the 1962 Texas Institute of Letters Jesse M. Jones award. In 1964 he was awarded a Guggenheim grant.

A book collector, he purchased a rare book store in Washington, D.C.'s Georgetown neighborhood in 1970 and named it Booked Up. He moved to Washington D.C. to run the store. In 1988 he opened a second Booked Up in Archer City, establishing the town as an American "Book City".

His son, James McMurtry, is a singer/songwriter and guitarist.